From ‘Water-Slurpers’ to ‘The Mustard-Men’: FUNNY nicknames of Russian citizens (Part 2)

Here’s the first part if you missed it!

Residents of Nizhny Novgorod – 'vodokhlyoby' – 'water-slurpers'

The largest fair in the Russian Empire was once held in this city on the Volga River. Before concluding a deal, merchants would talk for hours and drink tea, literally by the liter. The tea was the very best – it was brought all the way from China.

Residents of Kurgan – 'chokali' – 'the cho-sayers'

Many residents of the Urals and Trans-Urals have a speech peculiarity – saying "cho" instead of "chto" ("what"). Hence the nickname!

Residents of Bryansk – 'kurolesy' – 'the mischief-makers'

There are two versions of the origin of the nickname – folk and historical. On the one hand, ‘kurolesit’ means to have fun. It was believed that Bryansk residents loved to spend time noisily and joke around. 

On the other hand, the outdated meaning of the word ‘kurolesit’ is to do strange things, to turn everything upside down. In the 17th century, during the ‘Time of Troubles’, the people of Bryansk sided with the impostor False Dmitry and burned down their own city. Now, that was real mischief!

Residents of Samara – 'gorchichniki' – 'the mustard-men'

“Red mustard” grew on the outskirts of Samara – a pungent and fiery red pepper. Former serfs were hired to grow it and came to be known as ‘gorchichniki’ (mustard is ‘gorchitsa’). Later, this name was applied to local hooligans from the outskirts. And then, it spread to all the townspeople!

Residents of Yaroslavl – 'chistoplyui' – 'the clean-freaks'

This was said ironically about the residents of this ancient city. They supposedly not only love cleanliness and order, but are generally squeamish and dislike dirty work. Ethnographer Vladimir Dal also described them as ‘krasavtsy’ (‘beauties’) and ‘beloteltzy’ (‘white-bodied ones’).

Residents of Vologda – 'mamony' – 'the mamons'

The nickname is rather offensive, since throughout Russia ‘mamony’ were gluttons and lazybones. And ‘mamon’ means belly. However, there is another meaning and a historical version of the nickname: when industrialist Savva Mamontov was building a railway in Vologda, its workers came to be known as ‘mamontovy’. Over time, a couple of letters dropped out for brevity and, so, Vologda residents became known as ‘mamony’.

Residents of Astrakhan – 'ikorniki' – 'the caviar-men'

Astrakhan has long bred sturgeon and has always had a huge caviar production. Astrakhan residents were proud of the nickname, as it spoke of their high prosperity and highlighted the wealth of the region.

Residents of Tambov – 'tambovskiye volki' – 'the Tambov wolves'

There are many versions of the origin of the expression. According to one, allegedly, back under Peter I, wolf skins were exported from Tambov. According to another, peasants from Tambov who would come to Moscow to earn money were ready to do any hard work for pennies. And they did it so zealously that Muscovites would say with displeasure: "The Tambov wolves have arrived."

Residents of Kazan – 'sirota kazanskaya' – 'the Kazan orphan'

There is a legend that, when Ivan the Terrible took the Kazan Khanate, the local nobility, coming to pay him homage, liked to imitate the poor and pretend to be orphans. According to another version, after the capture of Kazan, there really were many orphans left in the city, who then begged throughout the empire. In any case, the expression became proverbial and now, it’s used to describe anyone who pretends to be unhappy in order to evoke pity from those around them and gain an advantage.