Russian mat

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Mat (Russian: мат, or ма́терный язы́к) is Russian sexual slang, based on the use of specific generally unprintable obscene words. Although it is commonly believed that the name derives from mat′ (Russian мать, "mother", where the prime represents the soft sign, which signals palatalization of the preceding t) the term comes from a word meaning "loud yell", which is now used in only a few expressions such as благим матом [citation needed]. It is at once almost universally understood and commonly employed, but also held in some cultural disregard, to the point of facing occasional social and legal proscriptions. Depending on context, as in languages besides Russian, speaking it may have the effect of conveying disrespect, congeniality or chic, cynicism, intensification, or self-assertion. The mat belongs to the ancient layers of the Russian language (the first written mat words date to Middle Ages). It was first introduced into literature in the 18th century by the poet Ivan Barkov, whose poetry, combining lofty lyrics with brutally obscene words, may be regarded as a forerunner of Russian literary parody. Non-native speakers of Russian are generally advised to be conservative about employing the terms or to shun them if they tend not to use their equivalents in their first language.

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[edit] Key words

The key elements of mat are:

  • khuy (Russian хуй) — penis, or for equivalent colloquial effect, cock
    • the word of disputed origin, popularly held to derive from Mongolian, but most likely from common Balto-Slavic pool; Old Russian "Yud/Yuda" (something that gets out), as well as from Oriental "Zhuay" which means to assault.
  • pizda (Russian пизда) — cunt and/or clit
  • yebat′ (Russian ебать) — to fuck
    • from PIE *eibati ("to fuck"), cf Old High German "eiba" and Sanskrit "yabhati"; From ancient Russian, "poYat'" means just to touch someone.
  • blyad′ (Russian блядь) — whore is simply a re-transcription of yet normative "Bludnica" (the wandering woman)
    • from PIE root cognate with English "blind"; the word was not banned from literary use at the time of Avvakum, who used it to describe various heresies, and various expressions based on these terms. Also, the 15th century merchant-traveller Afanasii Nikitin used it simply as "concubine", without any obscene connotations.

These words can be used in quite some contexts and generate a rather large range of new words based on them through the use of prefixes and suffixes. The first volume of the "Large Mat Dictionary" (большой словарь мата) treats only expressions with the word khuy, numbering over 500 entries.

A detailed article by Victor Erofeyev (translated by Andrew Bromfeld) analyzing the history, overtones, and sociology of mat appeared in the 15 September 2003 issue of The New Yorker.

[edit] Further vocabulary

Additionally, the following words are considered almost as offensive, and can also be regarded as mat:

  • elda (елда) — "big penis";
  • gandon (gondon) (гандо́н, гондо́н), a bastardization of "condom", but it is a tabooed word and may be used figuratively;
  • gavno (Russian говно) — shit. Cognate to Sanskrit guváti ("(he) defecates") and Avestan gūʮa- ("shit"), from PIE. Note: this is not used as an exclamation the way that "Shit!" is used in English.
  • kher (хер) "penis"; somewhat less offensive than "khuy"; the actual meanings of kher is the old Russian name of the letter "X" Kha, which became strongly associated with the actual "khuy" (exactly like the "F-word" in English).
  • khren (хрен) is the mildest euphemism for "khuy", literally "Horse-radish"; khren, like its mat counterart, also means a jerk, a nasty/unpleasant man
  • malaf'ya (малафья) means "sperm"
  • manda — "vagina";
  • mudo (мудо) — "testicle". By far more often-used derivative, mudak (муда́к) and mudilo (муди́ло) sometimes only bears an abstract offensive meaning and is effectively equal to "motherfucker".
  • pidoras (пидора́с), a bastardization of pederast, meaning a male homosexual in Russian. The condensed form pidor (пи́дор) is also used.
  • sraka (срака) — "anus";
  • srat (срать) — "to shit";
  • suka (сука) — bitch
  • zalupa (залупа) means "penis head"
  • zhopa (жопа) - ass, arse (BrE)

[edit] Some derivatives

  • khernya (херня́) or khuynya (хуйня́) - "rubbish, nonsense"; нести хуйню (или херню) - to speak rubbish. Khuynya is "stronger" and more offensive than khernya, which is the also true for other derivatives of khuy and kher.
  • khuyovyi (хуёвый) or kherovyi (херо́вый) - bad, shitty.
  • khuyovina(хуёвина),pizdyulina(пиздю́лина),poyeben' (поебе́нь) - a thing the name of which one either doesn't know or doesn't think worth specifying.
  • pizdatyi (пизда́тый) - very good.
  • okhuyennyi (охуе́нный) or okhuyitelnyi (охуи́тельный) - a general-purpose superlative adjective; "fucking good" (or "fucking attractive", etc.)
  • opizdenitel'nyi (опиздени́тельный) — enormous
  • okhuyet ' (охуе́ть) or euph. ofiget ' (офиге́ть) - to go out of one's mind (go crazy), with the derived meanings like 1. to be very surprised, 2. to be cheeky. 3. to go insane. Example 1: Я слушал его и тихо охуевал - я слушал его и удивлялся, стараясь не подавать вида. Example 2: Босс совсем охуел: зажал ползарплаты за два опоздания - Босс совсем обнаглел: удержал половину моей зарплаты за два опоздания.
  • pizdets (пизде́ц) or euph. kapets (капе́ц), cf. Germ. kaput, is usually used to describe a particularly sad state of affairs, when there is no way to improve things or when someone is in (for) big trouble.
  • pizdit’ (пи́здить) - "to beat up" or "to steal", means a continuous action.
  • pizdet’ (пизде́ть)- "to tell a lie" or "to chat"; note that conjugated forms are very similar to pizdit' but with a different articulation (пизди́ть))
  • poebat’ (поеба́ть) — verb: "to fuck for a while"; adverb or interjection: same as pokhui
  • pokhui, pokhuiu (по́хуй, похую) — adverb: "no matter", "unaffected", "unconcerned". Ему всё похуй — "He cares about nothing" or "He is unshakable". A derivative of this is pokhuism (похуи́зм) — "nonchalance" (as an -ism, a permanent attitude).
  • proyebat' (проеба́ть)- "to lose something due to lack of consideration"; "to shirk school"
  • syebat'sia (съеба́ться)- "to leave a dangerous place quickly", "to escape", "to clear out", "to scram"
  • yebalo (еба́ло) - "face", rarely "mouth"
  • yobnut’ (ёбнуть) or yebanut’ (ебану́ть) - "to hit", with derivative meanings "to take a drink (e.g., of vodka)". Always means a single-time action - a single hit or a single drink from the cup.

NB: The verbs yobnut' and yebanut' are different: "stakan yebanulsya" means "the glass (a vessel) has fallen down" but "stakan youbnulsya" means "the glass has been broken".

  • yobnut'sya (ёбнуться) - (referring to a human) "to fall (over)", "slip up", or "stumble"; "to get hit (against smth)"; "to go mad". For the verbs "to fall" or "to slip up" you can also use nayebnut'sya (наебнуться).
  • "viyebat'" (выебать) - (referring to a woman) "to sucessfully fuck" means a completed action of fucking someone

[edit] Common phrases

  • yob tvoyu mat' (ёб твою́ мать) literally "fuck your mother" meaning "oh no" or "shit!"
  • ni khuya sebe (ни хуя́ себе́) exclamation of surprise (literally "no dick for oneself") meaning "what a surprise", "wow!"
  • ebat' menya v rot! (ебать меня в рот!) basically "I'll be fucked in the mouth!", an expression meant to convey the truthfulness of the speaker's previous statement. "I'll be fucked in the mouth if this isn't true."
  • ebat'-kopat' (ебать-копать) Untranslatable expression, an exclamation roughly equivalent to "Oh Fuck!", or "Fuck it!"
  • khuy tebe v rot! (хуй тебе́ в рот!) literally "a dick to your mouth" means "you'll get nothing (from me)" (this sounds extremely offensive)
  • zatkni yebalo! (заткни́ еба́ло!) means "shut up!", "shut your face!"
  • khuy(kher) s nim(ney,nimi)! (хуй(хер) с ним(ней,ними)!) literally "prick with him (or her, them)!" means "don't be so concerned about him (her, it, them)!" or "I no longer care about him (her, it, them)"
  • (da) poshol(poshla, idite) na khuy! (пошёл(пошла́, иди́те) на хуй!) literally "go on a dick" meaning "fuck off" or "forget it!" (very offensive). If a name or a pronoun is added, this expression is sometimes very close in meaning to khuy(kher) s nim(ney,nimi)!

[edit] Famous usage

Kirkorov's press conference

Russian pop-star Philip Kirkorov had the following exchange with Ms Aroyan, a correspondent, at his press conference that was held in Rostov on Don on May 20, 2004:
KIRKOROV: I am annoyed by your little pink sweater, your tits and your microphone... I feel "po khuyu" (i.e., I do not care) what you will write about me. I do not like nonprofessionals. That's not the place for nonprofessionals.
AROYAN: You should learn to behave yourself — "zvezda" ("star" in Russian).
KIRKOROV: Yes... Pizda! (rhymes with "zvezda").
Russian text of this exchange:
— (1) Ф. Киркоров: Меня раздражают Ваша розовая кофточка, Ваши сиськи и Ваш микрофон.
— (2) Ф. Киркоров: А? Да мне… да мне по хую, как Вы напишете… Так же, как и Вы… Я не люблю непрофессионалов! Непрофессионалам тут делать нечего!
— (3) И. Ароян (презрительно): А вы научитесь себя вести. "Звезда".
Ф. Киркоров (рифмуя): Да… Пизда!

[edit] Classical poetry with mat

Mikhail Lermontov

So, I am not going to pay
However, if you are a simple blyad'
You should consider it an honor
To be acquainted with the cadet's khuy !
Russian:
Итак, тебе не заплачу я:
Но если ты простая блядь,
То знай: за честь должна считать
Знакомство юнкерского хуя!

[edit] See also

[edit] External link

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