January 01, 2012 Fending off Demyan By Mikhail Ivanov How to handle that common situation in Russian: too much hospitality...
November 01, 2011 Catch the Wind By Mikhail Ivanov Russian talking names can lead to many unexpected places. In this instance to euphemistic phrases for, well, you know...
September 01, 2011 A Cheat Sheet for Tom Hanks By Mikhail Ivanov The recent visit of Hollywood megastar Cameron Diaz to Moscow – to promote the launch of the movie Bad Teacher – started Mikhail Ivanov's creative juices flowing toward a seasonally appropriate theme: school slang.
July 01, 2011 The Art of Draznilki By Mikhail Ivanov Every Russian learned a few "draznilki" (teases) in childhood. While these usually have cruel intent and may not be something you will use in your Russian, it is good to be able to recognize and understand them.
May 01, 2011 Less than PC Russian By Mikhail Ivanov The domino revolutions in the Middle East got me thinking about the word “Arab,” along with some other less-than-politically-correct Russian colloquialisms.
March 01, 2011 Pamela Potemkin By Mikhail Ivanov A consideration of Russian leaders and eminences who have left their imprint on the Russian language
January 01, 2011 Survival Japanese By Mikhail Ivanov Where columnist Mikhail Ivanov considers the influence of Japanese on Russian language and slang.
September 01, 2010 Wearied by the Sun By Mikhail Ivanov Where we consider Moscow's summer heat wave and its impact on language.
May 01, 2010 Seeing Red By Mikhail Ivanov How to find the "red price" when haggling for goods and services.
March 01, 2010 A Country of Poets By Mikhail Ivanov The role of poets in Russia has always stretched beyond the realms of literature. We look at poetry in everyday speech...
