Today we’re talking about Russian idioms—with pictures. Save the illustrations, show them to your kids, or turn them into a fun quiz for your friends.
A bit of background
Some international language exams include entire sections dedicated to idioms. It’s a way to check how deeply students understand the culture and context of the language.
The same goes for Russian. Even a 20,000-word vocabulary may sound dry unless it’s enriched with idiomatic expressions.
What makes idioms tricky?
That’s also what makes them fun. Idioms don’t work literally—you can’t just memorize the phrase, you have to grasp the meaning behind it. Kids remember idioms much better when you tell them the story behind the phrase. And even better if you add a funny picture!
Idiom 1: A mouse hanged itself in the fridge (В холодильнике мышь повесилась).
No, a mouse didn’t really hang itself—but the fridge is so empty, there’s nothing to eat, and even the mouse got desperate.
Idiom 2: He has the soul of a hare (У него заячья душа).
No hare’s soul involved. But since hares are thought to be timid, the idiom describes someone who is cowardly or easily frightened.
Idiom 3: A Kazan orphan (Сирота казанская).
This isn’t a poor child from Kazan without parents. It’s someone pretending to be miserable in hopes of gaining sympathy.
Idiom 4: A workhorse (Рабочая лошадка).
Yes, horses work—but we use this phrase for a person who takes on a lot of tasks and keeps going.
Idiom 5: Barely making ends meet (Еле сводить концы с концами).
It’s not about tying strings—it means someone is constantly short on money and struggling to pay bills.
There’s a theory that this phrase comes from accounting, where the bottom lines of debit and credit used to be called “ends.”
Idiom 6: Time flies (Летит время).
Time moves so fast, it feels like it zoomed right past you.
This phrase goes back to ancient Rome—poet Virgil first used it in his Georgics.
Idiom 7:. Indian summer / literally: Women’s summer (Бабье лето).
Nope, it’s not your grandma telling summer stories. It refers to those warm autumn days that feel like summer has come back for a while.
The phrase likely comes from rural life: women who worked all summer could finally rest in the warm September sun.
Idiom 8: A white crow (Белая ворона).
We’re not talking about an albino bird. This idiom is for someone who stands out from the crowd.
Like white crows, such people are rare—and memorable. That’s where the phrase comes from.
Our teachers at Palme School use the most effective teaching methods. You can try an online Russian lesson for kids at Palme School for free.
And you can sign up for a free trial lesson here
