Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0023223, Wed, 8 Aug 2012 15:16:54 -0400

Subject
from the archives re nikto b'
Date
Body
After deleting 99/100 of the NAB list messages unread for the last 3 or 4
years (I couldn't keep up) I was staggered to open this one by chance and
find myself mentioned in such flattering terms. Really don't think I
mentioned "nikto - b", which would have meant nothing, not nobody, to me; but I
did write as follows:


Subject:
Re: [NABOKV-L] Botkin or nikto (b?)
Date:
29/10/2006
Can't resist mentioning that the "Nobody" joke has tickled others. William
Hogarth produced a fairly well-known drawing of Nobody. This consisted of
a man furnished only with head, arms and legs.
Good Lord ! SIX YEARS AGO ! Nobody's memory is better than mine --- and
he runs faster, too.
Charles
In a message dated 08/08/2012 16:48:38 GMT Daylight Time, nabokv-l@UTK.EDU
writes:

From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [_NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU_
(mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU) ] on behalf of Carolyn Kunin [_chaiselongue@ATT.NET_
(mailto:chaiselongue@ATT.NET) ] Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 9:44 PM
To: _NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU_ (mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU)
Subject: [NABOKV-L] more from the archives re nikto b'

Found this - have tried to straighten out message from CHW - he was always
an interesting contributor - Charles ... can't recall further, but his
knowledge of things Scandanavian was impressive. V Fet, as always, is clear as
glass, or a bell, or a glass bell, or a bell curve, or ... stop me before
I write a poem or something.



Carolyn

>>>>>CHW also mentioned "nikto b", which the Russian speakers
>>>>>have ruled out. I think. But I'd like to clarify this
>>>>>last detail: if someone asks "Who is Botkin?", is "Nikto
>>>>> b" an absolutely unidiomatic answer?

Yes, it is absolutely unidiomatic combination and has to be ruled out.

If to "Who is Botkin?" one wants to say "nobody", the answer is "Nikto";
full answer is "Botkin is nobody", or "Botkin - nikto" [the verb is omitted].

Russian "b" is just an abbreviated particle "by" (like in "Nikto b[y] ne
podumal", "nobody would have thought") but "nikto b" does not have any
independent meaning.

I brought it up but only as a possible palindrome with first name "Nikto"
= "Nikto Botkin" or "Nikto B." (B also being, naturally, Cyrillic "V" for
Vseslav or Vladimir).

There is also a traditional K/Ch interplay between down-to-earth pair
"Nikto" (nobody)/"Nichto" (nothing), versus more elevated poetic "Nekto"
(someone)/"Nechto" (something).

Victor Fet


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