козырная карта (kozyrnaya karta)
Meaning: A decisive advantage or secret resource held in reserve.
Language: Russian
Literally: trump card
Category: Daily Life
Origin: In card games, a trump card outranks all others and can win unexpectedly; the phrase extends to any hidden advantage one plays to clinch victory.
More idioms — Daily Life
- оставаться в дураках (ostavat'sya v durakakh) — To be tricked or made a fool of; to lose or come out the worse in a situation.
- под башмаком (pod bashmakóm) — Dominated or controlled by one's wife; henpecked.
- отложить в долгий ящик (otlozhit' v dolgiy yashchik) — To postpone or shelve something indefinitely, leaving it forgotten.
- на все четыре стороны (na vse chetyre storony) — In any direction one wishes; to go wherever one pleases.
- лежачий полицейский (lezhachiy politseyskiy) — A speed bump or traffic calming device.
- один с сошкой, а семеро с ложкой (odin s soshkoy, a semero s lozhkoy) — many people live off the labor of one worker.
More Russian idioms
- в ус не дуть (v us ne dut') — To show complete indifference or not to care at all.
- ездить в Тулу со своим самоваром (ezdit' v Tulu so svoim samovarom) — To do something entirely pointless or unnecessary, bringing what is already abundant in t…
- надуться как мышь на крупу (nadut'sya kak mysh' na krupu) — To become angry or offended; to sulk or huff indignantly.
- пудрить мозги (pudrit' mozgi) — To mislead someone with false or nonsensical talk; to deceive or confuse deliberately.
- сила есть — ума не надо (sila yest — uma ne nado) — a person who is physically strong but intellectually weak or stupid.
- зарывать свой талант в землю (zaryvat' svoy talant v zemlyu) — to waste or hide one's natural gifts instead of using them.
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