Quick Answer
“Rissian idioms” are Russian idioms — “Rissian” is just a common way of mistyping “Russian,” and everything below is standard, everyday Russian. Each entry gives the phrase in Cyrillic, a simple transliteration with the stressed syllable in capitals, a literal translation, and what the idiom actually means. Russian linguists call fixed expressions like these фразеологизмы (fra-ze-a-la-GIZ-my); full moral sentences are пословицы (proverbs) and shorter set phrases are поговорки (sayings).
A note on pronunciation: in the transliterations, unstressed “o” is written as “a” because that is how it sounds (so голова becomes ga-la-VA), and ’ marks a soft consonant. If you are new to the alphabet, start with our English to Russian guide.
“Never,” “Useless” and Other Animal Idioms
Animals are everywhere in Russian phraseology — bears, geese, cats, crayfish — usually as a vivid way to say something negative.
Когда рак на горе свистнет
kag-DA rak na ga-RYE SVIST-nyet — literally “when the crayfish whistles on the hill”
Meaning: Never. The Russian equivalent of “when pigs fly.”
После дождичка в четверг
POS-lye DOZH-dich-ka f chet-VERK — literally “after a little rain on Thursday”
Meaning: At some vague time that will probably never come.
Медвежья услуга
med-VEZH-ya us-LU-ga — literally “a bear’s favour”
Meaning: Help that does more harm than good.
Note: It comes from Ivan Krylov’s fable The Hermit and the Bear, in which a bear swats a fly on his sleeping friend’s forehead with a heavy stone.
Делить шкуру неубитого медведя
dye-LIT’ SHKU-ru nye-u-BI-ta-va med-VYE-dya — literally “to divide the skin of a bear that hasn’t been killed”
Meaning: To count your chickens before they hatch.
Как с гуся вода
kak z GU-sya va-DA — literally “like water off a goose”
Meaning: Criticism or trouble has no effect on someone — “like water off a duck’s back.”
Кот наплакал
kot na-PLA-kal — literally “the cat cried (that much)”
Meaning: A tiny amount. Денег — кот наплакал: “there’s hardly any money.”
Food Idioms
Food idioms come from a culture where pancakes, cheese, butter and bread were everyday realities. The pancake one is especially associated with Maslenitsa, the pre-Lent pancake festival.
Первый блин комом
PYER-vyy BLIN KO-mam — literally “the first pancake comes out lumpy”
Meaning: First attempts often fail, so don’t be discouraged.
Вешать лапшу на уши
VYE-shat’ lap-SHU na U-shi — literally “to hang noodles on someone’s ears”
Meaning: To feed someone lies or nonsense; to pull someone’s leg.
Как сыр в масле кататься
kak SYR v MAS-lye ka-TAT’-sya — literally “to roll like cheese in butter”
Meaning: To live in comfort and plenty.
Тёртый калач
TYOR-tyy ka-LACH — literally “a well-kneaded kalach (loaf)”
Meaning: An experienced, worldly person who is hard to fool. The kalach is a traditional wheat loaf — see our Russian bread guide.
Не в своей тарелке
nye f sva-YEY ta-RYEL-kye — literally “not in one’s own plate”
Meaning: Ill at ease, out of sorts.
Note: Often explained as a mistranslation of the French n’être pas dans son assiette, where assiette meant “position” as well as “plate.”
Work and Laziness
A surprising number of idioms describe not working — and a few insist that effort is the only way forward.
Бить баклуши
bit’ bak-LU-shi — literally “to beat baklushi (wooden blanks)”
Meaning: To idle, to do nothing useful. Baklushi were rough wooden blocks for making spoons — an easy task that needed little skill.
Спустя рукава
spus-TYA ru-ka-VA — literally “with sleeves let down”
Meaning: Carelessly, half-heartedly (the opposite of rolling up your sleeves).
Сидеть сложа руки
si-DYET’ sla-ZHA RU-ki — literally “to sit with folded hands”
Meaning: To sit idle while something needs doing.
Руки не доходят
RU-ki nye da-KHO-dyat — literally “the hands don’t reach”
Meaning: I never get around to it.
Работа не волк, в лес не убежит
ra-BO-ta nye VOLK, v LYES nye u-bye-ZHIT — literally “work isn’t a wolf; it won’t run off into the forest”
Meaning: A joking excuse to put work off — it will still be there tomorrow.
Без труда не выловишь и рыбку из пруда
bez tru-DA nye VY-la-vish i RYP-ku iz pru-DA — literally “without effort you can’t even pull a fish out of a pond”
Meaning: Nothing comes without work; “no pain, no gain.”
Wisdom, Patience and Getting to the Point
These are the sayings a grandmother might use: advice about patience, planning and seeing through to the real issue.
Утро вечера мудренее
U-tra VYE-che-ra mud-rye-NYE-ye — literally “the morning is wiser than the evening”
Meaning: Sleep on it. A familiar line from Russian fairy tales.
Тише едешь — дальше будешь
TI-she YE-desh — DAL’-she BU-desh — literally “the quieter you ride, the further you’ll get”
Meaning: Slow and steady wins the race.
Москва не сразу строилась
mas-KVA nye SRA-zu STRO-i-las’ — literally “Moscow wasn’t built all at once”
Meaning: Great things take time — the Russian “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Семь пятниц на неделе
syem’ PYAT-nits na nye-DYE-lye — literally “seven Fridays in a week”
Meaning: Said of someone who keeps changing their plans or opinions.
Вот где собака зарыта
vot gdye sa-BA-ka za-RY-ta — literally “that’s where the dog is buried”
Meaning: That’s the heart of the matter; now I see the real reason.
Язык до Киева доведёт
ya-ZYK da KI-ye-va da-vye-DYOT — literally “your tongue will get you to Kyiv”
Meaning: If you ask, you will find your way.
Остаться у разбитого корыта
as-TAT’-sya u raz-BI-ta-va ka-RY-ta — literally “to be left at the broken washtub”
Meaning: To end up with nothing after losing everything you had gained.
Note: From Pushkin’s Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, where a greedy wife ends up back beside her old broken trough. See our article on Russian poetry.
Friendship, Luck and Noise
Russian culture places high value on friendship and hospitality, and several much-loved proverbs say so directly.
Старый друг лучше новых двух
STA-ryy DRUK LUCH-she NO-vykh DVUKH — literally “an old friend is better than two new ones”
Meaning: Value long friendships.
Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто друзей
nye i-MYEY sto rub-LYEY, a i-MYEY sto dru-ZYEY — literally “don’t have a hundred roubles, have a hundred friends”
Meaning: Friends are worth more than money.
Ни пуха ни пера!
ni PU-kha ni pye-RA — literally “neither down nor feather!”
Meaning: Good luck! Traditionally said before an exam or a difficult task.
Note: The customary reply is «К чёрту!» (K CHYOR-tu, “to the devil!”). The wish originally came from hunters, who avoided wishing luck directly for fear of jinxing it.
Кричать во всю ивановскую
kri-CHAT’ va FSYU i-VA-naf-sku-yu — literally “to shout across all of Ivanovskaya (square)”
Meaning: To shout at the top of your lungs. Usually linked to Ivanovskaya Square in the Moscow Kremlin, where decrees were read aloud.
How to Use Russian Idioms Without Sounding Odd
- Mind the register. Phrases such as вешать лапшу на уши and кот наплакал are colloquial — perfect among friends, less so in a formal email.
- Don’t translate word for word. English speakers sometimes try “when pigs fly” literally; a Russian will not understand it. Use когда рак на горе свистнет instead.
- Watch the grammar. Many idioms change form: он вешает мне лапшу на уши (“he’s feeding me nonsense”), она тёртый калач (“she’s nobody’s fool”).
- Learn the replies. Some sayings expect an answer — “ни пуха ни пера” is followed by “к чёрту!”
- Pair them with basics. Idioms land best once you are comfortable with greetings like hello and questions like how are you.
Where Russian Idioms Come From
Many expressions grew out of peasant life — baklushi, washtubs, kalach loaves and the Russian stove. Others come from literature: Ivan Krylov’s fables (early nineteenth century) supplied dozens of phrases, including the “bear’s favour,” and Pushkin’s fairy tales gave the “broken washtub.” Some are borrowed or calqued from other languages, like “not in one’s own plate” from French. Church Slavonic and the Bible contributed another layer, and the twentieth century added Soviet-era and film catchphrases. Because many idioms are rooted in older ways of life, even native speakers do not always know the literal origin — they simply know what the phrase means.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous Russian idiom?
There is no single winner, but expressions such as “когда рак на горе свистнет” (when the crayfish whistles on the hill, meaning never), “вешать лапшу на уши” (to hang noodles on someone’s ears, meaning to lie) and “ни пуха ни пера” (good luck) are known to virtually every Russian speaker.
How do you reply to “ни пуха ни пера”?
The traditional reply is “К чёрту!” (k CHYOR-tu), literally “to the devil!” It is a joking, superstitious exchange and is not considered rude.
What is the difference between a Russian proverb and a saying?
Russian distinguishes пословица (pa-SLO-vi-tsa), a complete proverb with a moral, such as “без труда не выловишь и рыбку из пруда,” from поговорка (pa-ga-VOR-ka), a set phrase used inside a sentence, such as “кот наплакал.”