IdiomDaily Life
Russian
Russianзарывать свой талант в землю (zaryvat' svoy talant v zemlyu)
Meaning: to waste or hide one's natural gifts instead of using them.
Literally: To bury one's talent in the earth
Example: “Она поёт только дома и зарывает талант в землю.” — She only sings at home and hides her light under a bushel.
English equivalent: To hide one's light under a bushel
Equivalents in other languages
English: hide one's light under a bushel
Origin: Derived from the Biblical parable of the talents (Matthew 25), where a servant buries his master's money instead of investing it; the phrase transfers that moral lesson to personal abilities.
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- гнать в три шеи (gnat' v tri shei) To expel or drive someone away forcefully and without ceremony.
- полтора землекопа (poltora zemlyekopa) A ridiculously small number of people; a handful.
- язык проглотил (yazyk proglotil) To be unable or unwilling to speak; to remain silent when words are called for.
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