# пухир



## seitt

Greetings

Please, what does пухир (pukhir) mean and where is the stress? What could its etymology be?

The text of Jennie Lee’s autobiography, "Tomorrow is a New Day", states that Stalin’s children were attending one of Moscow’s pukhir high schools in the 1930s.

Best wishes, and many thanks,

Simon


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## igusarov

seitt said:


> Please, what does пухир (pukhir) mean and where is the stress?


Sorry, "пухир" doesn't ring any acoustic device... Are you sure about the spelling? Could you quote some sentence where this word is used? Could it be an abbreviation?


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## Saluton

I've never heard the word either and I didn't find it on the Russian Internet. That is, all I found is a Ukrainian noun пухир, meaning "bubble" (пузырь in Russian), and the surname Пухир that obviously originated from the noun, but that's hardly what you're looking for.


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## Maroseika

By the way, what children are meant? Yakov finsihed high school before 30s, Vasiliy and Svetlana studied at the Moscow high school for the Soviet big bosses. When they could study in any other school?


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## seitt

Many thanks, indeed Vassily and Svetlana are meant, but the time would seem to be more very late twenties - sorry about my mistake. I guess it could be an abbreviation.
"Svetlana, a bright little girl about ten years old, and her brother, Vassily, about five years older, were attending one of Moscow’s _pukhir _high-schools."


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## Maroseika

seitt said:


> Many thanks, indeed Vasiliy and Svetlana are meant, but the time would seem to be more very late twenties - sorry about my mistake.



Anyways, can you provide full sentence? Couldn't they mean something like ПУРККА (Политуправление Рабоче-Крестьянской Красной Армии)? 

While I was writing my message, you have already provided the sentence. Unfortunately, it doesn't clarify anything. Are there any more information about these schools?


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## seitt

Just that it is a typical school of its kind in many ways but nevertheless a particularly good one. The writer seems to be somewhat in sympathy with Communism, although she is not afraid to criticize.


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## Maroseika

seitt said:


> Just that it is a typical school of its kind in many ways but nevertheless a particularly good one. The writer seems to be somewhat in sympathy with Communism, although she is not afraid to criticize.



This was "The 25th demonstration school" in Moscow. It was intended mostly for the children of the communist establishment and ought to be really very good in comparison with others. However I have no idea what "pukhir" might mean in regard of this school.


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## seitt

Many thanks - I suppose there is an outside chance that it could be a highly non-standard spelling of pukka, otherwise I don't know what it could be.


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## Maroseika

seitt said:


> Many thanks - I suppose there is an outside chance that it could be a highly non-standard spelling of pukka, otherwise I don't know what it could be.


The problem is that this school had nothing to do with any ПУ (политупроавление), it was subordinate to Наркомпрос - People's Commissariat for Education. I sent an email to the museum of this school, maybe they know and can explain.


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## rusita preciosa

Could that be last name Пухирь?
(Was it capitalized?)

Pukka seems to fit, but why would someone spell it so differently? May be in Hindi(?) "pukhir" is plural of pukka or smething like that?


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## Maroseika

rusita preciosa said:


> Could that be last name Пухирь?
> (Was it capitalized?)



You mean comrade Пухирь leaded several Moscow schools?


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## rusita preciosa

Maroseika said:


> You mean comrade Пухирь leaded several Moscow schools?


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## seitt

Interesting - btw, where is the stress on the surname Пухирь, please? Is it a very rare surname? There do seem to be some instances on Google.


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## Maroseika

seitt said:


> Interesting - btw, where is the stress on the surname Пухирь, please? Is it a very rare surname? There do seem to be some instances on Google.



In the Ukrainain word пухи́р the stress is on и. But in Russia it easily might shift to the first syllable (by analogy with пахарь, знахарь). Stress in the surname depends on the will of its bearer.
For me both variants sound natural.


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## seitt

Much obliged!


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