Дорого яичко к христову дню That is most appreciated that is given or offered when needed and not too late ~ I have a good bow, but it is in the castle ^ An umbrella is needed on a rainy day # An egg is dearest at Easter. Ср. Дорога ложка к обеду. - Вы придаёте слишком большое значение моей небольшой услуге. - Нет, уважаемый Василий Назарыч, дорого яичко к христову дню. (Д. Мамин-Сибиряк. Приваловские миллионы) "You attach too much significance to the favour I did you," Bakharev remonstrated. "No, no, I don't. An egg is dearest at Easter, isn't it?" * - Ведь нынче твоё рожденье? Правда? И я мог забыть!.. Поздравляю, поздравляю, - сказал художественный руководитель. - Благодарю, - ответил Пастухов… - Очень обрадован вашим подарком. Большой сюрприз! Дорого яичко… (К. Федин. Костёр) "Why, it's your birthday! Isn't it? And I might have forgotten it. Congratulations, congratulations," said the stage director. "Thank you," replied Pastukhov. "I'm delighted by your present. A great surprise! And it's like an umbrella, you know, on a rainy day!" The Conventional Designations and Signs: 1. Brackets in combination with different letter types in the Russian title units. For instance, Бабушка (Бабка, Старуха) (ещё) надвое сказала (гадала), where the words Бабушка надвое сказала are the saying in its basic form. The words (Бабка, Старуха) given in brackets, are the variants of the basic component Бабушка; the word (гадала) is the variant of the basic component сказала; the word (ещё) is an optional component of the saying. 2. Description (in English) of a proverb's/saying's meaning is given in italics, e.g.: Бабушка (Бабка, Старуха) (ещё) надвое сказала (гадала) Nobody knows whether it is so or not, whether it will happen or not. 3. = is put before an English monoequivalent e.g.: Аппетит приходит во время еды = Appetite (or The appetite) comes with (or in, while) eating. 4. ~ is put before an English analogue, e.g.: Близок (Близко) локоть, да не укусишь ~ There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip; or before an English antonym, e.g.: Скоро сказка сказывается, да не скоро дело делается (Contrast: ~ No sooner said than done). 5. ^ is put before a descriptive translation, in which components of an English proverb/saying or an English set-phrase is used, e.g.: Воду (в ступе) толочь - вода (и) будет ^ Beating the air is just beating the air. (The translation is made by way of using the English set-phrase "to beat the air".) 6. :: is put before such a descriptive translation as does not convey the image of the Russian proverb/saying, e.g.: Чем дальше в лес, тем больше дров:: Complications begin to set in. 7. # is put before such a descriptive translation as conveys, partially or in full, the image of the Russian proverb/saying, e.g.: Чем дальше в лес, тем больше дров # The farther into the forest, the thicker the trees. The deeper into the wood you go, the more timber seems to grow. 8. * (the asterisk) is put before those illustrations of the Russian proverb/saying's use where it has undergone an occasional change and/or participates in a stylistic device, e.g.: * Во-первых, как вам известно, вопреки пословице, брань на вороту виснет… (Ю. Герман. Я отвечаю за всё) Firstly, because mud has a way of sticking, as you probably know… 9. Ср. is a sign of reference informing the reader that the site also contain number of similar Russian proverb/sayings, e.g.: Бабушка надвое сказала Ср. Это еще вилами по воде писано.

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