In
Russian culture, khalyava / by khalyava (russian: халява, на халяву) is an
untranslatable
Untranslatability is the property of text or speech for which no equivalent can be found when translated into another language. A text that is considered to be untranslatable is considered a ''lacuna'', or lexical gap. The term arises when descr ...
concept, similar to the concepts of "
freebie
A product sample is a sample of a consumer product that is given to the consumer free of cost so that they may try a product before committing to a purchase.
Free samples
A free sample or "freebie" is a portion of food or other product (for examp ...
" and "
getting something for nothing", however with a different
semantic field
In linguistics, a semantic field is a lexical set of words grouped semantically (by meaning) that refers to a specific subject.Howard Jackson, Etienne Zé Amvela, ''Words, Meaning, and Vocabulary'', Continuum, 2000, p14. The term is also used in ...
.
[Mikhail Ivanov, ; 2007, (a compilation of "Survival Russian" columns from the '' Russian Life'' magazine)]
''Khalyava'' is a possibility to get something without particular effort.
[ A distinction is that ''khalyava'' is something free one is not normally entitled to. It may be a result of luck. For comparison, if your friend gives you a ticket inviting you to go to the movies, it is not ''khalyava'', if it is part of your normal relations, but if he gives you a ticket because his wife cannot go, then it is ''khalyava''.][ Another possibility is that one gets something free in a way of dubious morality or legality, but not outright criminal.
The "something" you get is not necessarily something tangible; it may be a ''possibility'' to get something, e.g., to buy a rare book by a lucky occasion, i.e., "by khalyava".][Ильдар Зинуров, Алиса Курамшина, "Достигатор на халяву", 2014, ]
A slightly different meaning for "khalyava" is an easy, low-effort job.[
Both meanings are given in the Sergey Ozhegov's lexicographic dictionary, but absent in Vladimir Dahl's.][Алексей Иванович Жук, , 2011, ]
A person who is good at getting a ''khalyava'' is called ''khalyavnik
Nik is a unisex given name and a short form of most names starting with ''Nik'', derived from Ancient Greek νικη (nike) meaning "victory".
It may refer to:
People:
*Nik Bärtsch (born 1971), Swiss pianist, composer and producer
*Nik Bonitto (b ...
'' or ''khalyavshchik'', which may simply mean "a lucky man". However ''khalyava'' may come at the expense of others. In the first case it may be eating at restaurants at other's expense; in the second meaning this involves a skill to dump the hard part of the job on others. In this case "khalyavshchik" becomes pejorative and reasonably corresponds to "