When Words Take a Different Meaning in Slang

Today, I would like to show you some verbs whose direct meaning and value have been changed to a completely different meaning concerning dishonest actions related to monetary transactions when they become part of the slang language.

“Накалывать – наколоть”: (to pin).

For example: накалывать бабочку на булавку (to pin a butterfly), накалывать значок (to pin a badge). When used in slang, it means “обмануть” (to fool). For example: “Бармен вчера наколол меня на стольник. Счёт был на 400 рублей, я дал ему штуку (1000 рублей), а он дал мне сдачу 500” (Yesterday the bartender robbed me of 100 roubles. The bill was 400 roubles and he handed me back 500.) Other interesting words are:

Стольник: historically, the name designed a courtier rank below the boyar in Russia in 13th-17th centuries, but nowadays it is a slang which means 100 roubles.

Штука: means a piece as несколько штук яблок (several apples) or a thing as вот так штука! (that’s a good thing!). But it also designed 1000 roubles.

“Кидать – кинуть”: (to throw, to fling)

“Кидать камни” (to throw stones). But read the following sentence: “Сегодня обменные пункты были закрыты. Мне пришлось менять 100 долларов на рынке. Конечно, меня кинули! Прихожу домой, смотрю, вместо трёх тысяч у меня только тысяча!” (Today, the currency exchange offices were closed. I had to change $ 100 at the market. Of course, they cheated on me. When I got home, I found out that they gave me 1000 roubles instead of 3000.)

“Обувать – обуть”: (to put your shoes on).

But in slang it also means “to cheat, to trick”. This is how you can use it: “Некоторые банки «обули» своих вкладчиков: обещали высокие проценты и исчезли” (Some banks cheated on their investors, promising high interest rates and then disappeared). “Эта фирма «обула» сотни клиентов, пообещав выполнить абсолютно нереальные условия” (This company cheated hundreds of clients by promising to do absolutely unrealistic conditions.”

Елена Коновалова