# очкарик



## macdevster

Does очкарик roughly equate to nerd and/or geek?  Can it be used in a positive way?  _очкарик математики?_  Someone who is really into math?


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## Rosett

Grind, I think.


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## Q-cumber

macdevster said:


> Does очкарик roughly equate to nerd and/or geek?  Can it be used in a positive way?  _очкарик математики?_  Someone who is really into math?


"Очкарик" basically means 'a person who wears glasses'. The word is (might be) a bit derogatory and mostly used by schoolboys. At the same time this nickname might imply some respect (either envy or friendly), because glasses are often associated with higher IQ and high study skills. In my opinion, the word to be completely avoided. It isn't polite to address someone with "очкарик".
"Очкарик математики" isn't a valid expression.


> ОЧКА́РИК -а; _м._ _Шутл., пренебр._ Человек, носящий очки.Большой толковый словарь русского языка. - 1-е изд-е: СПб.: Норинт С. А. Кузнецов. 1998


 'Nerd' is closer to "ботаник / ботан" (school jargon), I think.

"Влип, очкарик!" is a common expression originating from the cult Soviet comedy "Операция „Ы“ и другие приключения Шурика". It is used jokingly when someone got into an unpleasant situation.
Влип очкарик?


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## Maroseika

Just to specify: очкарик is not used figuratively, it only refers to someone really wearing glasses.


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## Rosett

Q-cumber said:


> "Очкарик" basically means 'a person who wears glasses'. The word is (might be) a bit derogatory and mostly used by schoolboys. At the same time this nickname might imply some respect (either envy or friendly), because glasses are often associated with higher IQ and high study skills.


It refers to someone (predominantly men, but girls as well - it takes the both) who would spend a lot of time on studies or maybe just reading, (or wears glasses anyway,) but does not necessarily make it successful. And it is derogatory.

8 févr. 2014 - Лысый очкарик - тупой баран. Следи за языком.

ОЧКАРИК А ТУПОЙ - Демотивация по-русски

Harry Potter is surely one of them:
6 nov. 2016 - Внезапно в вагон вошел "Волан-де-Морт и запел: "Упадет тупой очкарик по имени Поттер"! Затем маги устроили соревнование

28 mai 2007 - Победные очки (интимные признания женщины-очкарика) ... девочки без очков, которые часто ненавидят очкастых соперниц.

Some of them may deem wearing glasses as a sort of advantage.
@дневники — Очкарики ("А нас - рать!!")
1. При встрече тебя принимают за строгого человека. 2. Относятся более уважительно, чем когда без очков. 3. Можно создавать свои имидж - ведь очки ...

However, even that one can be used figuratively as or with "ботан(ик)", grind.
Очкарик-ботан - один из интернет-мемов, выражающий мысли и действия очень умного человека, который живет одной наукой.


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## Q-cumber

Rosett said:


> It refers to someone (predominantly men, but girls as well - it takes both) who would spend a lot of time on studies or maybe just reading, (or wears glasses anyway,) but does not necessarily make it successful. And it is derogatory.


All these conditions aren't obligatory. Any person in glasses can be referred as "очкарик". A rude guy can say to a man wearing glasses on a street "куда прёшь, очкарик?"  No matter whether the latter reads any books at all.
Or a wife can tenderly call her husband "мой (любимый) очкарик"...


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## AlexSh

*** (someone) помешан на математике.
"Ботан/очкарик" is not used with an object.


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## macdevster

These are great replies!!  Language is so interesting. 

We're looking for an equivalent in many languages for "nerd" to use on a t-shirt design. The language teachers in my hallway, we refer to ourselves as "language nerds" and we call our best students "language nerds" as well -- and it's meant affectionately. Nerd can definitely be used in a derogatory way, but calling oneself a "nerd" in this way is meant to elevate status. 

We'd like to make T-shirts for ourselves and give them to our top students. I know, this probably sounds so strange....


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## Vovan

macdevster said:


> "language nerds"


Do you really need "a language nerd" precisely? Or just "a nerd"?

Would a similar word do? We've got "*монстр*" (a monster), but it's not derogatory in the least.

For example: "*Монстр в языках*" (a monster in the area of (foreign) languages; and be afraid of him/her, yes!).

The word requires an object (otherwise, it would be interpreted in far more trivial ways).


We also have the English "geek" transcribed: "*гик*". But this is slang, and a great many people are unaware of the word's meaning.


Spoiler












"Freak" (in Russian, "*фрик*") would be close to what has already been suggested by AlexSh ("*помешанный*" = obsessed). The word "*фрик*" sounds good in Russian (much better than "*гик*").


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## Vovan

Q-cumber said:


> "*Очкарик математики*" isn't a valid expression.


But it's so funny! Personally, I'm fascinated with it.





Q-cumber said:


> 'Nerd' is closer to "ботаник / ботан" (school jargon), I think.


Also, we have "*зау́чка*".


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## Vovan

Maroseika said:


> Just to specify: очкарик is not used figuratively, it only refers to someone really wearing glasses.


Sometimes, it does:
_Ленинград защищали и отстояли как раз "очкарики", математики и прочие гуманитарии.
Действительно талантливые самородки и гении, или обычные очкарики-математики из академии-ФСБ, мыслящие шаблонами?
Конечно, очкарики-математики и лингвисты-ботаники, безусловно, нужны. _​But the word is then used only in the plural, and it refers to some people you hardly know personally (or even, you only imagine) as a social group ("nerds").

*очкарики* - 1) _см. очкарик_
2) (_тк. мн.ч.; фигурально; в кавычках)_ ботаны


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## macdevster

Our idea was the word "nerd" alone in many languages. The idea -- for those who "get it" -- would be that once you realize it's "nerd" in other languages, the true meaning "language nerd" would come through. 

Or maybe we're just a bunch of regular nerds!!!  




Vovan said:


> Do you really need "a language nerd" precisely? Or just "a nerd"?
> 
> Would a similar word do? We've got "*монстр*" (a monster), but it's not derogatory in the least.
> 
> For example: "*Монстр в языках*" (a monster in the area of (foreign) languages; and be afraid of him/her, yes!).
> 
> The word requires an object (otherwise, it would be interpreted in far more trivial ways).
> 
> 
> We also have the English "geek" transcribed: "*гик*". But this is slang, and a great many people are unaware of the word's meaning.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Freak" (in Russian, "*фрик*") would be close to what has already been suggested by AlexSh ("*помешанный*" = obsessed). The word "*фрик*" sounds good in Russian (much better than "*гик*").


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## Vovan

*Macdevster*, "ботаник", "ботан" or "заучка" will do fine for your purposes!


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## Rosett

Even the Free Dictionary features glasses in the logo, assuming something like a language nerd. A bookworm would wear glasses, as well.
However, among possible synonyms in Russian for T-shirts, I'd suggest "умник", which is a nerd, a know-all guy, too.


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## Q-cumber

​


Vovan said:


> *Macdevster*, "ботаник", "ботан" or "заучка" will do fine for your purposes!


"Ботаник" also has literal meaning of botanist, so such a writing on a T-shirt might look confusing. "Ботан" would ring the right bell, but some people (without sense of humor) might find it inappropriate. "Заучка" is kind of "cartoon" word (IMHO). I vote for "ботан" anyway.


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## AlexSh

Maybe, "latin" terms?
Homo Linguisticus / Homo mathematicus / Homo Physicus / and the like?
These are universal for many, aren’t?
Also, latin-like in Cyrillic: Homo лингвистикус/математикус/химикус...

And yet. A question in the spirit of Carroll.
Кто больше ботаник, ботаник-математик или ботаник-ботаник?


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## igusarov

Of all those words mentioned so far, I think "ботаник" conveys the closest literal meaning to "nerd": a person so obsessed with studies that he's cutting himself off from important real-life experiences. Though this word is typically used alone without specifying the domain, I believe it's ok to say "*ботаник по <science-in-dative>*":

"ботаник по математике"
"ботаник по истории"
"ботаник по географии"
"ботаник по языкам"

None of the above phrases are well established, but they would be immediately recognized by native speakers.
However, some collocations may sound weird, for example "ботаник по пению".

If we're talking about smaller children, then you can replace "ботан/ботаник" with a somewhat childish word "знайка":
"знайка по математике"


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## Maroseika

For me, ботаник по чему-либо sounds wildish and unnatural.


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## AlexSh

igusarov said:


> None of the above phrases are well established, but they would be immediately recognized by native speakers.
> However, some collocations may sound weird, for example "ботаник по пению".


Не то слово, как странно!


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## Ryhzka

We usually say "повернутый на математике" in such cases)


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## Vovan

Q-cumber said:


> "Заучка" is kind of "cartoon" word (IMHO).


For a T-shirt in an _American_ school/university environment, the word's just it!
In Russia, it's been in similar use for quite some time, as Google reveals.
I find all those cartoon pictures just cute!


Spoiler


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## stam-adam

Когда-то говорили еще зубрила. А в школьной среде - профессор


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## Rosett

stam-adam said:


> Когда-то говорили еще зубрила. А в школьной среде - *профессор*


...и присовокупляли: "...*кислых щей*".


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## Stan0

Language nerd in Russian is "полиглот". All other terms have derogatory meaning, I suppose. Maybe with an exception of "monster", but that doesn't sound right regardless.


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