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  3. Journalism

хорошая мина при плохой игре

English translation: to put a good/brave face on the matter

20:45 Jan 11, 2008
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Journalism
Russian term or phrase: хорошая мина при плохой игре
Однако ... об этом то ли не знают, то ли предпочитают сохранять хорошую мину при плохой игре.
val_legrand
Ukraine
Local time: 18:13
English translation:to put a good/brave face on the matter
Explanation:
poker face - непроницаемае лицо, имхо, не тот случай
Selected response from:

Clue
Russian Federation
Local time: 18:13
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4keep up appearances / put up a front
Mark Berelekhis
3 +4make the best of a bad bargain
Kirill Semenov
4 +3to put a good/brave face on the matter
Clue
4 +2put a brave face on a sorry business
Aleksey Chervinskiy
4 +1keep a stiff upper lip
Michael Tovbin
3 +1poker face
DNATUSIA
4grin and bear it
GaryG
4Bury one's head in the sand
sarandor
2см. ниже
selma232


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
poker face


Explanation:
/

DNATUSIA
Local time: 11:13
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mikhail Mezhiritsky: That was my choice :)
1 min
  -> спасибо
neutral  Michael Tovbin: I dont know, this just means an expressionless face even when a person is happy (in poker, especially when you are happy)/Your English is literally about the face only. The Russian is not like that. It is also about actions and demeanor.
1 hr
  -> спасибо!... expresionless when happy but also when unhappy! т.е хорошая (не плохая, по крайней мере) мина при плохой игре
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3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
make the best of a bad bargain


Explanation:
Классический оборот.

Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 18:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 11

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Irena Pizzi
7 hrs
agree  Alexandra Tussing
9 hrs
agree  koundelev: и сохраняет противопоставление "хороший - плохой"
12 hrs
agree  Dorene Cornwell
23 hrs
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
to put a good/brave face on the matter


Explanation:
poker face - непроницаемае лицо, имхо, не тот случай

Clue
Russian Federation
Local time: 18:13
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 7

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Irena Daniluk: brave face/ brave front
15 mins
  -> Спасибо!
agree  The Misha: It's close
5 hrs
  -> Спасибо!
agree  Alexandra Tussing
8 hrs
  -> Спасибо!
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
grin and bear it


Explanation:
Depending on the context other variants suggested by Lubensky's R>E Dictionary of Idioms may be better: "put up a bold front" or "put a good face on things"

GaryG
Local time: 11:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Bury one's head in the sand


Explanation:
One more:

Bury (hide) one's head in the sand

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 36 mins (2008-01-11 21:21:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

- to refuse to think about an unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve so that you will not have to deal with it.
Sample: Parents said bullying was being ignored, and accused the headmaster of burying his head in the sand.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com


sarandor
United States
Local time: 11:13
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Michael Tovbin: not even close, the only reason I am not disagreeing is because I offered a tranlation, too./Your translation does but the Russian does not and therein lies the problem.
38 mins
  -> I think it means ignoring the problems and pretending that they do not exist
neutral  The Misha: That's more like "закрыть на что-либо глаза", which is different
5 hrs
  -> Я поняла предложение так: "Об этом или не знают, или притворяются, что не знают". Если в контексте речь идет о каких-то проблемах, то притворяться, что проблема не существует - зарыть голову в песок. Вполне допускаю, что моя логика может быть ошибочной.
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37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
keep up appearances / put up a front


Explanation:
Either of these should work:

keep up appearances

be outwardly proper, hide one's faults or failures, put up a front*, keep up with the Joneses*; see deceive, pretend.

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:OORu3oLHwwUJ:www.yourdic...

Mark Berelekhis
United States
Local time: 11:13
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 76

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  The Misha: Close
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, Misha. I try ~.~
agree  Aleksey Chervinskiy: Not keeping up with the Joneses though - Striving to achieve or own as much as the people around you: “If you want to keep up with the Joneses in this neighborhood, you will have to own at least three cars.” http://www.bartleby.com/59/4/keepingupwit.html
5 hrs
  -> Thank you, Aleksey. You are correct in that the Jones idiom does indeed have a second meaning, which you brought up. My suggestions, though, have only one.
agree  palilula (X)
7 hrs
  -> Thank you, rakevo.
agree  Alexandra Tussing
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
keep a stiff upper lip


Explanation:
my 2 pence

Michael Tovbin
United States
Local time: 10:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  The Misha: Doesn't it mean to show off one's arrogance or something?
4 hrs
  -> Or something? No, it does not. Take a look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiff_upper_lip
agree  Alexandra Tussing
8 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
put a brave face on a sorry business


Explanation:
source - The Oxford Russian-English Dictionary by Marcus Wheeler, Second Edition, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1984

Maybe you can find a more contemporary expression; at the same time the Russian expression is a very old one as well.

Maybe there's a more American expression too.

Aleksey Chervinskiy
United States
Local time: 11:13
Native speaker of: Russian
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Angela Greenfield
5 hrs
  -> Спасибо
agree  Alexandra Tussing
7 hrs
  -> Спасибо
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
см. ниже


Explanation:
Doing my bit:

papering over the cracks.

selma232
Local time: 18:13
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
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