ни пуха ни пера

Russian

Alternative forms

• ни пу́ха! (ni púxa!)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nʲɪ‿ˈpuxə nʲɪ‿pʲɪˈra]

• Audio:

  (file)

Phrase

ни пу́ха ни пера́! • (ni púxa ni perá!)

1. good luck, break a leg

Usage notes

• The literal meaning is "Neither down nor feathers".
• The meaning of the phrase is approximately "(I hope) you will not get a single feather," as would be spoken to a bird hunter, with usage and meaning akin to the English phrase "break a leg" and the German "Hals- und Beinbruch!".
• Rather than saying "thank you", the traditional response to this greeting is к чёрту! (k čórtu!, “To the devil!”), which is supposed to bring luck.