на честном слове и на одном крыле (na chestnom slove i na odnom kryle)

Meaning: Succeeding or surviving by the barest margin, through luck or desperation rather than solid means.

Language: Russian

Literally: on honest word and on one wing

Category: The Absurd

Origin: The image is of an aircraft flying with only one working wing, held aloft by prayer and thin hope rather than aeronautical soundness.

More idioms — The Absurd

ври больше (vri bolshe) — An expression of dismissive disbelief; an ironical way of saying someone's story is uncon…
пускаться во все тяжкие (puskat'sya vo vse tyazhkiye) — To abandon restraint and indulge recklessly in vices or wrongdoing without scruple.
хоть ложись и умирай (hot' lozhis' i umiray) — There is no escape or solution; one must accept an impossible or desperate situation.
хоть убей (khot' ubey) — For the life of me; under no circumstances or condition could one do something.
хоть умри (khot' umri) — No matter what the cost or consequence; absolutely and without exception.
Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard — It's nothing special or impressive.

развесистая клюква (razvestistaya klyukva) — Ignorant stereotypes and tall tales about Russia, especially those peddled by foreigners.
сыграть в ящик (sygrat' v yashchik) — To die.
нашего полку прибыло (nashego polku pribylo) — Another person has joined a group or shared predicament; a welcome to the club.
на славу (na slavu) — Excellently; very well; in a first-rate manner.
вводить в заблуждение (vvodit' v zabluzhdenie) — To deceive or mislead someone deliberately.
на коленке (na kolenke) — Done hastily and without proper tools or technique; improvised or makeshift.

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