January 01, 2013 Goats, Ribs and Suitcases By Mikhail Ivanov The head of the CIA and the Russian Defense Minister both fell from grace within weeks of one another, and both because of infidelity scandals. Sounds like a good pretext for a column...
November 01, 2012 Friend or Foe? By Mikhail Ivanov A consideration of the language of enemies and whether Russia is, as Mitt Romney has averred, the US's chief geopolitical foe. Language
July 01, 2012 A Twist in My Insobriety By Mikhail Ivanov A sober examination of some of the language of sobriety - trezvost.
May 01, 2012 Just Between Us By Mikhail Ivanov A consideration of less than politesse descriptions of the other sex - what men say about women and what women say about men, when they are each speaking to those of their own gender... Language
March 01, 2012 Out of the Blue By Mikhail Ivanov Navigating the two different words for "blue" and their many hues in meaning.
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.
