HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY! Today Russia celebrates t | Russian slang

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY!

Today Russia celebrates the International Children's Day. For this reason I have prepared for you a huge selection of idioms related to children in one way or another. Ready, steady... go!

Phrases about the littlest:
Мал мала меньше — about several little children in the family
Под стол пешком ходить — about a small child who can literally walk under a table not bending down
Метр с кепкой/мальчик-с-пальчик — about a person of short stature (for example: the author of this post)
От горшка два вершка — usually used to describe young children, focusing more on age than on height

Phrases about children's behaviour:
Детская шалость — about a small fault, an innocent trick on someone
Детский лепет — ridiculous, shallow, unserious judgements or statements
Телячьи нежности — excessive or inappropriate expression of tender feelings
Совсем ещё ребенок/дети — about someone young, extremely naive and frivolous
Детский сад (штаны на лямках)/детский лепет на лужайке — about immature, irresponsible behaviour of adults
Впадать в детство — to perform irrational, stupid actions, to lose one’s mind (usually about old people)

Phrases about babies:
Вместе с водой выплёскивать и ребёнка — to recklessly throw away or reject something valuable along with unnecessary things
Устами младенца глаголет истина — about what children express directly, without concealment. Please notice two obsolete words: уста (mouth), глаголить (to speak)
Впитать с молоком матери — to learn something in one’s childhood

Phrases about lack of experience:
Молоко на губах не обсохло — about someone still too young for any serious business, actions or decisions
Нос не дорос — about a person that is young and not experienced enough

Phrases about the lack of independence:
Держаться за мамкину юбку — show no will of ones own, obey the mother (or those who are older or in a higher position) in everything
Маменькин сынок — a spoiled, pampered boy or a young man

Phrases about time:
С младых ногтей — from childhood (youth), from an early age
С пеленок — from period even earlier than the one mentioned in the previous expression
Детское время — very early evening (literally: only children go to bed that early)

Other phrases regarding children:
Дядя, достань воробушка — about an exceptionally tall man
Детишкам на молочишко — to receive/earn a small amount of money
Мальчик на побегушках — a person designated to perform small and simple tasks, phrase often used in negative context
Не по-детски — about something serious, strong, powerful, outstanding
В детстве мамка ушибла — a mocking description for a very pathetic person who has certain shortcomings and is too different from "normal"

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