RussianНи пуха ни пера (Ni pukha ni pera)
Meaning: Good luck — to which the ritual reply is 'To the devil!'.
Literally: Neither fluff nor feather
Example: “Завтра экзамен? Ни пуха ни пера!” — Exam tomorrow? Break a leg!
English equivalent: Break a leg
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: In bocca al lupo Literally: Into the mouth of the wolf
French: Merde ! Literally: Shit!
English: break a leg
Origin: From the language of hunters, as Russian Wiktionary and the Учебный фразеологический словарь explain. In hunters' speech пух (down) stood for furred game and перо (feather) for birds. Wishing a hunter luck outright was believed to jinx the hunt, so he was wished the opposite, "neither down nor feather," and answered к чёрту! (to the devil!) so as not to jinx it in return. Today it is said to anyone facing an exam, a performance or another ordeal.
More Russian idioms
- После дождичка в четверг (Posle dozhdichka v chetverg) Never — or certainly no time soon.
- Зарубить на носу (Zarubit' na nosu) To remember something firmly, once and for all.
- Водить за нос (Vodit' za nos) To deceive or string someone along.
- Бить баклуши (Bit' baklushi) To loaf about doing nothing.
- Остаться с носом (Ostat'sya s nosom) To be left empty-handed or outwitted.
- Как сельдь в бочке (Kak sel'd' v bochke) Packed together very tightly.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- У тебя золотые руки (u tebya zolotye ruki) You're extraordinarily skilled — able to make or fix anything with your hands.
- Золотые руки (Zolotye ruki) You're wonderfully skilled with your hands — a true master at making and fixing things.
- Без царя в голове (Bez tsarya v golove) Foolish and reckless — with no one in charge upstairs.
Keep exploring