10 popular Russian idioms about… FINGERS!

1. Пальцем в небо / Paltsem v nebo (lit. ‘finger into the sky’)

Usually, Russians say ‘to poke’ (‘ткнуть’) or ‘to hit’ (‘попасть’) a finger into the sky. This means to do something at random, to guess. A student who doesn't know the answer on an exam might accidentally ‘ткнуть пальцем в небо’ (‘poke a finger into the sky’) and guess correctly!

2. Знать как свои пять пальцев / Znat kak svoi pyat paltsev (lit. ‘to know like your own five fingers’)

This means you know something very well, thoroughly. “I grew up here, so I know the city как свои пять пальцев (like my five fingers).”

3. Палец в рот не клади / Palets v rot ne kladi (lit. ‘don't put a finger in [someone's] mouth’)

This is said about a cunning person, who can turn a situation to their own advantage. It goes back to an ancient folk wisdom: “Don't put a finger in his mouth – he'll bite it off up to the elbow!”

4. Обвести вокруг пальца / Obvesti vokrug paltsa (lit. ‘to lead around a finger’)

This means to deceive, to outsmart. “The swindlers led the pensioner around their finger – обвели вокруг пальца – and took all her money.” The origins of the idiom can be found in craft circles, where deftly winding thread around a finger was considered a sign of skill.

5. Объяснить на пальцах / Obyasnit na paltsakh (lit. ‘to explain on fingers’)

This means to explain something clearly, visually, in simple language or in layman’s terms.

6. Палец о палец не ударить / Palets o palets ne udarit (lit. ‘not to strike finger against finger’)

To do absolutely nothing. “Он палец о палец не ударил – he didn't strike finger against finger” (to get into university for example), meaning he didn't prepare at all.

7. Пальцы веером / Paltsy veerom (lit. ‘fingers like a fan’)

This expression appeared in the 1990s, when people who rapidly got rich (so-called ‘new Russians’) began to flaunt their wealth and live extravagantly. The expression has a negative, mocking character. Originally, such people were described ironically as “пальцы веером, а сопли пузырями” (fingers like a fan and snot like bubbles), but only the first part of the phrase remains in common use.

8. Высасывать из пальца / Vysasyvat iz paltsa (lit. ‘to suck out of a finger’)

“A problem sucked out of a finger (высосанная из пальца)” is something trivial, insignificant, far-fetched.

9. Смотреть сквозь пальцы / Smotret skvoz paltsy (lit. ‘to look through fingers’)

If a boss “looks through his fingers” at your lateness to work, it means he deliberately doesn't notice it, he turns a blind eye to the violation.

10. Пальчики оближешь / Palchiki oblizhesh (lit. ‘you will lick your fingers’)

An idiom for those who love to eat! This is said when something is very tasty. “Grandma's pancakes will make you lick your fingers!” (Бабушкины блины – пальчики оближешь!)