Meaning of Russian reversal | Babel Free

Definitions

A type of joke that reverses the subject and object of an ordinary statement, claiming to describe the situation in Soviet Russia.

Examples

“Sounds like a Russian Reversal. "In Soviet Japan, life lives YOU!"”

“Decades ago comics like Yakov Smirnoff used to do “Russian Reversal” jokes: “In America you can always find a party! In Soviet Russia, party always finds you.””

“Smirnoff's popularity has waned since its high point in the 1980s, but the Russian reversal enjoys a vibrant second act as an internet meme, and it has shaped an image of late Soviet life as harsh and impoverished […]”

CEFR level