[selimthegrim]

Diagonally?

[yznovyak]

"To read diagonally" is a Russian idiom meaning "to skim-read".

[ilammy]

In Russian "to read diagonally" means "to skim" in English. Like, you don't read left to right, top to bottom, but straight from one corner to the other.

[kergonath]

In French as well, FWIW.

[number6]

French is now in bed with russian? Mont dioaux ;)

[chupasaurus]

In 19th century, almost every Russian either spoke French fluently, was a priest or couldn't read.

[sorokod]

Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” is about 2% French (~40 pages), the language of the Russian aristocracy at the time

[kergonath]

France and Russia have been frenemies for a couple of centuries now :)