From ‘little strawberry’ to ‘sprawling cranberry’: What berry metaphors reveal

Idioms of this kind can be found for almost every occasion. For example, to describe something piquant, one might say ‘klubnichka’ (‘little strawberry’). Among the first to use this meaning for a berry was writer Nikolai Gogol. In his novel ‘Dead Souls’, one of the characters describes a famous lover of the ladies: "Would you believe it, he didn't miss the common women. That's what he calls 'taking advantage of a klubnichka’." Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin then extended the strawberry metaphor to an entire genre of pulp fiction describing love affairs, calling such books “klubnitsizom” (“strawberryism”). 

And about something implausible, people will likely smirk and say: "But, that's a spreading ‘klyukva’ (‘cranberry’)!" The paradox lies in the very formulation: cranberry bushes are low-growing and their branches simply cannot droop. Incidentally, this expression originated in the early 20th century. A parody of French plays about love passions was being performed at a St. Petersburg theater. The main character described how she sat with her lover under the spreading branches of an old cranberry tree. The image was so paradoxical that it immediately caught on.

If everything is going well, you can confidently say: "Not life, but ‘maliny’ (‘raspberries’)!" Find out why this saying came about here.

There's also a proverb about life's journey: "45 – a woman is a ‘yagodka’ (‘little berry’) again." In the old days, people married very early, at 15 or 16, so, by 45, a woman's children were already grown and she could focus on other, less troublesome things.

Below are a few more "berry" proverbs. Enjoy!

1. «Одного поля ягоды» (‘Odnogo polya yagody’)

‘Berries from the same field’

This is said about people who have a lot in common, for example, views or behavior. An English equivalent would be: “Birds of a feather.”

2. «Всякую ягодку в руки берут, да не всякую в кузов кладут» (‘Vsyakuyu yagodku v ruki berut, da ne vsyakuyu v kuzov kladut’) 

‘Every berry is picked up, but not every berry is put in the basket’
You need to be careful when making your choice.

3. «Первую ягоду в рот клади, а вторую домой неси» (‘Vsyakuyu yagodku v ruki berut, da ne vsyakuyu v kuzov kladut ’)

‘Put the first berry in your mouth and take the second one home’

You need to find a balance between entertainment and benefit.

4. «Медведя бояться, так ягод не видать» (‘Medvedya boyat'sya, tak yagod ne vidat' – bez riska ne dobit'sya tseli. ’)

‘If you're afraid of a bear, you won't see any berries.’

You won't achieve your goal without risk.

5. «В сентябре одна ягода, и та – горькая рябина» (‘V sentyabre odna yagoda, i ta – gor'kaya ryabina ’)

‘In September, there's only one berry, and that one is the bitter rowan.’

By early fall, the berry season ends: No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to pick raspberries or strawberries. In other words, you can't always achieve your desired result, if you lack the resources.

6. «На одном кусте ягод не насобираешь» (‘Na odnom kuste yagod ne nasobirayesh'’)

‘You won’t get all the berries from picking just one bush.’ 

To achieve your goal, you'll have to be patient.