6 Russian expressions about the forehead

1. “Что в лоб, что по лбу” (“Chto v lob, chto po lbu”)

“Whether you hit the forehead or about the forehead”

Literally, this means “it makes no difference” or “it’s all the same”. But, the expression can also describe an especially stubborn person, who refuses to change their mind or listen to other opinions.

2. “Лоб в лоб” (“Lob v lob”)

"Forehead to forehead"

Or head-on. To do or say something openly and directly, without any diplomacy.

3. “Глаза на лоб полезли” (“Glaza na lob polezli”)

“Their eyes climbed onto their forehead”

This expression is used when someone wants to emphasize extreme surprise or shock at something someone has seen or heard.

4. “На лбу написано”  (“Na lbu napisano”)

“It’s written on their forehead”

This means that a person’s emotions and thoughts are easy to read from their facial expression.

In Anton Chekhov’s play ‘Ivanov’, one character complains: “He won’t ask for a glass of water or light a cigarette without making a show of his extraordinary honesty. He walks or talks and it’s written on his forehead: ‘I am an honest man!’ He’s a bore.”

According to one theory, the expression originally had a literal meaning. In the old days, criminals were branded with hot irons, leaving marks on their foreheads or cheeks. This gruesome punishment was abolished only in 1863. Over time, the phrase acquired its figurative meaning.

5. “Семи пядей во лбу” (“Semi pyadei vo lbu”)

“Seven spans across the forehead” 

In other words, an exceptionally intelligent person. People once believed that the larger a person’s forehead, the greater their intellect.

6. “Медный лоб” (“Medny lob”)

“A copper forehead”

The opposite of someone with “seven spans across their forehead”. A “copper forehead” is a foolish character, who displays extraordinary stubbornness and overconfidence.

Vladimir Dahl’s ‘Explanatory Dictionary’ also gives the expression another meaning: “An insolent, shameless person.”