REPLY: 1:153/716.0 5692df07
MSGID: 2:5023/24.4222 6569909c
CHRS: CP866 2
TZUTC: 0400
Hello, Ardith!

Thu 30-11-2023 22:14, Ardith Hinton (1:153/716) wrote to Alexander Koryagin:

 AK>>  A Russian man (muzhik)
 AH>           According to my sources this word refers to a peasant...
 AH> i.e. a term somebody Dallas & I knew years ago applied WRT those who
 AH> live in the country & whom he thought to have limited education,
 AH> intelligence, &/or knowledge of how things work in the Big City.
 AH> But I understand it can also signify an ordinary adult male, and I
 AH> reckon the latter is more like what you had in mind....  :-)

That's correct. "M." is basically an archaic literary form to denote a
"peasant" or a "rural farm laborer" type, that somehow seeped (and is
persisting) into contemporary speech. Although it's a "very low" (fringe)
register type of speech, and addressing in such a manner to a passer-by (or
bypasser?) in the city's public places is considered rude and may not be
tolerated by some. It still might be OK to use in some remote/rural regions of
the country (which is a vast area).

It's also widely used in the Army, or amongst "drink mates" (within the
context of alcoholics' socialisation & other fringe cultures).

 AK>>  "One of my tomatoes is poisoned!"
 AK>>  Next day he sees an addition: "Now there are two".
 AH>                  | saw (verb tense agreement)
 AH>           And whether or not either statement is true, nobody who
 AH> values their life would risk eating a poisoned one... [chuckle].

It is a classical "the trick and the backlash" type of situation that isn't
uncommon in Russian "modus vivendi", and thus, joke culture: if you think
you've performed a smart move, then, expect something even smarter in return.
:-)


Regards, Gleb                                   | Fri 01-12-2023, 11:51
--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5
 * Origin: Type  to continue (2:5023/24.4222)
SEEN-BY: 1/19 123 15/0 16/0 19/10 37 90/1 105/81 106/201 123/130 131
SEEN-BY: 129/305 142/104 153/7715 203/0 218/700 221/1 6 360 226/30
SEEN-BY: 227/114 229/110 112 113 206 307 317 426 428 470 664 700 240/5832
SEEN-BY: 250/25 266/512 280/5003 282/1038 291/111 301/1 320/119 219
SEEN-BY: 320/319 2119 322/0 757 335/364 341/66 234 342/200 396/45
SEEN-BY: 423/81 450/1024 460/58 463/68 467/888 712/848 5000/111 5001/100
SEEN-BY: 5005/49 5015/42 46 255 5019/40 5020/400 570 715 830 846 1042
SEEN-BY: 5020/4441 5022/2 5023/12 24 5030/49 5034/13 5053/51 5054/8
SEEN-BY: 5058/104 5061/15 133 5075/35 128 5080/102 5083/1 444 5090/958
SEEN-BY: 6035/3
PATH: 5023/24 5020/715 1042 221/6 1 320/219 229/426