IdiomAnimals
Russian
Russianотбросить копыта (otbrosit' kopyta)
Meaning: To die, to kick the bucket.
Literally: To throw off hooves
Example: “Старый холодильник наконец отбросил копыта.” — The old fridge finally kicked the bucket.
English equivalent: To kick the bucket
Other ways to say this
Finnish: Heittää lusikka nurkkaan Literally: To throw the spoon in the corner
German: Den Löffel abgeben Literally: To hand over the spoon- German: über den Jordan gehen Literally: To go over the Jordan
- Russian: сыграть в ящик (sygrat' v yashchik) Literally: To play in a box
English: kick the bucket
French: Passer l'arme à gauche Literally: To pass the weapon to the left
Origin: Throwing off one's hooves was first said of animals dying, as Fedorov's phrase dictionary notes, and the coarse joke is to say it of people. It is a crude euphemism for dying, like English "kick the bucket."
More Russian idioms
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- до посинения (do posineniya) To do something with extreme effort or persistence, usually futilely.
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- огород городить (ogorod gorodit') To start a laborious and pointless undertaking; to make a big fuss over nothing.
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