Ни пуха ни пера (Ni pukha ni pera)

Meaning: Good luck — to which the ritual reply is 'To the devil!'.

Language: Russian

Literally: Neither fluff nor feather

Category: Animals

Origin: Hunters' superstition: wishing luck aloud jinxed the hunt, so they wished failure instead — no fur from beasts, no feathers from birds.

More idioms — Animals

• Ехать зайцем (Yekhat' zaytsem) — To ride a train or bus without paying.
• Кот наплакал (Kot naplakal) — A laughably tiny amount.
• De hond in de pot vinden — To arrive too late — the food, or the opportunity, is gone.
• Ana ugglor i mossen — To sense that something fishy is going on.
• 马马虎虎 (Mǎmǎhūhū) — So-so; careless and only just passable.
• 拍马屁 (pāi mǎpì) — To flatter or suck up to someone.

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.

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