#flo-master

Maybe that's what the conversation happened between a Soviet young man who had seen such an unusual kind of shoes for the first time, and a US tourist, was like. Anyway. Soviet people got the plural form of the noun, and "translated" it according to Russian language rules. So кеды (singular is «кед») had appeared. Soviet youngsters had got totally crazy about it, and very soon Soviet shoes manufactures (also manufactures of friendly socialistic People's Republic of China) had started to produce their own rubber-toed sneakers. Everybody was sure that it's called кеды, as a type of shoes. The U.S. Rubber Company was left far away, behind the "Iron Curtain", and no-one could ever claim a copyright.

As for me, first time I heard of that кеды isn't a Russian word just about 2 or 3 years ago :-) I guess most of people born in USSR do the same; and some elder people might never knew it at all.

5. Унитаз [unitaz] — Unitas

In Russia we say «туалет» [tualet] ("a toilet") not for a toilet bowl, but for a whole restroom. For "toilet bowl" we have the common name «унитаз». And the vast majority of Russian people are sure for it to be a native russian word. There is even some pseudolinguistic concept of an acronym from «универсальный таз» ("a multipurpose bowl", allegedly made for one to both pee and poo into it) :-) The truth is that in 1883 a British manufacturer Thomas Twyford presented a new model of toilet called "Unitas" ("unity" in Latin ). One can't say exactly how this word came to Russia and how came it to «унитаз», not «унитас» (maybe consonance with «таз» — "a bowl" actually worked). But the fact is that every Russian today has a copy of Twyford's invention at home, never paying any royalties for using this name.

6. Термос [termos] — Thermos ®

A thermoproof flask, a Dewar vessel... that's how we are NOT saying in Russian. We say «термос». And here is not a single option to replace it with something. Nothing more to tell about it, so I'd better tell a russian joke about it instead :-)

Приходит человек в магазин и видит там термос. Спрашивает продавца: «Что это такое?». Ему отвечают: «Это термос. В нем горячее остается горячим, а холодное холодным». Ему понравилось, и он купил. На следующий день приходит на работу и хвастается: «Смотрите, я купил термос! В нем горячее остается горячим, а холодное холодным!». Коллеги говорят: «Круто, а что у тебя там?» — «Две чашки кофе и мороженое».

One man came to a cookware store and saw a thermos. "What is it?" — he asked. A shop assistant answered: "This is a thermos. It helps to keep hot dishes hot and to keep cool ones cool". The man thought it sound good and bought it. Next day he came to his office bragging: "Look, I've got a thermos, it's a vessel that keeps hot things hot and cool ones cool". "Great! So what do you have in it?" — his colleagues asked. "Two cups of coffee and an ice-cream" — he replied.

7. Фломастер [flomaster] — Flo-Master ®

Every Russian kid since infancy knows that marker pens for drawing (usually coming in multicolour set), so vivid and attractive, are called «фломастеры». But almost nobody — neither a kid, nor an adult — knows that Flo-Master is a registered trademark. For example, I've found it out 2 days ago, when the first part of this review was started :-)

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