Make Your Point: MATRYOSHKA DOLLS

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pronounce MATRYOSHKA:

MAT tree YOSH kuh

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Let's add the phrase matryoshka dolls to our collection of toys. I mean, toy metaphors:

1. Y_-__ing is the act of moving up and down, over and over, in a jerky way, like a toy on a string.

2. A pinwheel, or a wh____g_g, is anything that's always full of motion, or full of activity, like a toy on a stick that spins in the breeze.

3. A p_ñ___ is someone or something that seems to get eagerly attacked a lot, or that seems to be filled with goodies to be grabbed, or both.

4. A c__'s cr__le (two words) is something so complex that it reminds you of a long string that kids loop around their fingers to create complicated shapes.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

In Russian, a nickname meaning "little matron" is Matryoshka. It's a sweet, feminine name, perfect for the kind of dolls pictured below.

(Source)

Matryoshka dolls nest inside each other. See how in the photo, they're spread out? You could tuck the littlest one inside the second-littlest one, and so on and so on.

(In some countries, these are called "babushka dolls," from the Russian word for "grandmother or old woman." But in English, "babushka" most often means "grandmother" or "headscarf tied under the chin;" so, we'll stick to the word "matryoshka" for the dolls.)

When you think of how each little doll nests inside the larger one, you can see how matryoshka dolls are an excellent metaphor for things that seem to contain smaller and smaller versions of themselves.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

"Matryoshka" is a noun. You're most likely to use the plural noun "matryoshka dolls." (And in that case, if you want to get technical, "matryoshka" works like an adjective.)

Other forms:

In English, you're likely to bump into alternate spellings, which are pretty natural whenever we bring foreign terms in from a different alphabet.

You can capitalize this term if you like. But you don't have to. Some writers prefer to, which makes sense because we capitalize "Barbie dolls," "Barbie" and "Matryoshka" each being a girl's proper name in addition to the name of the doll. But in the print examples I've found, writers have used a lowercase, "matryoshka," probably referring to the toys more generally, like we do for common nouns like "baby dolls" and "paper dolls."

how to use it:

When you're pretty sure that your reader will know what you mean, pick the rare, beautiful phrase "matryoshka dolls" to describe things that nest within themselves many times.

I think the clearest way to do this is with a simile: say that such-and-such are like matryoshka dolls, or that they remind you of matryoshka dolls. A metaphor is good, too: say that such-and-such are matryoshka dolls.

Let's list some occasions where you might do this.

If you're on a video chat, and you share the same screen you're currently using, you'll end up in an infinity mirror: a little line of matryoshka selves stretching into infinity:

(Source: original screenshot)

Maybe that's happened to you in a dressing room, too, when the mirrors have bounced your reflection into a line of matryoshka dolls. (That's fun, right? Like you're leading a parade of matryoshka dolls.)

Here's my favorite matryoshka moment, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, when, like matryoshka dolls, the chefs bring Cindy her strawberry:

(Source)

examples:

"I started having dreams about infinitely recursive books hidden inside books, like matryoshka dolls."
— Jez Burrows, Dictionary Stories, 2018

"The bomber had used three pipes of equal length and increasing diameter, fitted one within the other like Russian matryoshka dolls."
— Nancy Gibbs, Mad Genius, 1996

has this page helped you understand "matryoshka dolls"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "matryoshka dolls" without saying "like an onion" or "turtles all the way down."

try it out:

In Sandra Cisneros's short story "Eleven," the young narrator imagines herself as matryoshka dolls:

"When you're eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one... Like some days you might say something stupid, and that's the part of you that’s still ten. Or maybe some days you might need to sit on your mama's lap because you're scared, and that's the part of you that's five... Because the way you grow old is kind of like... my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one."

Talk about what she means: as we grow older, how are we like matryoshka dolls? Try using her metaphor to explain something youthful or regressive you've said or done lately.

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for June is "Happy Stories in Hidden Cities."

I'll give you a sentence from a happy news story, along with a long word that contains all the letters, in order, of the name of the city in which the story takes place. And you give me the city.

Here's an example:

"A puppy was excited to experience his first-ever snowfall on Friday, November 11, after a winter storm swept through the area." FARRAGO.

The answer here is "Fargo," the city where this story takes place. You can spot the name FARGO inside FARRAGO.

Try this one today:

"Nine golden retrievers have been brought in from out-of-state to help first responders cope with the emotional toil of the condo collapse." MAINSTREAMING.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. I can't think of an opposite for the phrase "matryoshka dolls." (Can you? Please share it with me!) Instead, let's consider: in a figurative sense, MATRYOSHKA DOLLS are similar to

A. a WIRE-PULLER, with a hidden controller or puppeteer.
B. a TROJAN HORSE, with a slightly smaller surprise hidden away inside it.
C. a MODUS VIVENDI, with compromises made on both sides of the disagreement.

2. Like matryoshka dolls, academic articles _____.

A. can seem glassy-eyed and devoid of life or movement
B. shed dozens of hairlike citations when you comb through them
C. point you to other articles, which point you to other articles, ad infinitum

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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