What does “чёрт возьми” mean in English?
It's an exclamation similar to 'damn it.'
Literally “devil take it”
You'd use it when frustrated or annoyed, much like you'd say 'damn' in English. It's a common expression in Russian and carries a mild level of intensity.
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Related Russian words
чёрт
2/5 · Coarsechyort
It expresses mild frustration, similar to saying 'damn' or 'hell.' The word literally means 'devil' in Russian, which adds a bit of flair to its usage.
едрить колотить
2/5 · Coarseyedrit kolotit
This is a humorous way to express surprise or frustration, akin to saying 'holy shit' in English. It's a softer version of stronger Russian swearing.
дурак
2/5 · Coarsedurak
It means idiot or fool, often used as an insult. It's a straightforward way to call someone stupid.
идиот
2/5 · Coarseidiot
It's a direct insult for someone considered a fool or stupid. While it literally translates to 'idiot', it’s not as harsh as some other insults.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via Viddexa SafeText (MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.