ни пуха ни пера

Russian

Alternative forms

  • ни пу́ха! (ni púxa!)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [nʲɪ‿ˈpuxə nʲɪ‿pʲɪˈra]
  • (file)

Phrase

ни пу́ха ни пера́! (ni púxa ni perá!)

  1. good luck, break a leg

Usage notes

  • Rather than thanking, the traditional response to this is к чёрту! (k čórtu!, to the devil!), it's supposed to bring luck.
  • The meaning of the phrase is approximately "(I hope) you will not get a single feather," as would be spoken to a bird hunter, with usage and meaning akin to the English phrase "break a leg" and the German "Hals- und Beinbruch!".
  • The literal meaning is "Neither down nor feathers".
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