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The great and mighty Russian language

My good friend Art pointed me to a hilarious bit of geopolitical news. Those in my audience who can read Russian are strongly urged to head over there and read for themselves. English interpretation may still be amusing to my non-Russian-speaking readers.

Recognition of Abkhasian and South Ossetian independence by Russia created a new geopolitical entity, whose name uses the first two letters of the names of each of the new independent states (“ab” and “os”, respectively) and the ancient name for Russia itself. The resulting moniker, АбОсРусь (pronounced “ah-boss-ROOS'”), is entirely indigestible to a Russian ear, on account of meaning “I’ll shit my pants”.

Kremlin strategists received welcome help in these trying times from their old Nicaraguan friends. As Daniel Ortega’s government recognized breakaway states, it became possible to incorporate Nicaragua into the aforementioned entity. Adding “Ni” to the beginning of a Russian word reverses its meaning, so the new geopolitical configuration now threateningly declares “I will not shit my pants” – НиАбОсРусь.

8 Comments

  1. Vince

    The situation itself isn’t funny, but the whole name things is very. It’s good to know governments across the world can do stupid things whithout realizing at first how stupid they are.

  2. Ilya

    To those of us who deplore what Russia has become in the years since Putin’s ascension, the only thing left is mockery and ridicule. Hurling insults at the bellicose Russia will not make a bad situation better, but it surely helps to let some steam out.

  3. Ilya

    The words are not important here, Brian. The acronym, made from the first letters of each word, is. It makes up a single Russian obscene word that has a rough connotation of a terminal f&$*#d up state.

  4. Ilya

    Correct, but the meaning of the acronym does not evoke human anatomy, male of female. Russian language is truly rich with such oddities. Just so we are clear 🙂

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