IdiomDaily Life
Russian
Russianоставаться в дураках (ostavat'sya v durakakh)
Meaning: To be tricked or made a fool of; to lose or come out the worse in a situation.
Literally: To remain in the fools
Example: “Он поверил объявлению и остался в дураках.” — He believed the ad and ended up with egg on his face.
English equivalent: To have egg on one's face
Equivalents in other languages
English: To have egg on your face
Portuguese: Pagar mico Literally: To pay monkey
Origin: In the Russian card game durak (fool), the losing player is the 'fool'; the phrase extends to any situation where one is outwitted or humiliated.
More Russian idioms
- в ус не дуть (v us ne dut') To show complete indifference or not to care at all.
- надуться как мышь на крупу (nadut'sya kak mysh' na krupu) To become angry or offended; to sulk or huff indignantly.
- пудрить мозги (pudrit' mozgi) To mislead someone with false or nonsensical talk; to deceive or confuse deliberately.
- сила есть — ума не надо (sila yest — uma ne nado) a person who is physically strong but intellectually weak or stupid.
- в лес дрова возить (v les drova vozit') to do something pointless or redundant; to offer something to someone who already has ple…
- сражаться с ветряными мельницами (srazhat'sya s vetryanymi mel'nitsami) To struggle against imaginary or futile enemies; to waste effort on impossible causes.
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