Double agents in Russian language

If a person calls himself something that does not really correspond to the truth, it does not need to be taken literally

At the end of the year it is customary to look back and sum up the events of the last 12 months. We will also try summing up the year linguistically. Which new words and phrases has 2014 brought to life in Russia? By which expressions will it be remembered?

Many Russian words today have a much narrower or even a completely different definition. This can confuse the inexperienced translator

In the Russian language there are two similar words that signify this substance: ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’, and each of them has its own shades of meaning and association

In any given Russian conversation, there is a high likelihood of hearing standard turns of phrase

After the fall of the Soviet Union and the removal of the restrictions of censorship, Russian pop music broke free and boldly began to dance. Sometimes vulgar, occasionally tasteless, at times funny, Russian pop was always a perfect reflection of its time...

Many Russian words have two or even more different meanings

Summer is harvest time for various vegetables and fruit. So it's time we talked about the double meanings that can often be found in their names

Lines from certain songs have transcended the musical genre completely and passed into everyday usage

Words not only give a neutral definition to events and notions but also contain connotations

Many city names in Russian are associated with interesting historical anecdotes or cultural references

Over the past quarter of a century, Russian cuisine has been enriched by new dishes that have arrived from abroad

The Russian language has notions that do not have direct equivalents in other cultures, so the words that denote them often do have an accurate translation into other languages. One of these words is "poshlost"

Sometimes last names can even reveal a person's key character traits

A number of expressions and collocations in Russian feature geographical adjectives. Many of these refer to places abroad and have their origins in food, history and culture

In the Russian language, every month has enduring social, folkloric and literary associations

Life in modern Russia is riddled with abbreviations. Whether forging a career or shopping, people in Russia are surrounded by acronyms wherever they go

A peculiar feature of the Russian language is the surprising number of alternative meanings for nouns referring to female nationals from other countries

Following "The 10 most well-known Russian words", readers have responded with suggestions of more Russian words that have become known and used internationally

Similarly to other languages, Russian has long made use of acronyms; they are particularly common in the ideological sphere