До свадьбы заживёт/ Собачья свадьба
This is a very popular Russian idiom used to calm someone who has been injured in some way. The literal translation is: before (до) wedding (свадьбы) it will heal (заживёт). You are pretty much telling a physically or emotionally wounded person to stop worrying and take it easy because the injury is not permanent and will eventually heal in time for the wedding. I heard the phrase a lot as a kid, mostly from parents and doctors. I still get it now and then when I do something stupid, like cut my hand while carelessly opening a can of peaches.
| Не надо плакать, твоя маленькая царапина до свадьбы заживёт. | There is no need to cry. Your little scratch will heal in time for the wedding. |
Now, cобачья свадьба “a dog's wedding” is an example of an idiom that has almost vanished and lost its meaning. When I heard it for the first time, uttered by an elderly gentleman in a fit of anger, I had no idea what it meant—just another ancient slang term on the brink of extinction. Собачья свадьба is used to describe a fling, a love affair, a one-night stand. You might bump into it in some old movie or novel… but in today’s world it will likely come from a crazed dog lover who actually wants to organize a real dog wedding.
Image from | У Бориса опять собачья свадьба с новой женщиной. | Boris is having another affair with a new woman. |
2 comments
I think if I were translating a Russian novel into English and came across the phrase «до свадьбы заживёт», I would substitute a standard English comfort phrase. Lingvo.ru suggests “You are going to be just fine.” I like that idea, but I would probably add a “There, there” at the beginning.
The main older meaning of собачья свадьба, if I understand correctly, is a noisy pack of dogs roaming around where one female is being serviced by multiple males. It’s easy to see how that could be applied in a derogatory sense to people.
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