Russian Idioms

Idiom

Idiom (n): a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.
 
In all three of my novels I gave my Russian speakers a definite Slavic flavor by having their dialogue employ regional idioms.  On one of my 'visits' to Belarus I shopped at a book store in Minsk.  Among the thousands of titles was an illustrated handbook of Russian idioms  Not only were the sayings presented in both English and Russian, but it also contained cartoons depicting each.  This book became my official source for much of my 'authentic' dialogue.

A Book of Russian Idioms Illustrated - by M. I. Dubrovin

 Massey and Sam Leave Home

In the first chapter of Ikons: Saint Nicholas the Wonder Worker, Massey convinces his brother Sam to leave their village by calling him one of the timid dozen.  In other words, he called Sam a coward.

Don't be a coward, Sam.

When their father learns of his sons' plan, Sergei chides them for their overly ambitious action. "You're dividing the skin of a bear you haven't killed," he growls, calling up an old Russian saying. In English it's comparable to 'counting your chickens before they hatch.'

Too much confidence

Boris Talks to Petr

My main speaker in idioms was Boris Lukavich Koscik, Akulina's father.  I sprinkled sayings throughout his dialogue resulting in his defining voice.  Boris' favorite catch phrase was, "or so they say."  For example in Banners: For God, Tsar and Russia, when Akulina questioned him concerning his unsuccessful meeting with the leader of the Old Believers' Boris complained, "It's like throwing peas against the wall, or so they say."

It's no use talking to him

In my opinion, the use of idioms colors a story's dialogue.  Especially, if you are using those from a foreign culture.  It is also an easy way to distinguish individual characters.  If one of them speaks continuously with idioms, you can drop the constant use of voice tags.