the word’s worth

By Michele A. Berdy

Published: October 24, 2012 (Issue # 1732)

Ïîäëûé: loathsome, despicable, contemptible

Once upon a time, everyone living in what is now Russia had to pay a bunch of taxes, first to the grand prince and later to the state. These taxes were collectively called ïîäàòü (tax, assessment; stress on the first syllable). Then Peter the Great assumed the throne and decided to give a tax break to the rich and noble. Over time, the only folks still burdened with ïîäàòü were the lowest merchant class in towns and the peasants in the countryside. They were called ïîäàòíûå ñîñëîâèÿ (the tax-paying classes) — you know, poor working stiffs who always seem to bear the largest tax burden.

Ïîäëûé was originally used to describe these folks and was a neutral word meaning lower-class or poor. But then, as so often happens in society, lower-class began to be associated with low-down behavior, and poor people began to be associated with poor manners and morals.

Ïîäëûé morphed into the meaning it has today: someone or something that is base, despicable or immoral. Ïîäëåö is a scoundrel, villain or snake. Ïîäëîñòü is baseness or wickedness.

While these are not curse words, they are certainly fighting words. Use them with caution and protective covering. For example, when the guy in the Hummer not only cuts you off but also gives you the finger, you might shout: Ðåäêîñòíûé ïîäëåö! (what a piece of crap; literally “uncommon lout”). But make sure the windows are tightly closed.

Ïîäëàÿ øóòêà might be a mean joke, and ïîäëûé ïîñòóïîê is a low-down, dirty trick. Îäíà äåâóøêà ïîäñòàâèëà ìåíÿ òàê, ÷òî óâîëèëè ñ ðàáîòû. Òàêîãî ïîäëîãî ïîñòóïêà ÿ îò íå¸ íå îæèäàë (A woman at work made me look so bad that I got fired. I didn’t think she was capable of such a dirty trick). Óáèòü íåâîîðóæ¸ííîãî ÷åëîâåêà — âåëè÷àéøàÿ ïîäëîñòü (Killing an unarmed man is the lowest act imaginable).

Another word for nastiness is ìåðçêèé (disgusting), which is someone or something that makes your blood run cold or gives you the creeps. In fact, it’s related to the word ìîðîç (freezing cold). You might use this word when a driver cheerfully waves at you and then zips into the parking place you were waiting for. You could also use the related nouns ìåðçàâåö or ìåðçàâêà: (What a slimeball!)

Ìåðçîñòü might be vile behavior, or it might be some food left in the back of your fridge that has turned into a multicolored science project. Êàêàÿ ìåðçîñòü! (How revolting!)

Ãàäêèé (ugly, naughty, vile) is a bit lower down the scale of despicable behavior and varies in meaning and strength depending on the context. Ãàäêàÿ ïîãîäà is foul weather. Ãàäêèé óò¸íîê is the proverbial ugly duckling. Ãàäêèé àìåðèêàíåö is the proverbial ugly American. Ãàäêèé ðåá¸íîê is a naughty or misbehaving child. But ãàäêèé ÷åëîâåê is someone thoroughly untrustworthy or unsavory. Êàêîé æå îí ãàäêèé! (What a sleazebag!)

Similar to ãàäêèé is ãíóñíûé, which is someone or something that is foul, rotten or mean. Ãíóñíàÿ ëîæü is what English speakers call a dirty, rotten lie. Ãíóñíàÿ ðàáîòà is work that is miserable or disgusting — like cleaning the fridge of science projects. Someone with ãíóñíûé õàðàêòåð has a foul temper.

To sum it all up, the guy who institutes tax cuts for the rich is ïîäëåö. The guy who spins it is ìåðçàâåö. The whole process is ãàäêèé. And the work of balancing the budget afterwards is ãíóñíûé.

Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of “The Russian Word’s Worth” (Glas), a collection of her columns.