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Glossary entry

Russian term or phrase:

Сразить насмерть

English translation:

to smite smbd. dead

Added to glossary by Alexandre Khalimov
Jan 11, 2002 06:43
22 yrs ago
Russian term

Сразить насмерть

Non-PRO Russian to English Other
Literally -historical
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 to smite smbd. dead
4 +11 Another option - 'strike dead'
5 +1 Strike Down
5 +1 [EPITAPH]
4 to dispatch
4 crush to death
4 do to death
4 smite
5 -3 to fight to the bitter end

Proposed translations

+1
7 hrs
Selected

to smite smbd. dead

Recall the line in Armstrong's "Let my people go" "...If not I'll smite you facebone dead".
Dictionaries translate "to smite" as "сразить; поразить (т.е. ранить)". Cobuild refers to it as "a literary word".
Peer comment(s):
agree Alexandra Tussing : could be too
4 hrs
neutral Natalia Bearden : I might be wrong, but the most common context for the word 'smite' would be smth like Zeus shooting lightning bolts from Olympus, in which case, I think, "насмерть" is implied already by the power of the deity
6 hrs
neutral mayakal : "If not, I'll smite your firstborn dead" is the right quotation. Otherwise, yes, this is an acceptable rendering of the reqquired meaning, but without context "anything goes"! :-)
22 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
-3
20 mins

to fight to the bitter end

Or one could also say "to fight to the death"...in my opinion, both options are equally acceptable in English.

See:

http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&q="+to fight +to +...

and

http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&q="+to fight +to +...


Also see Smirnitsky Russian-English dictionary


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Note added at 2002-01-11 08:10:22 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In the literal sense, it is clear that the end result is \"death\" ...the means by which that is accomplished may be by fighting, smiting, crushing, and so on ad infinitum...but, before our imaginations run wild on the imaginary battlefield, what is of greatest importance here is to strive to be faithful to the original text and still render an acceptable English phrase...one that has currency.
Reference:

see above

Peer comment(s):
neutral Natalia Bearden : I thought "to fight to the bitter end" means "сражаться до конца/стоять насмерть"?
56 mins
Equally acceptable in all respects..should I argue with the venerable Smirnitskii? ;>)
disagree Krem Brule : i guess the word сразить is used as to kill not to fight
3 hrs
Well, I guess you are dead wrong...would you say, "to kill to the death"? and make me laugh my head off?
disagree Alexandra Tussing : fight to the bitter end переводится как "сражаться до последнего"
11 hrs
Are we fussing Ms. Tussing? ;>)
disagree Olga Simon : Dex and Alexandra Tudding are both right
6 days
no one is ever "right"...favoritism always prevails...it is only human!
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46 mins

to dispatch

Merriam-Webster dictionary:
dis·patch
Function: verb
(2) a : to kill with quick efficiency
Reference:

http://www.m-w.com

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55 mins

crush to death

"The tank driver pushed closer and closer,
but in the end could not in good conscience crush to death a
defenseless nun and turned back."

"The weapons of choice include three-inch nails, hammered through the skulls of the modern-day martyrs and 50-ton tanks sent to crush to death up to 12 Christians at a time."


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-01-11 07:40:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

(in a certain context)
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+11
1 hr

Another option - 'strike dead'

To Richard: I just realized that you must have been thinking about "сражаться" (to fight) instead of "сразить" (to kill, slay, etc.); so we must be in agreement on the "...bitter end" after all :o)


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-01-11 08:09:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"should I argue with the venerable Smirnitskii?\"
I would rather die than commit _such_ sacrilege!
Peer comment(s):
agree DR. RICHARD BAVRY (X) : You and I shall remain friends long long before the bitter end! ;>)
5 mins
...[sobbing quietly with immense relief] :o)
agree Oleg Pashuk (X)
7 hrs
Спасибо!
agree Shila
7 hrs
Спасибо!
agree Emil Tubinshlak : That's exactly it!
9 hrs
Ура!
agree Tatiana Neroni (X) : Precisely!
10 hrs
Благодарю!
agree Alexandra Tussing : Great answer
10 hrs
Hey, you are getting too nice :o)
agree Krem Brule
22 hrs
Thank you!
agree Alex_B : You got it!
1 day 8 hrs
Great, thanks!
agree AndrewBM
1 day 17 hrs
Thank you!
agree protolmach
3 days 7 hrs
Спасибо, Илона!
agree Olga Simon : The best of all
6 days
Appreciate it!
Something went wrong...
1 hr

do to death

As far as I understand the meaning of the original expression may be figurative.
Longman's Dictionary of Contemporary English gives - do to death - to kill (fig.) - Ex:That joke has been done to death by been repeated so often.
Otherwise (in the direct meaning) the variant "fight to death" is convenient.
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3 hrs

smite

MultiLex 2.0
English-Russian Electronic Dictionary
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+1
1 day 13 mins

Strike Down

In English, you would more commonly use "Stike down".

Strike down - (cause to die, especially suddenly, to kill by delivering a blow) "He struck down his opponent".

Strike down can mean to cause to die by weapon or disease.
Peer comment(s):
agree Alexandra Tussing : тоже возможно
1 day 13 hrs
Thank You
Something went wrong...
+1
6 days

[EPITAPH]

Here lies Richard...smote for what he wrote...struck dead...for his English head..unstrung for his Yankee tongue...
crushed in the battle...Tanks a lot! ;>)


[R.I.P.]...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-01-17 13:15:55 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And to think I thought that English was the target language! Pardon me while I stoop to translate the Bible into Russian!!!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-01-17 13:20:01 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

And to think I thought that English was the target language! Pardon me while I stoop to translate the Bible into Russian!!!
Reference:

Mourning with tongue in cheek... but not moribund

Peer comment(s):
agree Natalia Bearden : I would probably never equal your mastery of English, but I surely intend to strive for your jovial congeniality (a long-term plan indeed!) ;o)
17 hrs
It was fun! And did you not receive an invitation to my wake? It is also being held in a Huge apartment with Aleksandra..and I am popping for the security deposit and all the drinks!
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