Thieves' jargon is ornate and varied. A large number of metaphors, catchphrases and funny words make it an inexhaustible source of youth slang. Expressions are used both in full and truncated versions, appropriately or not, giving rise to new meanings. Many words from thieves' jargon have been replenishing the vocabulary of teenagers for more than one generation. The use of jargon is an opportunity for self-affirmation and an indicator of “coolness” in adolescence.
Let's try to approach this phenomenon without judgment. In this article we will talk about the expression “evening in the house, prisoners . Let's consider its origin, meaning, appropriateness of use and synonymous expressions.
Further wishes
The thieves’ warm greeting is not limited to the phrase “An hour of joy!”, which means “Good afternoon!” When discussing this phrase, it is worth paying attention to its continuation. Many have probably heard and wondered what “an hour of joy, a chifirok of sweetness” means. The second part of the statement seems absurd, because chifir is a highly concentrated tea brew, the taste of which is not at all sweet - it is a bitter and strong drink, which is considered almost the only way for prisoners to get pleasure. But the energy drink helps prisoners feel in good shape.
It’s just that the word “sweetness” in Russian does not always have a direct meaning; it is rather used to denote pleasures of any kind. Also, “chifirok for sweetness” can be used as a response to the warm greeting “evening in the hut.” So we figured out what “an hour of joy” means; you can, of course, use this phrase in everyday life, at least in a humorous form, the choice is still yours.
What is the difference between men and lads?
- Men are ordinary people with ordinary human values inherent in them and, as a rule, with a heightened sense of justice. This may seem a little strange, but even in prison, criminals who have committed theft or murder are very sensitive to such human values as justice, friendship, and family. Usually, convicted “men” end up in prison, having committed a crime precisely because of an attempt to restore justice, when someone betrayed their ideal, offended, and humiliated these values.
- The lads are convicts with antisocial thinking, living solely according to their own concepts. They, of course, cannot be called different, but they are distinguished by radically different life positions, a somewhat primitive psychology, a narrow understanding of good and evil: they consider theft to be the norm, but work is not. Any socially useful activity for thieves is an abnormal, stupid activity. As a rule, this category of convicts is distinguished by its limitations and dependence on the opinions of others. Any arguments that are not based on their concepts are not accepted by them.
Therefore, a person entering prison for the first time will be forced to communicate only in a language they understand and only according to their concepts. There are quite a lot of rules and customs in prison, but, of course, they are not spelled out in official documents and are mandatory for every prisoner, regardless of what social position he occupied while free and what crime he committed.
What should the answer be?
How to respond to the greeting “Evening at the house”? Connoisseurs of prison jargon identify several options:
- “Good for you too, if you’re not joking”;
- “Hello to your home!”;
- “Good luck to you too, tramp”;
- “Chifir for sweetness” - if the inmates are going to drink chifir;
- “I welcome you too”;
- “Good health to you too”;
- “Luck, boys” - if a game of cards is planned;
- “Hello honest lads!”
But prisoners occupying the highest positions may remain silent altogether.
In no case should you respond to such greetings with phrases like “Hello,” “Good evening,” or “Hello, guys.”
According to prison jargon, some of them are considered “suckers,” while others may offend a certain prison caste. As for civilian life, far from prison life, the response in it can be quite ordinary.
Now you know what the full phrase “Evening in the hut” sounds and means. Be careful with your words and don’t get into ridiculous situations.
What does “AUE - evening in the house” mean?
In some cases, the phrase “Fart of the AUE suit” is added to the greeting “Evening in the hut.” It is very difficult for an uninitiated person to understand it, but among prisoners it is quite clear.
To understand the meaning of this phrase, it is necessary to determine the meaning of each word:
- Fart – good luck;
- Suits - since all prisoners are divided into certain castes, it may mean “lads”, “honest fraer”, “lawyer” or “red” and “black” suits (the former cooperate with the prison administration, the latter stand for thieves’ concepts) ;
- AUE - “The Prison Code is One” (a set of rules that most prisoners adhere to). By using this abbreviation, the newcomer demonstrates his agreement to live according to prison laws.
It follows from this that the phrase “Fartu of the AUE suit” is not only a greeting, but also a wish of good luck and luck to the one who sits down to play cards.
A person entering the zone for the first time should not immediately declare his readiness to comply with the prison system, because it is not familiar to him. It’s better to ask the “brothers” to explain what’s what.
Continuations of expressions
The phrase “evening in the hut, prisoners” is a truncated version of the expression. There are a number of phrases that serve as a response to a greeting or as a continuation of a phraseological unit.
Usually the greeting expression “evening at home” is answered with “an hour of joy.” What is “an hour of joy”? The origins of this expression go deep into Russian folklore. “An hour of joy” - this is how people in Rus' were greeted after a long separation and were indeed extremely happy to meet them. “An hour of joy” is often found in prisoners’ letters as a greeting to the reader. The letter ends and is signed according to prison canons with the phrase “all the best to you.” Prisoners approach letter writing with particular detail, with great tenderness and warmth. Most often, they underline their name, and refer to the prison as Our Common Home. The letters are distinguished by their heartfelt revelations to women; they contain romanticism and an abundance of complimentary expressions. Whatever one may say, prison jargon has become firmly established in the spoken language.
Even people who consider themselves intelligent and brought up in the best traditions would be very surprised if they opened a dictionary of prison jargon from the middle of the last century. Many expressions have migrated not only into slang expressions, but are also the printed literary language of our days.
Reasons for borrowing prison slang
People may be guided by various motives when using the vocabulary of the inhabitants of the cells:
- The desire of an insignificant person to elevate himself;
- The need to use words unfamiliar to others to encrypt the message;
- Frequent communication with former criminals;
- High status of the criminal in society;
- The desire to emotionally color the expression (instead of boring obscene language);
- Use as a joke in situations that are not at all suitable for this purpose;
- Sometimes the expression of criminals more accurately conveys the existing reality, but there is no suitable bright phraseology in the literary language;
- Fashion instilled from TV screens or the pages of books.
Be that as it may, even a playful use of the vocabulary of murderers and rapists in everyday life can hardly be regarded as good manners. Especially when you consider that words can be used without understanding their true (often very dirty) meaning.
Some consider jargon to be a real treasure of the Russian language and a storehouse of new meanings. However, one can only hope that such a marginal point of view will not prevail in society.
Slang greetings
If you have already been greeted with the rank of a prison, you can always laugh it off with the following phrase: “Legs go, head comes!” This funny saying is dedicated to wishing good luck in a thief operation. The phrase “on your feet” hints at the desire for lightness in the body and freedom of action, so that the matter can be completed without hindrance, without delays and surveillance by servants of the law. “Parish” in this context will mean either alcoholic intoxication or the place of residence of the gang leader. Often the greeting is also answered with the following wish: “Mother good luck, one hundred aces in the deal.” Obviously, this statement is connected with playing cards, because prisoners are happy to waste their time playing cards.
The appropriateness of using jargon: pros and cons
Jargons are a separate large group of words and stable combinations of our language. The attitude towards their use in speech is not unambiguous. Some people think that this is vulgar and inappropriate. And not by chance. After all, most of the words used by prisoners relate to gambling, women of easy virtue, drinking, drug addiction and other attributes of a lifestyle that is far from the ideal image of a modern person.
On the other hand, it is important to understand that, directly and indirectly, words that pass into colloquial speech from the terminology of the criminal world shape language and culture.
Jargons are not only words used by people who have visited places not so distant, by teenagers or by people with a low level of cultural development. Prison terminology is also the subject of study by linguists, the subject of writing coursework, diploma, master's theses and even doctoral dissertations. These are words characteristic of certain people, born and accepted as the norm in certain situations. In speech, jargon is often used consciously in a humorous and ironic form, helping to defuse the situation or give the speech a certain flavor.
How to say hello in prison when entering a cell?
The very first thing a convict entering a cell for the first time will have to deal with is saying hello to his fellow inmates. It’s best to find out how they greet you in prison before you get there. This is very important, since the further formation of the attitude of your cellmates towards you will depend on how you behave.
Immediately upon entering the cell, the new arrival must say either “salamaleikum” or “common salaam.” Experienced walkers say that about fifteen years ago it was customary to say hello in Russian, but now the greeting looks different. Nowadays this is the customary greeting in all prisons.
The meaning of a handshake in the zone
Saying “hello” or “hello” is not advisable. Also, a newcomer should not greet a new arrival with a handshake. Don't be surprised if no one responds to your outstretched hand. Why don't prisoners shake hands?
Video about greetings in prison
The fact is that in the cell there may be prisoners with a non-traditional orientation, called “roosters”, and, as you know, the attitude towards such people in prison, to put it mildly, is not very good. Especially if they are males. According to the concepts, if you deliberately shook the hand of someone who is usually called gay in the wild, then you run a high risk of being classified as a “rooster.” Of course, if this happens “unknowingly”, then nothing terrible should happen, but, nevertheless, the consequences of such contact are unpredictable.
It is important to remember that in prison it is not customary to shake hands with strangers. When meeting, it is enough to simply say hello verbally.
In the prison understanding, “roosters” are not even considered people, they are treated as subhumans, therefore no one ever touches them with their hands, does not take anything from their hands, does not smoke cigarettes behind them, does not drink or eat from the same dishes. Anyone who breaks this rule also risks becoming “finished.” And if you fall into this caste, you will not be able to get out of it for the rest of your life. Having drunk, for example, “unknowingly” from a mug of “rooster”, the new guy, of course, may not be put down, but a hostile attitude towards him will form immediately.
Also, in prison they do not greet “goats”, that is, those who “snitch” on their cellmates to the administration. If you are caught shaking hands with a goat, you may also be suspected of being involved in snitching.
How to behave in a large or small cell?
Each cell in the prison represents a small world in which its own traditions, ways and laws have been established. Small-space cameras and general ones have some fundamental differences.
- So, once in a “tee” - a cell for three, the newcomer finds himself in the center of attention. It is advisable to greet simply, without any show-offs or frills. There is a certain hierarchy among the prisoners, which, if desired, can be easily determined by a quick glance at the cell. Therefore, immediately after you find yourself in it, you should try to figure out who is who. So, the beds on the first tiers are more comfortable and, therefore, more prestigious. Accordingly, the bunk of the second tier is considered more prestigious than the bunk of the third. In addition, prestige is affected by the distance of the place from the toilet, that is, the bed in the corner diagonally from it should be the most prestigious place. It is in this place, on the lower tier, that the most important person in the cell is located, with whom you must greet.
- Once in a common cell, you need to greet loudly, so that all the inhabitants of the large room can hear you. Next, identify the “thug corner” and move straight towards it. Don’t stomp around, don’t look around, don’t say hello three times to almost everyone, but confidently walk to the designated place in the corner, politely pushing aside those standing in the way. Just like in public transport. In the common huts, the place for prisoners who came to prison for the first time is in the corner. All prisoners are divided into families, and the new ones initially live as a separate family.
Also, you should not address everyone in a row, since a person who is higher in the hierarchical order than you may see in your address an attack or a claim to a higher place. If you turn to a person who is lower in the cell hierarchy than you, then you risk losing your authority in the eyes of your fellow inmates. With questions about how to organize your life, it is best to turn to those lying next to you - just like you, who have recently been imprisoned. It is from these people that you can learn about the presence of “goats” and “roosters” in the cell, with whom you cannot greet.
It should also be taken into account that quite democratic rules have been established in prisons, and it is customary for prisoners to address each other as “you”. Here it is considered completely normal for an eighteen-year-old drug addict to address a fifty-year-old city council member on a first name basis.
When entering a cell for the first time, newcomers, as a rule, do not encounter outright aggression, however, you should not count on warmth from your cellmates. This is considered normal - after all, every prisoner has his own personal trouble and his own sentence.
You shouldn't trust anyone in prison. If someone treats a new person too kindly, then it is better to be wary and politely keep such a “comrade” at a distance. At least until you get to know the person well. Over time, after becoming more familiar with the staff and the prison rules, you will be able to shake hands. But only with those you know well. At first, it is advisable to observe how the “old-timers” treat other prisoners - from their behavior it will be possible to more accurately determine with whom to shake hands and with whom it is better not to. By the way, if you carefully observe the behavior of those around you, another question may arise: why don’t they shake hands with prison staff and police officers in prison? In the language of prisoners it is simply called “zapadlo.”
What tactics of behavior in prison should you choose from the very beginning?
From the very beginning, outline your tactics. In the hut, as in any group, there are human laws: the new guy has to behave in the way his fellow inmates expect of him. Therefore, the attitude towards you in the first hours and days of your stay in prison depends entirely on your behavior. If you behave freely, naturally and kindly from the very beginning, then, most likely, this attitude towards you will continue in the future. If you behave closed, isolated, constantly dwelling in your thoughts, then in the future you will not be “harassed”. If you show yourself to be a cheerful, goofy person, you will take a permanent place as a laugher and joker. You can choose any of the options, but you need to remember that you can’t get rid of the image that you created for yourself.
As experienced “experienced” people say, during the first year prisoners live in prison, constantly remembering their life on the outside, and hope that they will soon be freed. Those under investigation who expect to be released straight from the courtroom are especially dreamy. In the second year, prisoners carefully study prison camp life, taking all its negative aspects to heart. By the third year, a person begins to understand that he is not “sitting” at all, but continues to live, despite the fact that the new life is associated with enormous inconveniences and restrictions. And although this life is shown a lot in films about prison, it is still extremely difficult to prepare for it.
It must be remembered that “deprivation of liberty” is just a phrase from a court verdict. People are born free, and if you remove bars and iron doors from your consciousness, then no court will be able to deprive a person of what he really has.
Unusual greeting
Modern youth have recently been interested in what “an hour of joy” means. This expression has become an almost indispensable attribute at parties. In general, this is a thieves' greeting.
To understand what the phrase “an hour of joy” means, you need to remember its full version “Evening in the hut, an hour of joy, chifirok of sweetness.” This combination of words may seem strange, but if you delve deeper and start looking for the reasons why thieves greet each other as evening falls, then everything falls into place. This phrase implies, firstly, that the whole “mess” begins in the evening. According to the unwritten laws of thieves, after lights out, the “huts communicate” with each other, that is, the relationship between the cameras. At this time, caches with prohibited items are usually opened, phone calls are made, etc. All manipulations take place thanks to a rope connection between the cameras. Everything contributes to convenient communication: the administration is resting, and searches after sunset are a rare occurrence. This explanation helps to understand the first part of the well-known thieves' jargon, but what does “an hour of joy” mean? We can say that this phrase symbolizes a favorable time for carrying out planned actions, a kind of positive greeting among prisoners.
Not the same at all
There are expressions in the jargon of prisoners that contain both evening and hut, but have a completely different meaning. “Good evening to your house” is not a synonym; this is what burglary is called in thieves’ dialect. And “hut” in this meaning is not a cell, but an apartment for the victims. “Good evening” is a sign of triumph over a successful robbery.
“Hut” is a multi-valued concept. This is what they call a cell, an apartment, but there is another meaning. “Burning down the house” does not mean setting fire. This expression is used in the sense of “declassify the stash,” a synonymous series can continue with the expression “hand over deposits and passwords.” A closed hut, not subject to “removal”, that is, robbery, is called “dark” in the language of thieves. There is also the jargon “khata na kukan”. If this phrase is heard in a conversation, then we are talking about an apartment or a den, which is under the vigilant control of “garbage”, that is, guardians of order.
“Good evening, grain grower” is another example of thieves’ jargon. This is the greeting of the robbers. Thieves do not favor robbers, since they are the first to inflict physical injuries on their victims. Thieves act carefully and secretly.
Jargon in cinema, literature and music
Also, with the help of the vocabulary heritage of the prisoners, the necessary atmosphere is recreated in works of cinema, literature and music. The “chanson” genre is quite difficult to imagine without jargon. And he has a large number of fans, is distinguished by hysterical romanticism, emotionality and sincerity.
It is for these characteristics that people love this genre and sing along to the motive and words of songs, the meaning of which is not always clear. It is difficult to imagine cinematic masterpieces without jargon. The most striking and familiar example of use is the film “Gentlemen of Fortune”. The main character of Evgeniy Leonov with the phrase “I’ll gouge out the eyes, tear the jaws” will forever remain in the hearts of people, causing a smile, and not disgust and rejection. The language of the world of thieves helps convey the atmosphere of the 90s in the cult TV series “Brigade”, “Boomer”, the “Brother” trilogy and many other masterpieces of modern cinema beloved by viewers.
