Query re russian usage
Loren Allen Billings
BILLINGS at PUCC.BITNET
Sat Mar 11 22:51:27 UTC 1995
The native speaking Russian I consulted about this last correction--that
_stal zakurivat'_ only means 'was rolling a smoke'--says that this is NOT
correct. It can, to this person, only mean 'was (in the process of)
lighting up (a cigarette, _papiros_, or cigar)'.
I learned something new from this exercise: _papiros_ CAN mean both the
manufactured cigarette-like sticks that consist mostly of cardboard tube
(common brand name: _Belomor_) AND roll-your-own tobacco cigarettes.
The reason I checked with my "informant" was that I thought it was
impossible to roll one's own _papirosy_. Now I know this other meaning
of the term this definition is plausible, but not accepted nonetheless.
Anyone else agree or disagree with the interpretation of 'was rolling'?
--Loren Billings (billings at princeton.edu)
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