Language through Literature

Chameleon


— Он, ваше благородие, цыгаркой ей в харю для смеха, а она — не будь дура и тяпни…

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“He shoved a lighted cigarette into her snout, Your Honour, for a laugh, and she — being no fool — up and nipped him…

Where it stands

Вздорный человек, ваше благородие! A cantankerous fellow, Your Honour!”

The words in this sentence

он
he
ва́ше
your (n) — ваш
благоро́дие
Your Honour (in ваше благородие) (arch.)
цыга́ркой
with a hand-rolled cigarette (instr sg) — цыгарка
ей
to her (dat of она) — она
в
in, into
ха́рю
mug, ugly face (acc sg, coarse) — харя
для
for, for the sake of (+ gen)
сме́ха
laughter (gen sg) — смех
а
and, but (conjunction)
она́
she
не
not
будь
be (imper of быть) — быть
ду́ра
fool, silly woman (nom sg)
и
and; also, even
тя́пни
and she nipped him (imper. as sudden past, colloq.) — тяпнуть

А. П. Чехов, «Хамелеон», 1884 · sentence 29 of 53

This is one sentence of «Хамелеон» — 53 sentences long, and the whole story reads like this: every word glossed where it stands, the English out of your eyeline until you ask for it. Free, no account.

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