Kuzma's mother
Encyclopedia
Kuzma's mother or Kuzka's mother is a part of the Russian idiomatic expression
"to show kuzka's mother to someone" which means "to teach someone a lesson, to punish someone in a brutal way". An English equivalent is "bring the pain." It entered the history of the foreign relations of the Soviet Union
as part of the image of Nikita Khrushchev
, along with the shoe banging incident and the phrase We will bury you
.
In his memoirs, Nikita Khrushchev mentions various "interesting and peculiar situations", including an occasion of him using this expression while mentioning that it was not the first time it confused the translators. The footnote in this volume to this item says that the 1999 Russian edition gave a mistaken "scientific etymology" of the expression derived from the folk name Kuzka the bug of a pest insect Anisoplia austriaca
, who winters burrowed deeply under in the soil, so it is hard to uncover it. The editors of the English version claim that it is a guesswork of the annotator.
Viktor Sukhodrev (Виктор Суходрев), a personal interpreter of Khrushchev and later Alexei Kosygin, in his interview says that Khrushchev first used this expression in public when addressing Richard Nixon
in 1959, who was attending the opening of the American National Exhibition
in Sokolniki Park
exposition centre, Moscow
. During a discussion about communism
vs. capitalism
Khrushchev boasted that the Soviet Union will "catch up with and outrun" (догонит и перегонит) the United States, and "we shall show you Kuzka's mother". The interpreter was stunned and said something literal about the mother of Kuzma.
Phraseologic dictionaries from the 19th century record other versions of the saying about Kuzka's mother, such as "to let someone know Kuzka's mother name".
Russian sayings
Russian sayings give an insight into many aspects of Russian history, culture, and national character. The Russian language is replete with many hundreds of proverbs and sayings . These were already tabulated by the seventeenth century, and collected and studied in the nineteenth and twentieth,...
"to show kuzka's mother to someone" which means "to teach someone a lesson, to punish someone in a brutal way". An English equivalent is "bring the pain." It entered the history of the foreign relations of the Soviet Union
Foreign relations of the Soviet Union
At its founding, the Soviet Union was considered a pariah by most governments because of its communism, and as such was denied diplomatic recognition by most states...
as part of the image of Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
, along with the shoe banging incident and the phrase We will bury you
We will bury you
"We will bury you!" was a phrase famously used by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev while addressing Western ambassadors at a reception at the Polish embassy in Moscow on November 18, 1956....
.
In his memoirs, Nikita Khrushchev mentions various "interesting and peculiar situations", including an occasion of him using this expression while mentioning that it was not the first time it confused the translators. The footnote in this volume to this item says that the 1999 Russian edition gave a mistaken "scientific etymology" of the expression derived from the folk name Kuzka the bug of a pest insect Anisoplia austriaca
Anisoplia austriaca
Anisoplia austriaca is the binomial name of a species of scarab beetle, a harmful pest of cereal crops. Its body length is 12–16 mm.- Area of distribution :Anisoplia is distributed in the steppe zones of Europe, Asia Minor, Iran...
, who winters burrowed deeply under in the soil, so it is hard to uncover it. The editors of the English version claim that it is a guesswork of the annotator.
Viktor Sukhodrev (Виктор Суходрев), a personal interpreter of Khrushchev and later Alexei Kosygin, in his interview says that Khrushchev first used this expression in public when addressing Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
in 1959, who was attending the opening of the American National Exhibition
American National Exhibition
The American National Exhibition was held in Sokol'niki Park, Moscow in the summer of 1959.-Objectives:The exhibit was sponsored by the American government, and it followed a similar Soviet Exhibit in New York City earlier that year...
in Sokolniki Park
Sokolniki Park
Sokolniki Park, named for the falcon hunt of the Grand Dukes of Muscovy formerly conducted there, is located in the eponymous Sokolniki District of Moscow. Sokolniki Park is not far from the center of the city, near Sokolnicheskaya Gate. The park gained its name from the Sokolnichya Quarter, the...
exposition centre, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. During a discussion about communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
vs. capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
Khrushchev boasted that the Soviet Union will "catch up with and outrun" (догонит и перегонит) the United States, and "we shall show you Kuzka's mother". The interpreter was stunned and said something literal about the mother of Kuzma.
Phraseologic dictionaries from the 19th century record other versions of the saying about Kuzka's mother, such as "to let someone know Kuzka's mother name".