в долгах как в шелках (v dolgakh kak v shelkakh)
Meaning: To be deeply and hopelessly in debt.
Language: Russian
Literally: in debts as in silk
Category: The Absurd
Origin: The paradoxical comparison of debt (something burdensome and constricting) to silk (something luxurious and soft) creates an absurd image of being wrapped and trapped in luxury while drowning financially.
More idioms — The Absurd
- ездить в Тулу со своим самоваром (ezdit' v Tulu so svoim samovarom) — To do something entirely pointless or unnecessary, bringing what is already abundant in t…
- сражаться с ветряными мельницами (srazhat'sya s vetryanymi mel'nitsami) — To struggle against imaginary or futile enemies; to waste effort on impossible causes.
- полтора землекопа (poltora zemlyekopa) — An absurdly small group; a nonsensical quantity that defies rational measure.
- на честном слове и на одном крыле (na chestnom slove i na odnom kryle) — Succeeding or surviving by the barest margin, through luck or desperation rather than sol…
- ври больше (vri bolshe) — An expression of dismissive disbelief; an ironical way of saying someone's story is uncon…
- пускаться во все тяжкие (puskat'sya vo vse tyazhkiye) — To abandon restraint and indulge recklessly in vices or wrongdoing without scruple.
More Russian idioms
- положа руку на сердце (polozhá ruku na sérdtse) — Speaking with complete sincerity and honesty.
- до свадьбы заживёт (do svad'by zazhivyot) — A minor injury or problem will resolve itself naturally and quickly.
- давать на чай (davat' na chay) — To give a tip or small payment to a service worker.
- наступить дважды на одни и те же грабли (nastupitʹ dvazhdy na odni i te zhe grabli) — To repeat the same mistake or fall into the same trap a second time.
- ежовые рукавицы (ezhovye rukavitsy) — Harsh, strict, or iron-fisted rule or discipline.
- козырная карта (kozyrnaya karta) — A decisive advantage or secret resource held in reserve.
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