In working with Sergey (the lifeguard/IVA counselor/laborer/everything else) over the spring I began to pick up his most common Russian phrases. His favorite was the word "beleen" or something like that. Actually it sounds more like "b'leen," but its actual meaning is a breakfast food like a crepe (usually used in the plural form, "b'leeny"). When said in disgust it sounds similar to a common Russian curse word; somewhat akin to our use of dang or shoot.
I picked up on this and use it frequently. There is a funny variation on this in which b'leen inserted as the given name of a recent US president... as in "B'leen Clinton." Not being a huge fan of the former Commander-in-Fornicator, I find this particularly humorous. I still have no idea who started this or the roots of the joke.
Appreciating my delight in this, Andrey has now taken to just uttering "Clinton" instead of the full pejorative. To make it even funnier, I was told by a friend that his grandma used to think that b'leen was actually Bill Clinton's first name. Funny stuff...
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