# С лёгким паром



## clapec

I'm seeing a famous Russian film whose title is _Ирония судьбы, или с лёгким паром_, but I don't understand what "с лёгким паром" means. Could you please explain it to me? Is that a sort of wish?
Thank you very much!


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## übermönch

s lyogkim parom is a wishing commonly said to someone who has just left a hot bath or banya. Literally it is "with/happy light/easy vapour"

You've watched this movie?


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## clapec

Yes, my Russian teacher suggested seeing that film because, according to him, the language is quite simple. Have you ever seen it?
Thank you very much for your reply!


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## Etcetera

übermönch is right. 

Clapec, I suppose your teacher has recommended you to watch this fillm not only because of the simplicity of its language, but also because of its place in modern Russian cilture. There's an old Soviet tradition to watch "Ирония судьбы" every 31th December, before New Year. Most people who grew up in the Soviet Union still do watch "Ирония судьбы" on this day, but younger people usually see it one or two times. I myself have never seen "Ирония судьбы" wholly, but I'm pretty familiar with it - thanks to my parents.


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## clapec

Thank you very much! I think that's a very nice film


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## Etcetera

You're welcome.


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## Stripped

Ouch! The language of the movie might be simple, but... Certain things would be quite difficult to understand without knowing the cultural context of the Soviet Union circa the last third of the last century. Learning the latter must've been the main purpose of your teacher's suggestion. And, of course, memorizing the quotes from the movie will help as one may here them all the time in the spoken language.


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## Jana337

übermönch said:
			
		

> s lyogkim parom is a wishing commonly said to someone who has just left a hot bath or banya. Literally it is "with/happy light/easy vapour"


A silly question: What's the rationale behind wishing someone to enjoy their bath ex post? Or is it a wish to acclimatize smoothly to the normal temperature? 

Jana


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## Etcetera

The point is that it's not a wish, it's a congratulation. Sort of.


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## Jana337

Etcetera said:
			
		

> The point is that it's not a wish, it's a congratulation. Sort of.


Rather amusing, methinks.


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## Etcetera

I agree. Many old traditions are so amusing - but nevertheless they continue to exist! 
My parents used to say to me С легким паром! when I left the bathroom, because I usually took very hot shower. It sounded rather ironical, but very nice.


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## palomnik

Jana337 said:


> http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=168020


 
Jana (and any Russian foreros) - did the term originate with the movie, or did it exist before that?

Пить надо меньше!


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## Maroseika

palomnik said:


> Jana (and any Russian foreros) - did the term originate with the movie, or did it exist before that?
> 
> Пить надо меньше!


 
It's known and was used since long ago, though really associates with the movies. 
It seems to me however that even before this movie it was played up in "Кавказская пленница" (it's said to a heroe when he tries to explain that the girl was kidnapped) and "Иван Васильевич меняет профессию" (house-manager's wife says it to the inventor - the same actor, btw!!).
However after "Ирония судьбы" it came into the speech in slightly another form: "надо меньше пить, надо меньше пить".


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## palomnik

Maroseika said:


> It's known and was used since long ago, though really associates with the movies.
> It seems to me however that even before this movie it was played up in "Кавказская пленница" (it's said to a heroe when he tries to explain that the girl was kidnapped) and "Иван Васильевич меняет профессию" (house-manager's wife says it to the inventor - the same actor, btw!!).
> However after "Ирония судьбы" it came into the speech in slightly another form: "надо меньше пить, надо меньше пить".


 
Thanks, Maro.  Actually, I was wondering whether _с лёгким паром_ originated with the movie.

As for пить надо меньше, you're right, they do say it in Иван Васильевич меняет профессию.

пить надо меньше - надо меньше пить - пить меньше надо!


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## Q-cumber

palomnik said:


> Jana (and any Russian foreros) - did the term originate with the movie, or did it exist before that?



     The term does not originate from the movie...moreover, I am not quite sure this phrase was ever uttered in the movie, but in the episode where a secondary character Misha (Georgy Burkov) tells to the Zhenya's mother something like "Just imagine, how stupid the wish "с лёгким паром" sounds being addressed to a person after his taking a bath in an apartment".  
   I don't agree this is an ex-post congratulation (wish or whatever). This expression is very popular among the lovers of the Russian steam bath ... and it's pretty universal. It might be said to the one leaving for (going to) a steam bath, while entering/leaving a steam room,  etc. 


			
				Анекдот.ру said:
			
		

> Со свекровью у нас холодная война. Однажды решила я устроить разрядку напряженности. Выходит она из ванной, махровый халат, полотенце на башке - нормально все. Я ей - с легким паром! Она смотрит на меня ошалело и говорит - спасибо, горячую воду только что отключили.


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## palomnik

Q-cumber said:


> The term does not originate from the movie...moreover, I am not quite sure this phrase was ever uttered in the movie, but in the episode where a secondary character Misha (Georgy Burkov) tells to the Zhenya's mother something like "Just imagine, how stupid the wish "с лёгким паром" sounds being addressed to a person after his taking a bath in an apartment".


 
If my memory serves me well, Nadya says it sarcastically to Zhenya when he is first explaining how he ended up asleep in her apartment.

I have the VCR tape up in the attic somewhere; maybe I'll pull it out and check.


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## Crescent

Oh, my goodness, I adore this film! 

I wasn't actually aware of the fact that there was a thread already made about it, but since this is my discovery of today, I will willingly join in. 
As already said by other, I don't think that ''_Меньше надо пить_'' came from the film as such, but what I do and have been wondering for a quite sometime, I must admit, is whether or not the expression: _Иди в баню!_ (in it's slightly pejorative sense too, of course! ) comes from this very chef-d'oeuvre? 

It really seems like it, doesn't it! I love the moment when Jenya's mum tells his friend Pavel: _Иди в баню!_ I wonder if the audience at the time would have understood it quite the same way we do now..


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## Maroseika

C легким паром is very old expression, at least we can meet it in Leskov's novels.
As for иди в баню - this euphemism looks like rather new, obviousely post-war one, maybe since 60-th.


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