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The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2009-07-07 19:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Explanation: I think it has a figurative meaning rather than literary.
Вот ссылка: http://alliruk.livejournal.com/55892.html?thread=71252 И я, безусловно, согласен с тем, что Россия должна быть интегрирована в мировое сообщество, а не стоять враскорячку (half in and half out): To reach its full potential, though, Russia needs to be fully integrated into the international political and economic order. But Russia is in the precarious position today of being half in and half out
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 30 mins (2009-07-03 20:18:27 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Moreover: incapable to hold it's position in attempt to do so(as this posture is awkward and very uncomfortable). Comparing Russia to a man (like in some cartoon drawings) which stands враскорячку one foot in socialism and another - in the nearest future.
"to sprawl between socialism and communism", I guess, should work well, it would mean "niether here,nor there"and that is right:"no one step closer to promised heaven by Lenin ".The last site I've entered was a gardening site, the gardener was standing "враскорячку"on his planting spot in order to avoid squashing other plants.In a part of some text above, as always, the context does matter.
that is from these series as well! It was a joke norrated by Alexandra that came first to my mind.I find it a really funny sounding word in Russian, seems it's impossible to pronounce it with too serious voice.The word "враскорячку", as Judith has nicely named it "folklorish"-belongs to funny stories, jokes and humorous words of ballards.That what is about"his legs straddle two steps"in my opinion sounds too modern, however correct in meaning,somewhere from aerobics "Step Reebok".
There is the notion of "straddling" the past and the future or "straddling" socialism and communism, but this verb conveys neither the color nor the folklorish flavor of враскорячку.
На собрании в колхозе партийный деятель вещает: "Мы стоим одной ногой в социализме, а другой в коммунизме". Поднимается очень старый колхозник и спрашивает: "И долго мы так враскорячку стоять-то будем?"
"we are not used to be told how to stand, where to step or when we should stop dancing"-that is how I read Putin's- "Мы враскорячку стоять не умеем".The above sentence seems to be a reply(imaginary reply):"No,darling,you will "корячиться" and "ЭХ" there would be "alas".
For my ear-reminds me spread eagled body and that means "defenceless"."Враскорячку"-besides that it expresses physical posture it has an additional meaning of "an awkward posture of indecisiveness (a difficulty to find a comfortable posiion)".The word construction is similar to "вприсядку"(Russian dance,you can say jokingly "танцевать враскорячку")which does present this expression with a sense of humour.Say, if you ask the person"Please,dance Russian dance!" and then "Freeze!"-his posture would be "враскорячку"that which is supposed to be amazing looks funny and feels very awkward.
An anonymous Wikipedia author, who may be a professional lexicographer (but I doubt it) or may just be somebody exposed to the rock band "Legs Akimbo," doesn't count as an authority, in my book. I do know that "akimbo" was occasionally used with "legs" before the 1980s, but still meaning "bent." Otherwise, I was merely reporting my own experience as a fairly widely read native speaker of AE. For me, "akimbo" means "bent and sticking out," not "splayed" or "every which way." If I heard somebody restate "one foot here, one foot there" as "limbs akimbo," my thought would be that the speaker hadn't understood what the first phrase means. Somebody with a different experience of regional or generational variations in meaning, like the Wikipedia author, might get it, but I wouldn't.
I don't want to flog a dead horse here, but I think this bears repeating. Wikipedia comment on recent usage is helpful: "Until recent times (the 1980s or thereabouts), the term was almost exclusively arms akimbo, with little involvement of the legs; it seems that it was first creatively used to describe sitting cross-legged. More recently, the term has been adapted still further, giving a second sense of limbs being splayed out rather than merely bent."
Example sentence(s):
* "There he remained, dead to the world, limbs akimbo, until we left" (Alex Shoumatoff).
2Judith. For me, the problem with "akimbo" is that it doesn't mean anything like what VVP said, as he reformulated Obama's remark about one foot in the past and one going forward. To my ear, akimbo means what it's always meant: bent and sticking out. And almost always applied to arms, though my 1964 edition of Webster's gives also, as an example of a limb being bent, "a tailor sitting with this legs akimbo".
That's why I think limbs/legs akimbo would work well. It is colorful. Its sound and etymology are both suggestive of something folklorish or folksy, and it brings up a clear image (nowadays) of legs splayed out. It makes a nice contrast to the idea that follows, i.e., feet firmly planted with a gaze fixed on the future.
We don't know for certain that Putin's remark is what we should be discussing here, since he said "Мы враскорячку стоять не умеем", while the asker asked about "эх стоять враскорячку". But, IF this is the context, then I think the key to a good translation will be to express IN IDIOMATIC ENGLISH what Putin was conveying, both in content and color. From what I see in the wires, Russian news agencies didn't too this very well, with Interfax's "bow-legged", or "so awkwardly with our legs apart" (that latter one's better on meaning, but has no color). If you know how VVP often talks, and have a sense of the color, and humor when applied to the placement of one's feet, in this expression, then you'll look for an English word or expression that conveys something like it. How would VVP say this, if he were a native speaker of English? How would the ever-colorful Lyndon Baines Johnson have said it (albeit in "Texan", not necessarily standard AE)? Taking that approach will quickly rule out a number of awkward formulations, or ones which have other meanings and connotations.
He would never. Cunning Putin knows that his words would be translated.Please, look at "ex стоять враскорячку" more closely.This "ех" (ye-h-h!) is a vocal pronoun in Russian Gypsy song ( and dance)or some folklore bit.This "ex" sends it comical, there is a mockery at the person this expression was adressed.
Replying to the US leader's suggestion that he, Mr Putin, had one foot in the past, he said: "We [Russians] don't stand bowlegged. We stand solidly on our ...
Putin responded Friday in characteristically colorful language.
"We don't know how to stand so awkwardly with our legs apart," he said in televised remarks. "We stand solidly on our own two feet and always look into the future."
"Putin responded Friday by saying Russians don't know how to stand so awkwardly with their legs apart, state news agencies reported. Instead, Putin said they "stand solidly on their own two feet and always look into the future."(С)
Explanation: 3 июл 2009 ... Мы в раскорячку стоять не умеем, мы твердо стоим на ногах и всегда смотрим в будущее, заявил премьер-министр РФ Владимир Путин, ... www.vz.ru/news/2009/7/3/303787.html - vor 5 Stunden gefunden
Ellen Kraus Austria Local time: 14:21 Native speaker of: German
Explanation: Wikipedia comment on recent usage is helpful: "Until recent times (the 1980s or thereabouts), the term was almost exclusively arms akimbo, with little involvement of the legs; it seems that it was first creatively used to describe sitting cross-legged. More recently, the term has been adapted still further, giving a second sense of limbs being splayed out rather than merely bent."
Example sentence(s):
"There he remained, dead to the world, limbs akimbo, until we left" (Alex Shoumatoff).
Explanation: I think it has a figurative meaning rather than literary.
Вот ссылка: http://alliruk.livejournal.com/55892.html?thread=71252 И я, безусловно, согласен с тем, что Россия должна быть интегрирована в мировое сообщество, а не стоять враскорячку (half in and half out): To reach its full potential, though, Russia needs to be fully integrated into the international political and economic order. But Russia is in the precarious position today of being half in and half out
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 30 mins (2009-07-03 20:18:27 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
В принципе, это зависит от контекста :)
Lina Episheva Georgia Native speaker of: Georgian PRO pts in category: 8
Explanation: If the context is Putin's rebuff today to Obama's charge that he has one foot in the past, then I would go with legs, not limbs, and with the expression "splayed apart" or "splayed out", which captures the awkwardness of having your two feet in two different directions (while "akimbo", etc., pretty much just means "bent" - and has meant that for a long time, both for arms and for legs; e.g., my paper 1964 Webster's has "legs akimbo" for a tailor sitting cross-legged). But this context, if this is your context, definitely has to do with standing.
"мы враскорячку не умеем стоять. Мы твердо стоим на ногах и всегда смотрим в будущее".
"We don't know how to stand with our legs splayed apart; we stand firmly on our feet and are always looking to the future."
Rachel Douglas United States Local time: 09:21 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 12
8 hrs confidence:
with legs spread out
Explanation: One may stand or sit враскорячку / with legs spread out, quite a clumsy pose indeed. Some context would help, especially if it is not used literary.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 8 hrs (2009-07-04 04:08:44 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Not "literary" - literally, of course! My apology!
Elena Sheverdinova United States Local time: 09:21 Native speaker of: Russian
Notes to answerer
Asker: sorry that i didn't mention that. it's not about sex. but you are right in this case it would be much different
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