ни пу́ха ни пера́
ni púxa ni perá
The Russian expression for "break a leg" is ни пу́ха ни пера́ (ni púxa ni perá). Wiktionary also lists ни хвоста ни чешуи (ni xvosta ni češui).
Meaning: expression of best wishes to a performer (intj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ни пу́ха ни пера́ | ni púxa ni perá |
| ни хвоста ни чешуи | ni xvosta ni češui |
ни пу́ха ни пера́ is most commonly used when someone is about to face a difficult task, such as an exam, a job interview or a performance.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ни пу́ха ни пера́ literally translates to "neither fluff nor feather".
Which one should you use?
ни хвоста ни чешуи is a more colloquial or humorous variation that expresses the same sentiment.
How do you pronounce it?
ni púxa ni perá
When do people say it?
The phrase ни пу́ха ни пера́ is used as a superstitious way to wish someone good luck, similar to the English "break a leg", to avoid attracting bad luck by wishing for success directly.
Did you know?
- The standard response to ни пу́ха ни пера́ is к чёрту!, which means 'to the devil!' Wishing the person actual success in return is considered a mistake that might ruin the luck.
- The phrase ни пу́ха ни пера́ originates from old hunting traditions. Hunters believed that spirits would overhear a wish for success and intentionally sabotage the hunt, so they wished for 'no fluff and no feathers' to trick the spirits.
- If you respond to ни пу́ха ни пера́ with a standard 'thank you', you might accidentally 'break' the superstition and invite bad luck.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Anastasia is wishing Sergey luck before his concert.
- Анастасия AnastasiaСергей, ни пу́ха ни пера́!Sergey, ni pukha ni pera!Sergey, break a leg!
- Сергей SergeyК чёрту!K chertu!To the devil!
- Анастасия AnastasiaТы будешь лучшим в этом шоу.Ty budesh luchshim v etom shou.You will be the best in this show.
- Сергей SergeyСпасибо, Анастасия, я постараюсь.Spasibo, Anastasiya, ya postarayus.Thanks, Anastasia, I'll try.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “break a leg” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
