Glossary entry

Russian term or phrase:

через кастрюли

English translation:

slaving over pots and pans/slaving over a hot oven/through kitchen drudgery

Added to glossary by Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
Feb 1, 2017 16:04
7 yrs ago
Russian term

через кастрюли

Russian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Opera plot and choreography description
Could someone please tell me if the above phrase is an idiom? I can't believe it simply means 'through the pans' / 'amidst the saucepans'. I thought it might mean something abstract such as 'through thick and thin' or 'through it all'...
It appears in the 3rd to last line of the following text, which muses in a very abstract, fragmented, philosophical way about a woman's journey from marriage to old age in stages. It is talking about the opera 'The Wedding' by Anna Sokolovich:

«“Свадьба” А. Соколович — гимн надежде Женщины.
Не сбыться ей.
И в маленьком двухэтажном парнике время запутается.
Наверху — Ноты, Глотки и мучения оперной пудры отыскать ре-бекар.
Внизу — та самая, бегущая по хероватым рельсам времени наша жизнь.
От промокшей телефонной будки и — “ты где шлялась?” — до обручального капкана.
И это танец пяти шлагбаумов жизни. Пяти девушек.
Детство, юность, СВАДЬБА, жизнь и... через кастрюли и веру в завтра — к встрече с невысокой жилистой старушкой.
Но дети помнят маму, а мама навсегда с чудом детей, а мужья и герои — вопрос ко мне, как к режиссеру.
Остальное — на сцене»
Change log

Feb 15, 2017 04:29: Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Created KOG entry

Discussion

El oso Feb 1, 2017:
@Asker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu6sFEud6Rk
I suggest that you watch this Russian cartoon, it might help you better understand the ultimate plight of (Russian) women :)
Tatiana Grehan Feb 1, 2017:
It's not an idiom, but a metaphor. "Через кастрюли" means "through endless cooking", which is seen by many as a tiresome and boring chore, something referred to by many Russian women as "бесконечная готовка".
Elena Doroshenko Feb 1, 2017:
In Russian it's not an idiom - it's a metaphor of everyday marriage and household routine.
Susan Welsh Feb 1, 2017:
I don't know... but I found this: http://fotokto.ru/photo/view/3184534.html
Mikhail Kropotov Feb 1, 2017:
It is not an idiom.

Proposed translations

+8
54 mins
Selected

slaving over pots and pans/slaving over a hot oven/through kitchen drudgery

A few description of kitchen drudgery.
Peer comment(s):

agree Tatiana Grehan : "slaving over pots and pans"
16 mins
Thank you, Tatiana.
agree LarisaK : "slaving over pots and pans"
41 mins
agree Mikhail Kropotov : "pots and pans" is a set phrase in the US. not sure about the UK.
46 mins
Thank you, Mikhail, for recognizing this as a set phrase.
agree Rachel Douglas : I like the "kitchen drudgery" option, but if she'd rather keep the bare image I think it should be "through pots and pans" and omit "slaving over."
54 mins
Thank you, Rachel.
agree Nathalie Stewart : I agree 100% with Rachel's post above. In the same way that "через кастрюли" is NOT an idiom in Russian," just "through pots and pans" in English is sufficient to say it all.
1 hr
Thank you, Nathalie.
agree Denis Shepelev : Excellent suggestions
2 hrs
Thank you, Denis. Some things transcend geography and time.
agree Tatiana Lammers
7 hrs
Thank you, Tatiana. Have a pleasant evening!
agree danya : all pots and pans make Jill a dull girl)
12 hrs
Thank you, danya. I like the expression, a derivative of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
10 mins

through the saucepans

not an idiom at all.

the saucepan itself may be understood as a symbol of being "imprisoned in kitchen'.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Rachel Douglas : Sorry, but to my ear, with that article, it scans like a line from "God bless America": "From the oceans, through the saucepans, to the mountains, white with snow..."
1 hr
Something went wrong...
54 mins

through kitchen-sink dramas of daily life/ of mundanity

It's definitely not an idiom. But dealing with artistic translation, aren't we allowed to come up with one from time to time? Something like...
"... through kitchen-sink dramas of daily life/ of mundanity, through faith in the future ..."

kitchen-sink:
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Kitchen-sink
not a saucepan, but also belongs to the kitchen :)
Something went wrong...
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