A Book of Russian Idioms Illustrated

Book excerpt: A Book of Russian Idioms Illustrated highlights the role of Russian idioms in the historical development of the Russian language and how mastery of these idioms can bring about deeper understanding of the language. The book identifies the types of idioms that are discussed, and then states that phraseological fusions are word combinations whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meaning of their elements, while phraseological unities are word combinations whose meaning are partly dependent on the connotation of their individual words. The idioms are arranged alphabetically as units, and each entry is composed of a Russian idiom with its transliteration, literal translation, and explanation. English equivalents are also provided. The text underscores the use of pictures to depict the meaning of idioms and to illustrate their real meanings. The illustrations are presented in a humorous manner, showing the influence of humor in Russian idioms. The manuscript notes that Russian idioms are greatly of popular origin, hence they practically deal with human relations. The book is a vital reference for English speaking students of the Russian language who are familiar with the essentials of Russian grammar and basic Russian vocabulary.