imperial-russia: The Tsesarevich Nicholas … was an open-hearted, sociable young man who enjoy
imperial-russia: The Tsesarevich Nicholas … was an open-hearted, sociable young man who enjoyed the life of his regiment and the company of his cousins and childhood friends, the “potatoes”. They gave themselves this nickname after a game of hare-and-hounds in the palace park at Gatchina. The “hounds” lost the tracks and asked a peasant which way their friends had gone. The answer, “They turned into potatoes” - meaning “they turned into the potato field” - caused endless amusement and gave them their name. (The joke really only works in Russian, which has no definite or indefinite article.) Charlotte Zeepvat: The Camera and the Tsars -- source link
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