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All Russia Yoshkar-Ola 'Yoshkin Cat'

'Yoshkin Cat'

A smug-looking cat representing an humorous Russian expletive.

Yoshkar-Ola, Russia

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Fred Cherrygarden
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The smug cat of Yoshkar-Ola.   Alkort
Yoshkar-Ola, the Red City of Mari El.  
The Yoshkin Cat on a snowy winter day.   Надежда Тимофеева
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On a bench in the center of Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of the Mari El Republic, sits a bronze sculpture of a smug-faced cat with a newspaper spread under his butt. This is the Yoshkin Cat, a visual representation of a Russian expletive.

In Russian, yoshkin-kot (literally “Yoshkin cat”) is a humorous phrase uttered in surprise or mild shock, perhaps similar to the “holy cow” in English. One theory suggests that it may refer to Bayun, a magical cat in Russian fairytales, who often assists the witch Baba Yaga.

However, it is not known what yoshkin (or sometimes ezhkin) really means anymore—perhaps a corruption of some earlier word. But one thing is thought to be clear: that it has nothing to do with Yoshkar-Ola, despite the similarity of the sounds.

Still, the Cat of Yoshkar-Ola keeps on smirking smugly, regardless of his relevance.

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Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

September 5, 2023

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'Yoshkin Cat'
24В Leninskiy Prospekt
Yoshkar-Ola, 424000
Russia
56.631236, 47.888555
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