Kotlovan: such'ya zazhimka

[David Powelstock]

Of course, Paul is quite right about zazhim/zazhimka referring to clamps, vices, etc. I wrote too hastily. But its other definition is "deistvie po znacheniiu glagola zazhimat' (see below), as in the case of the dog mating situation, perhaps, or more generally, a "pinch." The metaphoric meaning here could be, what a f*cked up situation -- we can't get rid of the chlen. The first definition of zazhimka in Kuznetsov is: Razg. k Zazhimat', and the second of definition of zazhimat' is: Razg. Prepiatstvovat' prodvizheniiu kogo-libo po sluzhbe, pritesniat'.  This certainly seems like it might apply to the situation in Platonov: we're in a pinch, to translate it very mildly.

According to Robert, the text he has reads,

"Ya tak I znal, chto on svoloch’, suchya zazhimka! - opredelil Zhachev pro
aktivista.  ‘Nu chto ty tut budesh delat’ s etim chlenom?!"

Robert writes that there is no doubt that the phrase refers to the activist. On the contrary, there is good reason to doubt it. There's no reason to assume that svoloch' and such'ia zazhimka are appositive, especially since we still have no attested usage of such'ia zazhimka in reference to a person. Or did I miss one? If not, its seems equally likely that it refers metaphorically to a situation, rather than a person--precisely the, er, problematic kind of situation about which Maria has enlightened us: can't get rid of the chlen. And is the activist really a kulak, per Robert's provisional translation? If not, why assume that such'ia zazhimka is metaphoric here for 'kulak'? (It's a plausible guess, but hardly the only possibility.) 

By the way, Kuznetsov is the only source I've found that gives a meaning for zazhimka that is distinct from the meanings of zazhim--the situation or action of "prepiatstvie prodvizheniiu po sluzhbe." In all its other meaning is simply a variant of zazhim. If the phrase is appositive to svoloch' and therefore refers to the activist (rather than to the situation), why not use the grammatically masculine zazhim? Again, none of this is meant to suggest that such apposition is impossible or even implausible--just that it's not the *only* plausible interpretation--given that we don't really know what the speaker means!

As for "member," it's a perfectly common usage in jokes. And after the issue of sex has become the focus, it's impossible to use the word "member" without evoking the meaning of, well, "male member." 

Just some thoughts.

Cheers to all,
David Powelstock


Значение слова «зажим»

Ударение: зажи́м
м.

   1. Действие по значению глаг.: зажимать.
   2. Приспособление для зажимания, защемления чего-л.

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