My 1988 Russian dictionary explains ‘hooligan’ with this sentence: “Yesterday two of our neighbours’ apple trees were shaken, a pear tree was broken. Look what people have become: hooligans.” I wonder what sentence the 2025 dictionary will use. @susiedent.bsky.social - ThreadSky

bbcstever.bsky.social • 95 days ago

My 1988 Russian dictionary explains ‘hooligan’ with this sentence: “Yesterday two of our neighbours’ apple trees were shaken, a pear tree was broken. Look what people have become: hooligans.” I wonder what sentence the 2025 dictionary will use. @susiedent.bsky.social

Reposted from Susie Dent

Hooligan is different - to blow a hoolie in British English means to be extremely windy. It’s likely that ‘hooligan’ is based on the name of a fictional rowdy family in a music hall song of the 1890s, and a comic character called Hooligan featured in the magazine Funny Folks.

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bobdeed.bsky.social•95 days ago

I have vivid memories of staying in a St Petersburg homestay in 2000s where the host's little dog 🐕 flooded the flat's hall with wee. The host had very poor eyesight and seemed oblivious. But she did call the dog Hooliganka.

cezarym.bsky.social•95 days ago

Chuligan in Polish

alakbarov.bsky.social•95 days ago

I think Russian media now uses "дебошир" more instead of "хулиган"

bbcstever.bsky.social•95 days ago

garysanders.bsky.social•95 days ago

The 1940s English dictionary has this…

guylc.bsky.social•90 days ago

The citation says the quote is from 'Timur and His Team' (or Squad). That was a kids' book to inspire Soviet youth to do good deeds, stand up to hooligans, etc. It had a massive impact. Do the Russian kids have anything to inspire them nowadays?

sigug.bsky.social•95 days ago

"Look at those hooligans; they're not even supporting the Special Military Operation." Or something like that.

idrmedia.bsky.social•95 days ago

In Strine Australia they are known as "hoons".

lemanesque.bsky.social•95 days ago

Interesting that Etymonline also adds “Internationalized 20c. in communist rhetoric as Russian khuligan, opprobrium for "scofflaws, political dissenters, etc."” I don’t know their source for that addendum.

aaronticehurst.bsky.social•95 days ago

I’ve always found reading Russians use of the word hooligan amusing. As if it’s an insult from an old man angry someone is on their grass.

jdgrady.bsky.social•95 days ago

Would they use the word «гопник»/‘gopnik’ these days?

ockenden.com•95 days ago

Sounds like a ‘special scrumping operation’.

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