Nadsat lexicon

This is a list of the Nadsat words found in the book by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange, along with their meanings in English and their lexical origins. See also English to Nadsat.

The Nadsat slang word is shown with its closest English meaning or meanings. Its Russian origin is shown in Cyrillic, with an approximate transliteration, if pronounced (much) differently to the Nadsat. The translation of the Russian word is also shown if it differs from the English meaning. Words of uncertain origin are marked with a '?', and words which are modified English slang (not of foreign origin) are marked with a '-'.

Nadsat	English	Word origin
A |-			appy polly loggy	apology	-
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" B |-	baboochka	old woman	бабушка, lit. "grandmother"
baddiwad	bad	-
banda	band	банда, "gang"
barry	prison	-
bezoomny	mad, crazy	безумный
biblio	library	библиотека, biblioteka
bitva	battle	битва, "fight"
Bog	God	Бог
bolnoy	sick	больной
bolshy	big, great	большой bolshoy
brat, bratty	brother	брат, brat
bratchny	bastard	брачный (matrimonial), brachny - likely a shortened внебрачный (out-of-wedlock), vnebrachny, even though stripping it of the prefix inverts the meaning
britva	razor	бритва
brooko	belly	брюхо bryukho
brosay, brosat	to throw	бросай (throw! - imperative), brosay, бросать, "to throw"
bugatty	rich	богатый, bogaty.
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" C |-	cal	crap, shit	кал, kal
cancer	cigarette	-
cantora	office	контора, kontora
carman	pocket	карман, karman
chai	tea	чай
charles, charlie	chaplain	a play on Charlie Chaplin
chasha	cup	чашка, chashka
chasso	guard	часовой chasovoy
cheena	woman	женщина, zhenshchina
cheest	to wash	очищать, ochishchat, lit. "to purify"; possibly чистить, chisteet, "to clean"
chelloveck	person, man, fellow	человек, chelovek, lit. "person"
chepooka	nonsense	чепуха, chepukha
choodessny	wonderful	чудесный, chudesny
chumble	to mumble	-
clop	to knock	хлопать, khlopat, lit. "clap"
cluve	beak	клюв, klyuv
collocol	bell	колокол, kolokol
crack	to break up, smash	-
crark	to howl	-
crast	steal, rob, robbery	красть, krast, "to steal"
creech	to shout, scream	крик, krik (a scream); possibly кричать, krichat
cutter	money	-
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" D |-	dama	lady	дама
ded, dedoochka	old man	дед, дедушка, lit. "grandfather"
deng	money	деньги, dengi
devotchka	young woman	девочка, devochka, lit. "little girl"
dobby	good	добрый, dobry
dook	trace, ghost	дух, dukh, lit. "soul"
domy	house	дом, dom
dorogoy	dear, valuable	дорогой
dratsing	fighting	драка, draka, lit., also драться, to fight
drencrom	drug	possibly "Adrenochrome"
droog	friend	друг, friend
dung	to defecate	-
dva	two	два
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" E |-	eegra	game	игра, igra
eemya	name	имя, imya
eggiweg	egg	-
F |-			filly	to play or fool around with	-
firegold	drink	-
fist	to punch	-
flip	wild	?
forella	trout	форель, forel
fuzzy	scratchy
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" G |-	gazetta	newspaper	газета, gazeta
glazz, glazzies	eye, eyes	глаз, glaz
gloopy	stupid	глупый, glupy
golly	unit of money	rhyming slang, "lolly"
goloss	voice	голос, golos
goober	lip	губа, guba
gooly	to walk	гулять, gulyat
gorlo	throat	горло
govoreet	speak	говорить, govorit
grahzny	dirty	грязный, gryazny
grazzy	soiled	possibly грязь, gryaz, lit. "dirt"
gromky	loud	громкий
groody	breast	груди, grudi, lit. "breasts"
gruppa	group	группа
gulliver	head	голова, golova
guttiwuts	guts	-
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" H |-	hen-korm	chickenfeed	from корм, korm, lit. "feed (n)"
horn	to cry out	-
horrorshow	good, well	хорошо, khorosho
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" I |-	in-out in-out	sex, rape	-
interessovat	to interest	интересовать, interesovat
itty	to go	идти, idti, lit. "to go (by foot)"
J |-			jammiwam	jam	-
jeezny	life	жизнь, ''zhizn'
K |-			kartoffel	potatoes	картофель, kartofel which itself is derived from German Kartoffel, "potato"
kashl	cough	кашель, kashel
keeshkas	guts	кишка, kishka, lit. "gut"
kleb	bread	хлеб, khleb
klootch	key	ключ, klyuch
knives	drugs
knopka	button	кнопка
kopat	to 'dig' (appreciate)	копать, lit. "to dig"
korova	cow	корова
koshka, kot	cat, tomcat	кошка, кот
koshtoom	clothing	костюм, kostyum "suit"
krovvy	blood	кровь, krov
kupet	to buy	купить, kupit
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" L |-	lapa	paw	лапа
lewdies	people	люди, lyudi
litso	face	лицо
lomtick	piece, bit	ломтик, lit. "slice"
luna	moon	луна
loveted	caught	ловить, lovit, lit. "to catch"
lubbilubbing	making love	любить, lubit, "to love"
luscious glory	hair	rhyming slang, possibly "upper storey" (edit: or, more likely, a reference to 'crowning glory'
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" M |-	malchick	boy	мальчик
malenky	little, tiny	маленький
maslo	butter	масло
merzky	filthy	мерзкий, lit. "vile"
messel	thought, fancy	мысль, mysl
mesto	place	место
mewler (or: mowler)	to mew	-
millicents	police	from милиционер, militsioner, lit. "a militsiya officer"
minoota	minute	минута, minuta
molodoy	young	молодой
moloko	milk	молоко
moodge	man	муж, muzh, lit. "husband"
morder	snout	морда, morda
mounch	snack	-
mozg	brain	мозг
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" N |-	nachinat	to begin	начинать, nachinat
nadmenny	arrogant	надменный
nadsat	teenage	from -надцать, -nadtsat, '-teen' suffix
nagoy	naked	нагой
nazz	fool	назад, nazad, "backward"
neezhnies	underpants	нижнее, "nizhneye"
nochy	night	ночь, noch'
nogas	feet, legs	нога, noga
nozh	knife	нож
nuking	smelling	нюхать, nyukhat
O |-			oddy knocky	on one's own	одинокий, odinokiy, lit. "lonesome"
odin	one	один
okno	window	окно
oobivat	to kill	убивать, ubivat
ookadeet	to leave	уходить, ukhodit
ooka	ear	ухо, ukho
oomny	brainy	умный, umny, lit. "clever"
oozhassny	terrible	ужасный, uzhastny
oozy	chain	узы, lit. "shackles"
osoosh	to wipe	осушать, osushat, lit. "to dry"
otchkies	eyeglasses	очки, ochki
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" P |-	pan-handle	erection	-
pee and em	father and mother	"pa and ma," "pater and mater"
peet	to drink	пить pit
pishcha	food	пища, pishcha
platch	to cry	плач, plach
platties	clothes	платье, platye
pletcho	shoulder	плечо, plecho
plenny	prisoner	пленный, plenny, lit. "captive"
plesk	splash	плеск
plosh	to splash	onomatopoeia "kerplosh"
plott	body	плоть, plot, lit. "flesh"
podooshka	pillow	подушка, podushka
pol	sex	пол, lit. "gender"
polezny	useful	полезный
polyclef	skeleton key	clef is French for "key"; poly- is Greek, meaning "all encompassing"
pony	to understand	понимать, ponymat, lit. "to understand"
poogly	frightened	испуганный, пугливый, puglivy
pooshka	gun	пушка, pushka
prestoopnik	criminal	преступник, prestupnik
privodeet	to lead somewhere	приводить, privodit
pretty polly	money	rhyming slang, "lolly"
prod	to produce	-
ptitsa	girl	птица, ptitsa, lit. "bird" (common slang in Britain for a young woman)
pyahnitsa	drunk	пьяница, pyanitsa
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" R |-	rabbit	work	работа, rabota
radosty	joy	радости, lit. "joys"
raskazz	story	рассказ, rasskaz, lit. "tale"
rassoodock	mind	рассудок, rassudok
raz	time	раз, lit. "time" as in "one time, two times"
razdraz	annoy	раздражать, razdrazhat'
razrez	to rip, ripping	разрез, razrez, lit. "a cut"
rookers	arms, hands	руки, ruki
rot	mouth	рот
rozz	policeman	rozzer is Cockney slang for "policeman"
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" S |-	sabog	shoe	сапог, sapog, lit. "boot"
sakar	sugar	сахар, sakhar
sammy	generous	Good Samaritan (Bible Story)
scoteena	beast	скотина, skotina, lit. "cattle"
shaika	gang	шайка, shayka
sharp	female	-
sharries	buttocks	шары, shary, "spheres"
shest	barrier	шест
shilarny	concern	Possibly Irish, unknown lit. meaning
shive	slice	Probably from shiv
shiyah	neck	шея, sheya
shlem	helmet	шлем
shlaga	club	German "Schläger", meaning 'club' or 'bat' (lit. 'hitter')
shlapa	hat	шляпа, shlyapa
shoom	noise	шум, shum
shoot	fool	шут, shut, lit. "clown", "jester"
sinny	cinema	-play on English slang of adding '-y' to something in an affectionate way, meaning cute or small
skazat	to say	сказать
skolliwoll	school	-
skorry	quick, quickly	скорый skory
skriking	scratching	-
skvat	to grab	схватить, skhvatit
sladky	sweet	сладкий
sloochat	to happen	случаться, sluchatsya
sloosh, slooshy	to hear, to listen	слушать, slushat
slovo(s)	word(s)	слово, slovo
smeck	laugh	смех, smekh
smot	to look	смотреть, smotret
sneety	dream	сниться, snitsya
snoutie	tobacco	Possibly a form of snuf tobacco
snuff it	committ suicide	From the phrase used to put out a lit candle (to snuff it).
sobirat	to pick up	собирать
sod	to fornicate, fornicator	from sodomy
soomka	old woman	сумка, sumka, lit. "bag", as in the English slang for old woman
soviet	advice, order	совет, soviet, lit. "council"
spat, spatchka	to sleep	спать
splodge, splosh	splash	-
spoogy	terrified	испуганный, ispuganny
Staja	cell, State Jail	possibly from Bulgarian стая staya, lit. "room", or from STAte JAil.
starry	ancient, old	старый, stary
strack	horror	страх, strakh
synthemesc	drug	possibly "synthetic mescaline"
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" T |-	tally	waist	талия, taliya
tashtook	handkerchief	from German Taschentuch, lit. "pocket-cloth"
tass	cup	from French tasse or German Tasse
tick-tocker	heart	from the sound of a heartbeat
timps	drums	from English timpani
tolchock	push, hit	толчок
toofles	slippers	туфли, tufli, lit. "shoes"
tree	three	три, tri
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" V |-	vareet	to cook up	варит, varit
vaysay	washroom	from W.C., "water closet"
veck	(see chelloveck)	-
vehina	wine	вино
vellocet	drug	Probably fabricated; '-cet' is a common ending of painkillers (e.g., percocet, ultracet). Possibly from speed (velocity), which is slang for the drug amphetamine.Possibly suggested by the British motorcycle manufacturers Velocette.
venail	? (used as tolchocking and venailing)	?
veshch	thing	вещь
viddy	see	видеть, videt, lit. "to see"
vino	wine (also used as blood)	вино
voloss	hair	волос, volos
von	smell	вонь, lit. "stench"
vred	to harm or damage	вред, lit. "harm"
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" W |-	warbles	songs	From the English word "warble", that is, to sing. (As in the birds warblers)
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" Y |-	yahma	hole	яма, yama
yahoodies	Jews	from Hebrew yehuda, tribe of Judah
yahzick	tongue	язык, yazyk
yarbles, yarblockos	testicles	яблоко, yabloko, "apple"
yeckate	to drive	ехать, yekhat, lit. "to go (by vehicle)"
bgcolor="#ccccff" colspan="3" style="border-top: double" Z |-	zammechat	remarkable	замечательно, zamechatelno
zasnoot	sleep	заснуть, zasnut, lit. "to fall asleep"
zheena	wife	жена, zhena
zoobies	teeth	зубы, zuby
zvonock	bellpull	звонок, zvonok, lit. "bell"
zvook	sound	звук, zvuk