In Russian, a coward is called a 'wet chicken'?

Question

I read in a book last year that in the Russian language, a coward is sometimes called a 'wet chicken'. Is this true?

How do you say this in Russian (Cyrillic)?

Is this a phrase that is used by people in Russia, or is it just something everyone knows but don't really use?

Thanks!

Tracy.

Answer 1

Here, I got something for you. I am a Rusian myself, and I think that the expression does not purely apply to a coward, but rather to someone who is m i s e r a b l e.

I hope you can read the following in Russian:

Мокрая курица (презр) - 1) о жалком, беспомощном на вид человеке; 2) о безвольном, безынициативном, бесхарактерном человеке. Оборот - часть пословицы мокрая курица, а тоже петушится. Прямое значение прозрачно: вид курицы, попавшей под дождь, жалок и непригляден.

Answer 2

Svetlana's answer is great - the meaning of мокрая курица is absolutely correct.

But the word COWARD which is трус in Russian DOESN'T MEAN "RABBIT". It means coward and nothing else.

We don't use the word трус very often though. We usually use phrases with verbs in this case - струсил (turned out a coward) or something else.

Answer 3

um no.. im russian and ive never even said wet chicken.. lmao thats pretty funny tho

Answer 4

As I know they call such people "trus" ( sorry, my computer does not recognize Cyrillic),it means a rabbit.

Answer 5

we do use this idiom sometimes (not too often though). We say it "мокрая курица". Nowadays there's tons of sleng words for a coward to be called.