халява (khalyava)

What it means

1. 1.

   Something for nothing; a freebie. на халяву means 'free of charge, without having earned it', and the phrase carries a distinct national fondness — Russian jokes about халява are affectionate, not disapproving.

2. 2.

   The related халявщик is someone who only ever turns up when something is free, and that word is straightforwardly an insult.

Examples with translations

• На халяву и уксус сладкий.

  When it's free, even vinegar tastes sweet.

  Note: A proverb everyone knows, and the shortest possible summary of the concept.

• Он привык всё получать на халяву.

  He's used to getting everything handed to him.

Where it comes from

Probably from Hebrew חלב chalav 'milk' via the free milk distributed on the Sabbath, though the derivation from халява 'bootleg, the loose top of a boot' — a place to hide things taken without paying — is at least as plausible. Both are disputed.

Other forms

Romanised as:

khalyava