IdiomBody & Senses
Russian
Russianна коленке (na kolenke)
Meaning: Done hastily and without proper tools or technique; improvised or makeshift.
Literally: On the knee
Example: “Сайт сделали на коленке за один вечер.” — The website was put together on the back of an envelope in one evening.
English equivalent: On the back of an envelope
Equivalents in other languages
Polish: na kolanie Literally: On the knee
English: on the back of an envelope
Origin: Done "on the knee": in the field, without a table or proper tools, the thigh of a seated person serves as the workbench. Russian Wiktionary explains it this way, and it is said of anything improvised, rough and quick.
More Russian idioms
- сарафанное радио (sarafannoe radio) The informal spread of gossip or news from person to person, especially by word of mouth.
- козёл отпущения (kozjol otpushchenija) A person blamed or punished for the wrongs of others; a scapegoat.
- нечего греха таить (nechego grekha tait') Truth be told; one might as well admit something true and damning rather than conceal it.
- молоко на губах не обсохло (moloko na gubakh ne obsokhlo) a very young or inexperienced person; someone barely past infancy.
- Чья бы корова мычала, а твоя бы молчала (Ch'ya by korova mychala, a tvoya by molchala) You're in no position to criticize; you have the same fault, or a worse one.
- Игра не стоит свеч (Igra ne stoit svech) The effort or money spent won't be repaid by the result.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
- Beloruchka Someone who dodges dirty or hard work — a person whose hands stay conspicuously clean.
- Zapoi A bender running for days, in which a person drops out of ordinary life entirely.
- Toska A dull ache of the soul; a great longing with nothing in particular to long for.
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