Soldat otrezannyi lomot'.
A soldier is a slice of bread (i.e., lost, cut off).
Soldatu ni v raiu ni v adu miesta niet.
A soldier has no place in heaven or in hell.
There are many sayings referring to the very immoral life of a soldier. A soldier is always wild, pillages everything, steals whatever he can lay hands on, and never pays for what he takes. In fact in all respects he is a most ill-conditioned person.
Na to on i soldat, shtoby buianit'.
That's what he's a soldier for—for debauchery.
Soldat idiëtt selom i smotrit krugom.
A soldier goes through the village and looks round (what he can loot).
U soldata niet karmano'v, a vsio spriachetsia.
A soldier has no pockets, but he can put away anything.
Za soldatom pishi propalo.
If a soldier has taken it, then goodbye!
Soldat tol'ko na moroze da no ognie hrasneiet.
A soldier blushes only at frost or fire.
Soldat blizko, klaniaisia iemu nizko.
Bend low before an approaching soldier.
Soldat shto volk; shto popalo, to i rviot.
A soldier is like a wolf. He tears everything he meets.
Soldat shto bagor. Zatsepil potashchil.
A soldier is like a hook. What he fastens he takes away.
The word "Soldat"—soldier—is often used in contumely. "Soldafon" is a term of foul abuse. "Posoldatski," or "like a soldier" (which is a great compliment in this country), in Russia is an indication of something very low, rude, uneducated, and insulting. "Soldatiet," meaning to adopt soldier's manners, to behave like a soldier, is another term of contempt. Such were the feelings of the people towards the soldier, and such were their thoughts about a soldier's life. What about the feelings of the soldiers themselves?
