приказать долго жить

Russian

FWOTD – 26 June 2014

Etymology

Literally "to command to live long". Popular etymology: a dying person, blessing the crowd of relatives, bequeathed (ordered) them to live long.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [prʲɪkɐˈzadʲ ˈdolɡə ˈʐɨtʲ]

Verb

приказа́ть до́лго жить (prikazátʹ dólgo žitʹ) pf (imperfective form is not used)

  1. (euphemistic, literary) to die
    Когда́ её оте́ц приказа́л до́лго жить, она́ уе́хала жить к тётке.
    Kogdá jejó otéc prikazál dólgo žitʹ, oná ujéxala žitʹ k tjótke.
    When her father died, she went to live to her aunt.
    • 1896, Лев Николаевич Толстой (Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy), Хаджи-Мурат [Hadji-Murad], →ISBN, page 61:
      Так вот отпиши: «Сын, мол, ваш Петруха до́лго жить приказа́л».
      Tak vot otpiši: “Syn, mol, vaš Petruxa dólgo žitʹ prikazál”.
      Well now, write this: “Your son,” say, “Petey, has passed away.”
  2. (figuratively, ironical, humorous, of a non-living thing) to cease to exist
    По́сле того́ как бы́ли повы́шены це́ны на бума́гу, наш журна́л приказа́л до́лго жить.[1]
    Pósle tovó kak býli povýšeny cény na bumágu, naš žurnál prikazál dólgo žitʹ.
    After the price of paper increased, our magazine was terminated.

Conjugation

References

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