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Saucepan head

In a lesson of Russian literature at a university in central Russia earlier this year, my teacher, who conducted her lessons in Russian, announced that she was sorry the lesson that day would be of a poor quality, because y menya golova kak kazan which means 'I have a head like a large saucepan', meaning, she explained, that she had a bad headache!

Sent by: Kathrin

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Russia 2011-05-30

It is also possible to say "my head is like a watercan" - "(s pochmelya) Moya golova kak bidon, v kotorom varili chertyam samogon" (I have a hangover and my head feals like a can in which devil's home-brew was made).

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Victor, Russia 2010-01-04


Hmm... never heard "u menya golova kak kazan"... But from my mother I heard "u menya golova kak chugun" which means "my head is like cast iron". Though "chugun" may mean also "a cast-iron kettle", which is close to the initial variant. Though "kazan" should be translated rather as "cauldron, big kettle".

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Margarita, Saint- Petersburg 2009-09-03

Don't worry, in Russia it's normal to hear "y menya golova zvenit", my head is ringing.

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