Russian · The Basics
Облом!
oblom
ah-BLOM · /ɐˈblom/
Bummer / What a letdown / No dice
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"A break-off / snapping"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The exact sound of a plan collapsing. Tickets sold out, bar closed, crush said no — "oblom." As a verb, "oblomalos'" means it fell through, and "oblomat'sya" means to be too lazy/bummed to do a thing. Mild, everyday, very useful.
Heard in the wild
Билетов нет? Вот облом.
No tickets? What a bummer.
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Облом!" mean?
- In Russian, "Облом!" means "Bummer / What a letdown / No dice". Literally it's "A break-off / snapping". The exact sound of a plan collapsing. Tickets sold out, bar closed, crush said no — "oblom." As a verb, "oblomalos'" means it fell through, and "oblomat'sya" means to be too lazy/bummed to do a thing. Mild, everyday, very useful.
- Is "Облом!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Облом!"?
- Say it "ah-BLOM" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɐˈblom.
Related in Russian
Блин! blin BLEEN Damn! / Darn! / Shoot! Чёрт! chyort CHORT Damn! / Hell! Чёрт возьми! chyort voz'mi CHORT vahz-MEE Damn it! / For God's sake! Зараза! zaraza zah-RAH-zah You pest! / Damn you! (affectionate-rough) Ё-моё! yo-moyo YO mah-YO Oh boy! / Geez! / Good grief! Ёлки-палки! yolki-palki YOL-kee PAHL-kee Good grief! / For heaven's sake!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Tough luck".
- French C'est nul ! That sucks / That's lame
- German Mist! Crap! / Rats! — the family-friendly 'damn'
- Greek σιγά Big deal / whatever / calm down / as if — dismissive minimizing.
- Italian Merda! Shit! / Damn it!
- Japanese 勘弁して Give me a break / spare me / oh, come on
- Korean 아이고 Oh dear / oof / good grief — the sound of Korea sitting down after a long day.
- Polish szlag Damn it — 'szlag by to trafił' = may a stroke strike it.
- Portuguese Chato Annoying / boring / a pain
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