IdiomDaily Life
Russian
Russianна славу (na slavu)
Meaning: Excellently; very well; in a first-rate manner.
Literally: To glory
Example: “Праздник удался на славу.” — The party went off with flying colors.
English equivalent: With flying colors
Equivalents in other languages
English: with flying colors
Origin: Слава is glory or fame, so something done на славу is done gloriously, well enough to be praised. The phrase is ordinary Russian for excellently, with no particular story behind it.
More Russian idioms
- пускаться во все тяжкие (puskat'sya vo vse tyazhkiye) To abandon restraint and indulge recklessly in vices or wrongdoing without scruple.
- на коленке (na kolenke) Done hastily and without proper tools or technique; improvised or makeshift.
- козёл отпущения (kozjol otpushchenija) A person blamed or punished for the wrongs of others; a scapegoat.
- 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.
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