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| Subject | Russian | English |
| proverb | дела как сажа бела | things couldn't be worse (things could be better. used ironically or jocularly as a reply to the question ,,как дела?" ("how are things?")) |
| proverb | дела как сажа бела | things are as all right as soot is white |
| proverb | дела как сажа бела | things are as bad as they can be |
| idiom. | дела как сажа бела | life is so awfully off-course that it can't get any worse (george serebryakov) |
| amer. | дела как сажа бела | things are so bad or so awful, that it couldn't get any worse (Maggie) |
| amer. | как сажа бела | couldn't get any worse (in response to "Как дела?" Maggie) |
| slang | как сажа бела | upside down (Answer for How are things? Mark_y) |
| amer. | как сажа бела | could be better (in response to "Как дела?" Maggie) |
| amer. | как сажа бела | as bad as bad can be (in response to "Как дела?" Maggie) |