черт таскает

• ЧЕРТ <НЕЛЕГКАЯ> НОСИТ кого; ЧЕРТИ НОСЯТ all highly coll, rude

[VPsubj; often used in questions]

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1. Also: ЧЕРТИ ТАСКАЮТ; ЧЕРТ ТАСКАЕТ both highly coll, rude s.o. is not where he is needed or supposed to be, s.o. is wandering about somewhere and cannot be found: где X-a черт носит? - where the hell (the devil, the dickens, in blazes) is X?; || X-a где-то черт носит ≈ the devil knows where X is; X is off hell (the devil) knows where.

     ♦ [Городничий:] Где вас черт таскает? [Держиморда:] Был по приказанию... (Гоголь 4). [Mayor:] Where the devil have you been? [D. ] I was acting on your orders... (4d).

2. Also: ЛЕШИЙ (БЕС) НОСИТ highly coll, rude [obj: often кого-то, кого]

⇒ s.o. is outside and in the vicinity of the speaker(s) at an unusual and/ or inappropriate time (used to express annoyance, displeasure etc):

- X-a (кого-то) чёрт носит{{}}≈ for some damn reason X (somebody) is hanging around here (there etc);

- why the hell (the devil, the dickens, in blazes) would X (anybody) want to be out at this hour (outside at this hour, out there at this time of night etc)?;

|| кого чёрт носит? ≈ who the hell (the devil etc) could that be (at that hour)?;

- who the hell (the devil etc) is that?