Kotlovan: such'ya zazhimka

[Paul B. Gallagher]

I just realized that David Powelstock has been diverting all replies to 
his private mailbox. Here's what I intended to send to the list:

David Powelstock wrote:

> Yes, muzhskoi chlen. It's a highly developed metaphor! 

To which I replied (unintentionally privately):

> But the pun fails in English, as we don't normally call it "member."

David replied to that comment privately, and I invite him to make his 
comments public. In response to his private comment, I wrote 
(unintentionally privately):

> Dictionaries notwithstanding, have you ever heard anyone actually use
> "member" that way? Can you find anyone outside of the lexicography 
> field who is familiar with that sense?
> 
> FWIW, I'm an American, too, living right here in PA.

David also wrote publicly:

> I don't have enough context to be sure, but is it possible that the
> zazhimka refers to the situation, not the person? That would make the
> member the thing they wish they could get rid of but can't. (That's
> what I meant by a highly developed metaphor.) All the definitions I
> found of zazhimka and zazhim referred to situations and states.

To which I replied (unintentionally privately):

> "Зажим" is routinely used in technical (mechanical) contexts for 
> various types of clamps, clips, and the like -- a physical object, 
> not a state.
> 
> "Зажимка" is another story; I haven't seen it used at all in those 
> contexts, though I could imagine it denoting the state or condition 
> of being clamped or gripped.


-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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