Not so long ago, the Russian Internet was enriched with a new meme, which literally spilled over to all resources and immediately gave rise to many sequels, even leaked into everyday speech. A funny word has baffled many, in fact, where did this “dratuti” come from, what does it mean, how to apply it and is it appropriate?
New meme
If we talk specifically about the meme itself, then some Internet user posted a photo of plywood, on which a pattern of knots forms something similar to a curious muzzle. Some say it's a dog, others see a devil, but even explanations are not required - the drawing actually looks funny, and the caption "dratuti", which means "hello", causes a he althy good-natured laugh.
For some reason, this word is accompanied by a set of brackets of emoticons with an obligatory zero. This happens when someone recklessly types a message on the keyboard, accidentally hitting the adjacent key with their finger. As usual, the meme immediately received a continuation - a mirror image of the same muzzle, and the signature "good luck". In various combinations, this meme is stillcontinues to be found in social networks, on forums and in diary services, they make avatars from it, use it as a hash tag.
"Dratuti" - what does this word mean from a linguistic point of view?
The Russian language is characterized by colloquial simplification of many words, especially for words of politeness. In this case, the word "hello", the official form of greeting, is almost unrecognizable. It is worth noting that it was distorted long before the advent of the Internet - first in “hello”, then in “drast”, there are many other forms, purely street, up to the perky “shit!”, so there is nothing surprising in the next word form.
The meaning of the word "dratuti" does not differ from the starting configuration, but it is enriched with emotions. If “hello” can be said ironically, and add “in the middle of the night”, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation, then in this case the emotional coloring is rather embarrassed, exaggeratedly obsequious, a little childish. The reasons for this shade are hidden in the past.
Origin
Many bloggers believe they know exactly where the word “dratuti” came from. About ten years ago, the weekly entertainment program Gorodok was broadcast on television, hosted by Ilya Oleinikov and Yuri Stoyanov. A couple of talented comedians acted out funny scenes, sometimes there were several issues united by one character, for example, Modest. Yuri Stoyanov portrayed a shy fat man with a speech impediment, who began with the phrase "Dratuti, my name is Modest." The undoubted talent of a comedian who managed tocreate a memorable and cute image, quickly popularized this colloquial form of greeting, which has existed since the last century.
Thus, "dratuti", which means "hello", quickly went to the people. It is not surprising that someone saw a similar expression of an imaginary muzzle in a drawing on plywood, remembered the unforgettable Modest, and the combination turned out to be so successful that the Internet picked up a new popular meme and began to develop and redo it, signing suitable pictures for them.
