Translation of Idiomatic Expressions

Abstract

Russians do not have hands or feet, and Russians consider it inappropriate to �grab your mother.� Russians do not have a word for hands or feet per se, and so they speak of the fingers on their arms or fingers on their legs. The English expression, �lend me a hand� (to solicit help) would be stated as �lend me an arm� in the Russian language. Moreover, a proper Russian would never use either the hands he does not have nor the fingers on his arm to grab his friend"s mother. A Russian acquaintance, residing in the United States at a friend"s house, told me he was bewildered by a phone call he had received from his American friend. The friend, who wanted to speak with his mother, asked the Russian to �Grab my Mother for me,� which did not sound like something a loving, considerate son would want done to his own mother.

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