'I wish you had a pimple on your tongue!': What does the Russian phrase mean?

The old expression “Типун тебе на язык” ("Tipun tebe na yazyk" or literally "I wish you had a pimple on your tongue!") can be heard quite often, even today. The ‘Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Language’ defines it as "an unkind wish to someone who says things that should not be said".

To put it simply, "Tipun tebe na yazyk" can be said instead of "You'd better keep silent!"

‘Tipun’ is basically a pimple. If to be accurate, it is "a disease of birds, a cartilaginous growth on the tip of the tongue". By analogy with this, Russians used to call any formations on the human tongue a ‘tipun’.

Most likely, the word ‘tipun’ came from the old folk dialectism "tipat" which mean "to bite, pinch".

The expression is only used in casual speech, considered to be vernacular. It can be heard in a conversation between two old friends (or rather, two gossiping babushkas). And hardly anyone would think of saying it to their boss at work. It was an old Russian way of a “tongue-lashing”.

— Is your husband boozing again?

— No, he isn’t! I wish you had a pimple on your tongue! (simply ‘’Oh, don't say that!’’)

The angry phrase used to be considered terrible profanity. In fact, a person was wishing someone else to have a painful pimple on their tongue! In Old Russia, people were very superstitious. And mentioning ‘tipun’, they acted as if they were sending the “evil power” back to the speaker, as if to protect themselves.

The Dictionary of Russian Proverbs by Vladimir Dahl gives an extended version of this profanity: “Сип тебе в кадык, типун на язык, чирий во весь бок!” (“Sip tebe v kadyk, tipun na yazyk, chiriy vo ves' bok!” or literally "Whine in your Adam’s apple, a ‘tipun’ on your tongue and chirp all over your side!") It sounds like a curse!  

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