не ахти какой

• НЕ АХТИ КАКОЙ coll

[AdjP; fixed WO]

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1. Also: НЕ АХТИ coll [modif (when foll. by NP) or subj-compl with copula, var. with какой - nom or instrum (subj: any common noun); var. не ахти is used as subj-compl only]

⇒ not especially good, rather poor:

- not so great (hot);

- not the best (the greatest, the most brilliant etc) (of...);

- not much of a...;

- nothing to rave (to brag, to write home) about.

     ♦ За окном стоял литой монотонный гул. Иссечённое песчаной пылью стекло мерно вибрировало... "Гляди, Коля, что на дворе делается!.. Страсть... Вот заехали, сам не рад будешь..." [Николай] пытался отшутиться... но по всему было видно, что настроение у него тоже не ахти (Максимов 3). From outside there came an unwavering, monotonous howl. The window vibrated rhythmically, lashed by fine sand. ..."Look what's going on outside, Kolya...it's terrifying. ...Look where we've landed ourselves-we shall regret it!" Nikolai tried to make a joke of it, although he was obviously not in the best of humor himself (3a).

     ♦ [Андрей:] ...Вот вы фотограф; профессия, прямо скажем, не ахти какая, - это и был предел ваших мечтаний? (Розов 1). [A.:] ... You are a photographer. It's not exactly the most brilliant profession. Well, is being a photographer the height of your ambition? (la).

     ♦ "Акустика, конечно, не ахти, но ничего, работать можно" (Войнович 4). "Of course the acoustics are nothing to rave about, but it doesn't matter, we'll manage" (4a).

2. [modif; foll. by Adj denoting a positive quality, quantity, or distance]

⇒ not very, not especially:

- not particularly;

- not all that;

- not terribly <too, exactly>.

     ♦ Хотя роль Евдокии, жены Игната Тимофеевича, директорши сельской школы-семилетки, была не ахти какая завидная - очень уж лобовата, ревность, страдания, разговоры поучительные, - но Ляля надеялась всех поразить... (Трифонов 1). Although the role of Yevdokia, Ignat Timofeevich's wife and the principal of the seven-year village elementary school, was not a particularly enviable one - it was terribly overdone, with all sorts of jealousy, sufferings, and didactic conversations-still, Lyalya hoped to impress everyone... (la).