Russian · Love & Rejection
Отвали!
otvali
aht-vah-LEE · /ɐtvɐˈlʲi/
Buzz off! / Back off! / Leave me alone!
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"Fall off / detach yourself"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The essential brush-off for an unwanted admirer or a pushy anyone — "peel off." Firm and unmistakable without being mat. "Otstan'" (get off/leave me be) is softer; "otvyazhis'" (untie yourself from me) is similar. If you need to end a street hassle cleanly, this is the word.
Heard in the wild
Я тебя не знаю, отвали!
I don't know you, back off!
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Отвали!" mean?
- In Russian, "Отвали!" means "Buzz off! / Back off! / Leave me alone!". Literally it's "Fall off / detach yourself". The essential brush-off for an unwanted admirer or a pushy anyone — "peel off." Firm and unmistakable without being mat. "Otstan'" (get off/leave me be) is softer; "otvyazhis'" (untie yourself from me) is similar. If you need to end a street hassle cleanly, this is the word.
- Is "Отвали!" offensive?
- It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
- How do you pronounce "Отвали!"?
- Say it "aht-vah-LEE" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ɐtvɐˈlʲi.
Related in Russian
Иди в баню! idi v banyu ee-DEE v BAH-nyoo Get lost! / Buzz off! (gentle) Понты ponty pahn-TIH Show-off posturing / all flash, no substance Дурак! durak doo-RAHK Idiot / fool Придурок! pridurok pree-DOO-rahk Moron / dumbass Заткнись! zatknis' zaht-KNEES Shut up! / Shut it! Трус! trus TROOS Coward / chicken
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Get lost".
- French Casse-toi, pauvre con ! Get lost, you pathetic idiot
- German Hau ab! Get lost! / Clear off! / Beat it!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Italian Vaffanculo! Fuck off! / Go to hell!
- Japanese 死ね Drop dead / go die
- Korean 꺼져 Get lost / piss off — you're telling a human to power down.
- Polish spierdalaj Fuck off / piss off.
- Portuguese Vagabundo Bum / lowlife / good-for-nothing (f. 'vagabunda' = slut)
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.