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Zelda: One needn't indulge in wild gyrations. For my part, I generally experience a frisson, then mutter some petition to the gods, alternately thanking them and cursing them for the experience.
Trouble(`) can be intellectual as well as physical.
Pervoi Blin translates as "first pancake." Blini are multiple pancakes, or maybe crepes is better, but that sullies the water by adding a tertiary language to our definition. Basically, any time something goes wrong on a first attempt, everyone thinks/says "pervoi blin."
It is part of a larger idiom,
"No one eats the first pancake"
This is because the pan is too hot, or too cold, or some drunk just totally messed up the batter.
The over-riding idea is that nothing is good on the first try, that anything worth doing takes time and practice. It's a nice mindset to have if one is facing constant trouble and strife.
At least, this is how my Russian friends explained the phrase to me, and how I've used it since, there & in the States.
Of course, why in the world would someone eat a pancake if there is the option of waffles?
Seriously.
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