IdiomNature
Russian
RussianПосле дождичка в четверг (Posle dozhdichka v chetverg)
Meaning: Never — or certainly no time soon.
Literally: After the little rain on Thursday
Example: “Ремонт закончат после дождичка в четверг.” — They'll finish the repairs when pigs fly.
English equivalent: When pigs fly
Other ways to say this
- Russian: Когда рак на горе свистнет (Kogda rak na gore svistnet) Literally: When a crayfish whistles on the mountain
French: Quand les poules auront des dents Literally: When hens have teeth
Portuguese: Nem que a vaca tussa Literally: Not even if the cow coughs
English: at latter Lammas
Italian: alle calende greche Literally: On the Greek calends- English: when hell freezes over
- French: Aux calendes grecques Literally: At the Greek calends
- French: À la Saint-Glinglin Literally: On Saint Glinglin's day
- English: when pigs fly
Origin: Thursday was the day of Perun, the Slavic god of thunder. The usual explanation is that the pagan Slavs prayed to him for rain on his day, so often in vain that "after the rain on Thursday" came to mean never. A 1967 philological study calls the phrase a formula of distrust in Perun "as is believed": the link is a reconstruction, not documented. In writing it is found in Saltykov-Shchedrin, Mamin-Sibiryak and Mayakovsky.
More Russian idioms
- Кот наплакал (Kot naplakal) A laughably tiny amount.
- 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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