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Uzbekistan flagD.M.
How do you translate the phrase "shambling wreck" into russian or can you explain it in English?

Answers · 2

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The closest I can come with for 'shambling' is "волочить ноги", or something similar. Walking awkwardly or with difficulty. If you think of how a zombie walks in the movies, that's shambling. 'Wreck' here is a noun - развалина. It is an idiom so you can't just translate it literally, I don't know what the actual Russian equivalent would be. The meaning in English however is something or someone that is so bad it is probably beyond help or repair. Very bad, indeed. If you say it about a person, it's fairly insulting. You're saying that person can't look after themselves or is not competent. Less seriously, if someone is falling down drunk you might describe them as a shambling wreck. "I saw John at the party but he was a shambling wreck so he wouldn't remember." If you describe a movie or an album, for instance, as a shambling wreck, you mean it is very confusing and seems to have no purpose or meaning. I hope that helps a bit, it's hard to translate such terms!

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