туды-сюды

• (И) ТУДА И СЮДА; ТУДА-СЮДА; ТУДА, СЮДА all coll

[AdvP; Invar]

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1. Also: ТУДА ДА СЮДА coll; ТУДЫ-СЮДЫ substand, regional [adv]

⇒ in one direction and then in the other or another:

- back and forth;

- up and down (some place);

- to and fro;

- this way and that;

- [in limited contexts](dash <run etc>) around <about>.

     ♦ Мансуров-Курильский походил по комнате туда-сюда... (Залыгин 1). ...Mansurov-Kurilsky started pacing up and down the room... (1a).

     ♦ Трещали дрова, таял снег, и чёрные тени солдат туда и сюда сновали по всему занятому, притоптанному в снегу, пространству (Толстой 7). The wood crackled, the snow began to melt, and shadowy figures of soldiers moved to and fro over the occupied space where the snow had been trodden down (7a).

♦ "Ax господи! Да что же это я толкусь туда и сю да, как угорелая..." (Достоевский 3). "Oh, Lord! Why am I dashing around like a madwoman?..." (3b).

2. Also: ТУДЫ-СЮДЫ substand, regional [predic (subj: human) or adv]

⇒ (one looks, searches for s.o. or sth.) in several or many different places:

- X туда-сюда - [in past contexts] X looked here and there;

- [in limited contexts] X searched for s.o. < sth.> everywhere.

     ♦ "Из крепости убёг зарестованный [ungrammat = убежал арестованный] злодей. Туды-сюды искать - нету" (Шолохов 2). "A great villain had escaped from the fortress. The authorities were searching for him everywhere but couldn't find him" (2a).

3. [predic; subj: human]

⇒ (one attempts to achieve, attain etc sth.) using several or many different approaches:

- X и туда и сюда{{}}≈ X (has) tried (acted etc) this way and that <one way and then another>;

- X tried <did> this and that;

- X tried several different tacks.

     ♦ Он наотрез отказался ехать с нами. Я туда, сюда - не смогла уговорить его. He refused outright to go with us. I tried this and that, but I couldn't convince him to change his mind.