# so fast your head will spin



## j-Adore

This English phrasing is often used as a warning or threat to describe how shockingly fast/quickly something will happen -- most notably used in one of Trump's *speeches*. Not to be confused with "heads will roll".

How is this idea naturally expressed in colloquial Russian?



Trump: "That wall will go up / We'll build the wall *so fast your head*(*s*)* will spin*." [talking about the US-Mexican border]


 "Your son will grow up *so fast your head will spin*. You won't ever get this time back with him. I didn't want you to miss out and then live to regret it."


 "You and your sister will go pack your bags now, or I will drag you both out of this house *so fast your heads will spin* off your necks.”


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## Şafak

I suggest "*и ахнуть не успеют"* for #1, a quasi literal transaltion for #2, "*и глазом моргнуть не успеют*" for #3

1. Трамп: "Мы возведем стену так быстро, *что они и ахнуть не успеют.*"
2. "Дети растут *с головокружительной скоростью...*" (a more literal translation)
3. ".....или я выкину вас из дома, *что вы и глазом моргнуть не успеете.*"


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## nizzebro

I would say the most common expression is *оглянуться не успеете* and it fits the first two of your examples.
It is not related to the concept of looking back but only is about the fast development of a process that was considered slow.
The translations Jennifer Weiss provided are fine too;  *ахнуть *is a bit too expressive word though;
I agree about *глазом моргнуть не успеете*; also you could say *что у вас головы закружатся (*which works with #3 only - because it supposes the event taking place in front of your very eyes and going really fast in terms of absolute speed).


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## j-Adore

Jennifer Weiss said:


> I suggest "*и ахнуть не успеют"* for #1, a quasi literal transaltion for #2, "*и глазом моргнуть не успеют*" for #3



I see. I'm curious to see if your #1 and #3 -- aside from their 'rapidity'-aspect -- can also serve as a warning or threat often perceived in the English phrasing. I myself was thinking something along the lines of:


... I will drag you both out of this house *so fast your heads will spin* off your necks.

... я вышвырну вас из дома *так быстро*, *что у вас у обоих просто закружится голова*. 



nizzebro said:


> also you could say *что у вас головы закружатся (*which works with #3 only - because it supposes the event taking place in front of your very eyes and going really fast in terms of absolute speed).



So this phrase does work for at least #3, I see -- though I seem to notice the singular/plural difference for "вас": "голова" vs "головы".


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## nizzebro

j-Adore said:


> the singular/plural difference


Both of the two versions are ok, but, in that context, the plural number sounds more natural, maybe it's colloquial but it's the only form I would expect in that context, while the singular is too calm and of "pure indicative mood".
Also, in both cases, the reversed order:  *голова* *закружится *is preferred within such an emotional phrase.


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## j-Adore

nizzebro said:


> The both two versions are ok, but, in that context, the plural number sounds more natural, maybe it's colloquial but it's the only form I would expect in that context, while the singular is too calm and of "pure indicative mood".
> Also, in both cases, the reversed order: *голова* *закружится *is preferred within such an emotional phrase.



I see. Interesting points.


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## nizzebro

j-Adore said:


> this does work for at least #3


It is possible to use it for the Trump's saying, too, but there's a tiny catch. We talk about something that we describe by the perfective aspect:
Мы построим стену так быстро,  ...
The perfective aspect focuses on the state _after _the event. But,  *голова* *закружится* means "(your) head will enter a spinning state/ (you) will feel dizzy"
It is natural to expect that feeling _during _the event, not after.
Мы будем строить стену так быстро, что у вас голова закружится would be ok, but it describes the very process and does not imply any result.


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## j-Adore

nizzebro said:


> Мы *построим *стену так быстро, ...
> The perfective aspect focuses on the state _after _the event. But, *голова* *закружится* means "(your) head will enter a spinning state/ (you) will feel dizzy"



Nice catch. Wouldn't have noticed that myself. But now you mention it, the "за"-prefix does seem rather out of place in some context.


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## nizzebro

j-Adore said:


> the "за"-prefix does seem rather out of place in some context.


The problem is that *голова закружится* - as a consequence of some action, actually denotes a _feeling _of dizziness.
вышвырну вас из дома *так быстро*, *что у вас у обеих голова закружится *is fine beacuse вышвырнуть is a momentary action and it assumes some phisycal impact on those two sisters which would feel dizzy after such a fast flight.
построю стену *так быстро*, *что у вас голова закружится *sounds weird to me because for them to feel dizzy they should be affected, let's say by watching the crazy construction process at least few seconds - but not by the look of the final product.


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## Şafak

I don't like "вышвырну вас из дома *так быстро*, *что у вас у обеих голова закружится* ". It sounds like a literal translation that you normally hear in dubbed movies. I can't think of any expression with "закружится голова" unless we are indeed talking about how dizzy we feel or how successful we've become "закружилась голова от успеха".

Nice catch. "И оглянуться не успеют" is a really good locution, too.


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## nizzebro

Jennifer Weiss said:


> I don't like "вышвырну вас из дома *так быстро*, *что у вас у обеих голова закружится* ". It sounds like a literal translation that you normally hear in dubbed movies. I can't think of any expression with "закружится голова" unless we are indeed talking about how dizzy we feel or how successful we've become "закружилась голова от успеха".


I agree. Probably the "truly" literal one would be *так быстро*, *что вы себе шеи свернёте , *but it sounds really scary.


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## j-Adore

Though I'm not usually one to go for literal translation, I still get the impression that "закружится голова" works in at least the 3rd example? I've just found the following in a book -- which is used in practically the same context as the 3rd example and similar to my phrasing at #4. It's obviously used as a warning or threat -- in a similar tone to that of "so fast your head will spin", as mentioned at #1. Your thoughts?


Если я еще раз увижу, что ты плюешься, *я вышвырну тебя из класса так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*. А если ты будешь продолжать, то тебя исключат из школы!


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## Şafak

j-Adore said:


> Though I'm not usually one to go for literal translation, I still get the impression that "закружится голова" works in at least the 3rd example? I've just found the following in a book -- which is used in practically the same context as the 3rd example and similar to my phrasing at #4. It's obviously used as a warning or threat -- in a similar tone to that of "so fast your head will spin", as mentioned at #1.
> 
> 
> Если я еще раз увижу, что ты плюешься, *я вышвырну тебя из класса так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*. А если ты будешь продолжать, то тебя исключат из школы!



The sentence does sound weird in my opinion. I can’t think of any good situation where “у тебя закружится голова” would be idiomatic. 

What book have you found the sentence? I’d like to take a more comprehensive look at it.


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## j-Adore

*(1) Here*: Если я еще раз увижу, что ты плюешься, я вышвырну тебя из класса* так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*. А если ты будешь продолжать, то тебя исключат из школы! 


*(2) Here*: Если впутать в это Звездные силы, Неверлин раскрутит игру *так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*, – сказал Джек.


*(3) Here*: — Еще не предложение, дорогая. Я не хочу на тебя давить. Если ты согласна, скажи мне. Я опущусь на колено *так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*. — Он подмигнул. — Решение за тобой, Рейч.

Basically, this is where we say "so fast your head will spin" in English. This expression has a different tone/connotation from that of "in the blink of an eye" etc.


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## Şafak

All these translations sound somewhat off to me. Maybe #2 works better than the other samples. We definitely need some other opinions of real native speakers.


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## j-Adore

The 4th one would be a more clear-cut example/situation where the English phrasing "Your boyfriend will *disappear so fast your head will spin*!" works perfectly:


*(4)* *Here*: — Мужчины могут чувствовать запах отчаяния за километр. Если он будет думать, что ты охотишься за кольцом на своем пальце и детишками, то он исчезнет *так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*.


The 5th one comes from a Russian native's writing on a forum where he happened to be talking about Trump:


*(5) **Here*: УФ! Вчера, когда я сказал, что события будут происходить *так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*, я не думал, что это произойдет так быстро. Президент *Трамп *и команда альянса "бьют по земле" после промежуточных сроков.


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## Maroseika

j-Adore said:


> The 4th one would be a more clear-cut example/situation where the English phrasing "Your boyfriend will *disappear so fast your head will spin*!" works perfectly:
> 
> *(4)* *Here*: — Мужчины могут чувствовать запах отчаяния за километр. Если он будет думать, что ты охотишься за кольцом на своем пальце и детишками, то он исчезнет *так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*.
> The 5th one comes from a Russian native's writing on a forum where he happened to be talking about Trump:
> 
> *(5) **Here*: УФ! Вчера, когда я сказал, что события будут происходить *так быстро, что у тебя закружится голова*, я не думал, что это произойдет так быстро. Президент *Трамп *и команда альянса "бьют по земле" после промежуточных сроков.


Looks just like lame English calque. This saying is not used in Russian and sounds extremely weird. Moreover, it doesn't look like an idiom but is rather perceived as metaphor (weird one, though).


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## j-Adore

@Maroseika As mentioned by nizzebro at #3, this phrasing has made its way into Russian (apparently from English)? It seems a bit too prevalent to simply dismiss as an idiosyncratic expression.


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## Maroseika

j-Adore said:


> @Maroseika As mentioned by nizzebro at #3, this phrasing has made its way into Russian (apparently from English)? It seems a bit too prevalent to simply dismiss as an idiosyncratic expression.


I don't know what is the origin of the English idiom, maybe some object spinning about someone so fast, that he is feeling giddy. But at least in Russian голова закружится is associated mostly with dizziness. So why someone should feel giddy when being chucked out from home? This is a sad occasion and generally a good reason for dizziness, but it has nothing to do with its swiftness.
So I don't think this calque has already made its wait in Russian beyond bad translation (full of such calques, actually). Maybe it will happen in future, but nowadays, to my ear, it sounds extremely weird.


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## nizzebro

j-Adore said:


> As mentioned by nizzebro at #3, this phrasing has made its way into Russian


I didn't say that, I just meant that голова закружилась rather implies a direct impact on someone's senses as in the below:
 У меня голова закружилась на этой карусели. 
Они мелькали перед глазами так быстро, что у меня голова закружилась.
But I feel that the  English  expression is rather about being unable to synchronize, to follow a rapid movements with one's eyes or body.


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## j-Adore

nizzebro said:


> But I feel that the English expression is rather about being unable to synchronize, to follow a rapid movements with one's eyes or body.



@Maroseika Yes, this is basically the idea. Imagine, if you will, a cartoon character with a spinning head when someone dashes past him so quickly as to leave him spinning.

Oh, "As (this phrase was) mentioned by nizzebro at #3" was what I meant.


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## nizzebro

j-Adore said:


> Oh, "As (this phrase was) mentioned by nizzebro at #3" was what I meant.


Sorry, my fault.
Anyway the problem is that голова закружилась, though it is sometimes caused by the speed of something, says about the effect on senses, not the speed itself.


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## j-Adore

nizzebro said:


> Anyway the problem that голова закружилась, though it sometimes caused by the speed of something, says about the effect on senses, not the speed itself.



If this is the case, then it is similar to "so fast your head will spin", with the focus being on the idea: "X happens so fast as to make you lose your senses".


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## nizzebro

j-Adore said:


> If this is the case, then it is similar to "so fast your head will spin", with the focus being on the idea: "X happens so fast as to make you lose your senses".


However you said


j-Adore said:


> Yes, this is basically the idea. Imagine, if you will, a cartoon character with a spinning head when someone dashes past him so quickly as to leave him spinning.


Is dizziness the same as head-spinning then? Those cartoon characters are not supposed to feel anything internally.
Anyway I believe that one of the keys is the verbal aspect.
I fully agree with Maroseika's comment on (4) since I can't imagine it as the effect of someone's disappeance;  but I don't see anything wrong with (5) as the effect of quickly changing events which are ongoing at that moment.


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## j-Adore

nizzebro said:


> Is dizziness the same as head-spinning then?



Basically, yes: "when someone dashes past him so quickly as to *leave him spinning*".

I'm glad I thought to ask this question here.


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