Переводчики - искатели четвертой сосны в трех имеющихся? :)

[vorchunn]

Наткнулся на запись двухгодичной давности:
"Over at LanguageHat, they're having trouble with Gogol's phrase, "Ах ты, Оподелдок Иванович!"
http://nhw.livejournal.com/251755.html
и оттуда по ссылке - на заметку 2004 года:
"At any rate, I'm glad to have discovered it, and I hope you will be too. If only I knew what the hell Gogol meant by "Opodeldok Ivanovich," my joy would be complete"
http://www.languagehat.com/archives/001696.php

"Сложного состава, известную еще с древних времен мазь ОПОДЕЛЬДОК втирали при ревматизме и простуде. Звучное и загадочное название очень пришлось по вкусу невежде и болтуну Ноздреву, который без всякого смысла и резона говорит Чичикову: "Ах ты, Оподелдок  Иванович". (с)  Юрий А. Федосюк "Что непонятно у классиков, или Энциклопедия русского быта XIX века"

Бедные англичане :)

Comments

[l-hat.livejournal.com]

What nhw said. But the Fedosyuk quote doesn't really help; as I said in the LH thread, "perhaps you'd have to ask a Russian of the 1830s, or even Gogol himself, to know for sure."

[jaerraeth.livejournal.com]

That's what Russians 1830s really meant. A special ointment for rheumatism.
For Gogol's Nozdryov, 'Opodeldok' is a meaningless but cool-sounded word that he has heard somewhen but has not understood.