# друг с дружкой



## Lemminkäinen

Привет всем 

Reading Tolstoy's _Три старца_, I came across this line:



> Богомольцы - которые лежали, которые закусывали, которые сидели кучками - беседовали *друг с дружкой*



So what's the deal with the bolded part? I thought the expression was *друг с другом* - is the above an archaic form (or perhaps some sort of diminutive)?


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## Crescent

Lemminkäinen said:


> Привет всем
> 
> Reading Tolstoy's _Три старца_, I came across this line:
> 
> 
> 
> So what's the deal with the bolded part? I thought the expression was *друг с другом* - is the above an archaic form (or perhaps some sort of diminutive)?



Yes, Lemmi, you've got it exactly right!  It is indeed a diminuitive of the original phrase which is: _друг с другом_ (with each other)
It's not archaic - people do still use it plenty nowadays. The only thing that I would put an emphasis on, is that it is a children's expression - it's what little kids are likely to say to each other.
e.g. Они пошли гулять друг с дружкой.
Они дерутся друг с дружкой. 

It is also a kind of ''sweeter'', more affectionate way of expressing the same thing. I am slightly puzzled, also, as to why exactly, Tosltoy has used this phrase in this context.
Is Три Старца a fairy tale for children? Perhaps that's why then - he simplifies the language a little bit for them. 
Hope to have helped!


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## Lemminkäinen

Crescent said:


> It is also a kind of ''sweeter'', more affectionate way of expressing the same thing. I am slightly puzzled, also, as to why exactly, Tosltoy has used this phrase in this context.
> Is Три Старца a fairy tale for children? Perhaps that's why then - he simplifies the language a little bit for them.
> Hope to have helped!



Thanks for the explanation  As far as I know, it's not a children's tale, no, so it'd be interesting to know why he used it.


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## Crescent

Lemminkäinen said:


> Thanks for the explanation  As far as I know, it's not a children's tale, no, so it'd be interesting to know why he used it.


Well, the turht is you could always blame it on the author's style: that's just how he writes it. But then again, another thought reached me: I think the idea behind using this particular phrase might have been to express a certain colloqualism - that is to say a lack of formality, because to me it seems that the situation that the author is describing is quite a relaxed, informal one: the people were lying down, snacking, grouped in bunches..etc.

 So maybe that's what he used the term for: to empahsize the feeling of at ease that was in the atmosphere.


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## Crescent

Well, the turht is you could always blame it on the author's style: that's just how he writes it. But then again, another thought reached me: I think the idea behind using this particular phrase might have been to express a certain colloqualism - that is to say a lack of formality, because to me it seems that the situation that the author is describing is quite a relaxed, informal one: the people were lying down, snacking, grouped in bunches..etc.

 So maybe that's what he used the term for: to empahsize the feeling of at ease that was in the atmosphere. 
Well, just a thought...


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## Lemminkäinen

Yes, I guess that could be it. Спасибо!


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## Brian P

На каком слоге 'дружкой' ударение? Это  'друж*кой'* или  '*друж*кой'?


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## Etcetera

It's др*у*жкой.


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## Brian P

*Бол*ьшое спасиб*о *Etcetera!


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## Lemminkäinen

Brian P said:


> Больш*о*е спас*и*бо Etcetera!


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## Crescent

Brian P said:


> Больш*о*е спас*и*бо Etc*e*tera!



 (I hope you don't mind our corrections, Brian  )

EDIT: Okay, obviously my post is useless: it's just that Lemmi corrected one of the words, but not the other, so I decided to  do my part, but now he has corrected both.


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## Etcetera

Crescent said:


> (I hope you don't mind our corrections, Brian  )


It's Etcet*e*ra.
Oh, I do know that the stress may fall either on the second syllable (in English) or on the last one (in French), but I'm used to my nickname with the stress on the third syllable. 

And I'm perfectly sure that Brian knows the right stresses in the words большое спасибо - he's just kidding!


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## Brian P

Извините Crescent и Lem: Etcetera права. У нас англичан странное извращённое чувство юмора!


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## Lemminkäinen

Brian P said:


> Извините Crescent и Lem: Etcetera права. У нас англичан странное извращённое чувство юмора!




Ah  It's often hard to interpret the tone conveyed through writing, but I guess I should have known better


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## Crescent

Brian P said:


> Извините Crescent и Lem: Etcetera права. У нас англичан странное извращённое чувство юмора!



Oh, dear....sorry, Brian! I didn't get it at all...  I was also surprised that after all those jaw-dropping phrases that you write in Russian, you seemed to be getting stresses on simple words muddled up a bit. But now I see that it is the strange American sense of humour...  

And, oh - sorry, Etcet*e*ra,  - I had no idea that's how pronounce your name! I myself always say it with the stress on the second syllable... 
But I will know from now on.


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## Etcetera

Crescent said:


> And, oh - sorry, Etcet*e*ra,  - I had no idea that's how pronounce your name! I myself always say it with the stress on the second syllable...


But that's the correct way to pronounce it in English. Why are you confused?
And I really like Brian's strange sense of humour. But the way, my family sometimes tease me in the same way.


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## Brian P

Etcetera said:


> It's Etcet*e*ra.
> Oh, I do know that the stress may fall either on the second syllable (in English) or on the last one (in French), but I'm used to my nickname with the stress on the third syllable.
> 
> 'Etceter*a*' - это runglish!


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