ни гугу

• НИ ГУГУ coll

[Invar]

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1. [usu. predic with subj: human or collect; usu. used in present or past contexts; because of the absence of a verb in Russian, the tense of the verb in the English equivalent must be determined by the context]

⇒ one keeps silent, does not say anything:

- X ни гугу{{}}≈ [past context] X didn't say <breathe> a word;

- X didn't make <utter, let out> a <one> peep;

- X kept mum;

- there wasn't < s.o. didn't hear> a peep <a sound, a word> from <out of> X.

     ♦ ...Они здесь только покурить: дыма табачного в рот наберут, ни гугу (Ерофеев 3). ...They just went out there for a smoke, took a drag or two of tobacco smoke into their lungs, and never made a peep (3a).

     ♦ ...[Местная газета "Большевистские темпы"] печатала чёрт-те чего, а о пропавшем Учреждении - ни гугу (Войнович 2). ...[The local newspaper Bolshevik Tempos] was printing all sorts of rubbish, but that the Institution had vanished, not one peep (2a).

2. от кого, откуда ни гугу [subj (with не быть)]

⇒ there has been no news, letter, response from some person or organization:

- от X-a ни гугу{{}}≈ there hasn't been a <any> word from X;

- there is no word from X;

- person Y hasn't heard a thing from X.

3. ни гугу (кому о ком-чём) [used as imper]

⇒ do not tell anyone (or a certain person) about sth.:

- X-у (никому) (об Y-e) ни гугу{{}}≈ don't (you mustn't) say (breathe) a word to X (to anyone) (about Y);

- not a word to X (to anyone) (about Y);

- don't (you mustn't) make (utter) a peep (a sound) to X (about Y);

- keep mum (about Y).

     ♦ Говоря строго между нами, только уж ты, профессор, об этом никому ни гугу, - я соврал тебе давеча про наше хорошее положение. Положение у нас хуже некуда (Терц 6). Strictly between ourselves-but you really mustn't breathe a word, Professor - I told you a lie when I said that things were not as bad as they might be. The fact is, they couldn't be worse (6a).

     ♦ У меня гениальная идея, сказал Претендент, и они перешли на шепот. Только никому ни гугу, сказал Претендент (Зиновьев 1). "I've had a marvellous idea," said Claimant, and the rest of the conversation was held in whispers. "Not a word to anyone," said Claimant (1a).