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Russian · Love & Rejection

Иди лесом!

idi lesom

ee-DEE LYE-sahm · /ɪˈdʲi ˈlʲesəm/

Get lost / take a hike

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Go by the forest"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

A dryly poetic dismissal — go away, by way of the woods. Lighter and wittier than "otvali," good for rejecting a bad pitch (romantic or otherwise) with a bit of style. Same family as "idi v sad" (go to the garden) and "idi v banyu."

Heard in the wild

Спасибо, не интересно. Иди лесом.

Thanks, not interested. Take a hike.

Where it lands

Russia (universal)

Quick answers

What does "Иди лесом!" mean?
In Russian, "Иди лесом!" means "Get lost / take a hike". Literally it's "Go by the forest". A dryly poetic dismissal — go away, by way of the woods. Lighter and wittier than "otvali," good for rejecting a bad pitch (romantic or otherwise) with a bit of style. Same family as "idi v sad" (go to the garden) and "idi v banyu."
Is "Иди лесом!" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "Иди лесом!"?
Say it "ee-DEE LYE-sahm" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɪˈdʲi ˈlʲesəm.

Related in Russian

Давай! davai dah-VYE Come on! / Let's go! / Alright, bye! Ни фига! ni figa nee fee-GAH No way! / Nothing at all! / Like hell! Иди в баню! idi v banyu ee-DEE v BAH-nyoo Get lost! / Buzz off! (gentle) Остынь! ostyn' ah-STIN Calm down / Chill out Понты ponty pahn-TIH Show-off posturing / all flash, no substance Отвали! otvali aht-vah-LEE Buzz off! / Back off! / Leave me alone!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Get lost".

how to say "Get lost" →

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