Ни пуха ни пера

Meaning: Good luck — to which the ritual reply is 'To the devil!'.

Language: Russian

Literally: Neither fluff nor feather

Category: Animals

Origin: Hunters' superstition: wishing luck aloud jinxed the hunt, so they wished failure instead — no fur from beasts, no feathers from birds.

More idioms — Animals

• Ехать зайцем — To ride a train or bus without paying.
• Кот наплакал — A laughably tiny amount.
• De hond in de pot vinden — To arrive too late — the food, or the opportunity, is gone.
• Ana ugglor i mossen — To sense that something fishy is going on.
• 马马虎虎 — So-so; careless and only just passable.
• 拍马屁 — To flatter or suck up to someone.

More Russian idioms

• После дождичка в четверг — Never — or certainly no time soon.
• Зарубить на носу — To remember something firmly, once and for all.
• Водить за нос — To deceive or string someone along.
• Бить баклуши — To loaf about doing nothing.
• Остаться с носом — To be left empty-handed or outwitted.
• Как сельдь в бочке — Packed together very tightly.

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…