It’s no secret that the time of a change of government in any country is the hardest time in the history of the state. As a rule, lawlessness, anarchy and crime flourish at this time. Russia is no exception. Criminal groups and gang phrases of the 90s are a whole era in the history of our country, which has left its indelible mark on our lives.
How did this happen?
What caused such a rapid development of criminal slang and its penetration into the masses? In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet system, our country began an active interaction with Western culture. New words and speech turns began to appear, previously completely unknown to Soviet people. New Russia and its people began to change beyond recognition. A new caste appeared - gloomy guys in raspberry-colored jackets on six hundred Mercedes that actively interacted with the population in every sense of the word. As a result, stable expressions from the criminal world began to penetrate into society. Today's youth use a lot of words, and rarely thinks where they came from and what they originally meant. Have you ever wondered where the expressions you use come from?
Winged gang phrases
The new caste of new Russia was becoming more extensive, recruiting more and more new members into its ranks. Understanding the language of bandits has become a necessity for every citizen of Russia in the nineties. The slang of that time covered all spheres of life - from love to alcohol. Sometimes one could guess the meaning of a certain phrase, and sometimes not. Here is a list of some gang phrases of the time:
- to body (interfere with alcoholic beverages);
- arrival (condition after drug use);
- blue (alcohol);
- barrel (weapons or a bottle of vodka);
- pussy (beautiful girl);
- cat (favorite of women);
- mare, host, crocodile (ugly woman);
- profura (a girl of easy virtue);
- werewolf (womanizer);
- Kent (friend);
- rotten bazaars (bad talk);
- paraffin (slander);
- a guest guest (alien);
- for fun (for the sake of laughter);
- to boil (to be indignant);
- redeem (expose, understand);
- Shnir (sender);
- push bullshit (lie);
- drive (go into conflict);
- hell (a prisoner not respected by cellmates);
- hut (cell or house);
- crap (pay);
- to catch up (understand);
- does not channel (fails, fails);
- otmaz (excuse);
- Ponte (empty talk, not backed up by actions);
- Zhigan (impudent, desperate criminal).
As can be seen from the above list, for any word and phenomenon, you can choose a synonym from the criminal sphere. The reason for such a dense penetration of criminal slang into ordinary life is quite obvious - during the years of repression, many of our compatriots were in concentration camps. So his life was in full swing, there were special orders. This could not but leave a mark in the history of Russia.
Slang of the nineties now
Expressions are often heard in the youth environment, the origin of which those who use them do not think or even guess. The word "plump," for example, most certainly has a criminal history. The well-known word "squirrel" (by analogy with delirium tremens) also arose in places not so distant. The word "body" in our time is applied not only to alcohol. We can easily say about soy sauce in the rolls we ordered that it is "bodied", that is, diluted with water.
Is banditry cool? Cult of Sasha Bely
“Brother”, “Zhmurki”, “About Freaks and People”, “Sisters”, “Brigade” and “Boomer” - an entire generation of people who are now from 20 to 30 years old has grown on these films and TV shows. The cinema of dashing times in vivid colors reflects the then reality - gang fights, shootings in the streets, prostitution and the Russian man who fell upon freedom and the West, about whom he dreamed, but did not really understand what to do with them.
Poverty mixed with permissiveness is the quintessence of the nineties of the last century; the gang phrases “with meaning” are what the boys quoted in the yards. Perhaps that is why the level of culture among modern youth has fallen significantly, the crime rate has increased.
But you can still do something. If each of us will develop culturally and monitor our speech, then perhaps Russia will regain its former greatness. How to blame the state and politicians for all troubles and tribulations - maybe we should start small? Say not a woman, but a woman? Will we try?