потянуть лямку

• ТЯНУТЬ/ПОТЯНУТЬ ЛЯМКУ coll

[VP; subj: human; usu. impfv]

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⇒ to be occupied for a long period of time with a difficult, unpleasant, monotonous task:

- X тянул лямку{{}}≈ X slaved (toiled) (away);

- X sweated it out;

- X performed (was engaged in) drudgery;

- X was (remained) in harness;

- X drudged;

- [in limited contexts] X sweated.

     ♦ Жерков после своего изгнания из главного штаба не остался в полку, говоря, что он не дурак во фронте лямку тянуть, когда он при штабе, ничего не делая, получит наград больше... (Толстой 4). After his dismissal from head-quarters Zherkov had not remained in the regiment, saying he was not such a fool as to slave at the front when he could get more rewards by doing nothing on the staff... (4b).

     ♦ Максим кончает пехотное училище, будет тянуть армейскую лямку (Рыбаков 2)...Max was finishing infantry school and would sweat it out in the army (2a).

     ♦ ...При изменившихся обстоятельствах мне казалось невыносимым тянуть всё ту же лямку (Гинзбург 2). ...In the changed circumstances, it seemed insufferable to me to have to perform the same drudgery as before (2a).

     ♦ Отец его, боевой генерал 1812 года, полуграмотный, грубый, но не злой русский человек, всю жизнь свою тянул лямку, командовал сперва бригадой, потом дивизией... (Тургенев 2). His father, a general, who had seen active service in 1812, a coarse and uneducated Russian but not ill-natured, had been in harness all his life, commanding a brigade at first and then a division... (2a). His father, a general who had fought in 1812, a halfeducated, coarse, but not ill-natured man, a typical Russian, had drudged all his life, first in command of a brigade, then of a division... (2b).

     ♦ "Нет, пускай послужит он в армии, да потянет лямку, да понюхает пороху, да будет солдат..." (Пушкин 2). "No, let him serve in the army, let him learn to sweat and get used to the smell of gunpowder, let him become a soldier..." (2a).