08:01 Oct 11, 2011 

there is also a certain connection to another russian expression - "лепить ярлык" - " to pin a label on someone"

07:29 Oct 11, 2011 

only one bird

06:38 Oct 11, 2011 

Thank you, Gennady. What you describe is absolutely in keeping with the spirit of the passage. By the way, is this the same "лепить" used with пельмени? Maybe the element of "handling" -- if not quite "shaping" (as with пельмени) carries over here, which would support Sam's "pushing papers." (P.S. Your birds are awesome!)

05:32 Oct 11, 2011 

here лепить=стряпать cook up (Cooking up papers). My guess about the general meaning is, that when this person was serving his/her term and was bringing to the prison administration some complaint, they were just getting away with filing the complaint without further response.

04:07 Oct 11, 2011 

I meant to ask native speakers of Russian, oops.