Signification
A person who can do everything.
Contexte culturel
The 'Dacha' culture is the primary breeding ground for this idiom. Being a 'master' is a point of pride for Russian men, signifying independence from expensive services. Due to shortages of goods and repair services in the USSR, people had to learn to fix everything themselves. This made the 'master na vse ruki' a vital social figure. The character 'Lefty' (Levsha) by Leskov is the literary personification of this idiom—a simple man who can out-perform foreign experts with minimal tools. In the Russian tech scene, 'full-stack' developers are often jokingly or admiringly called 'мастерами на все руки'.
Use it as a 'Thank You'
If someone fixes something for you, saying 'Ты просто на все руки мастер!' is much more meaningful than a simple 'Спасибо'.
Avoid 'Мастерица' in Business
Even if the person is female, 'Мастер' sounds more professional in a modern office or tech environment.
Signification
A person who can do everything.
Use it as a 'Thank You'
If someone fixes something for you, saying 'Ты просто на все руки мастер!' is much more meaningful than a simple 'Спасибо'.
Avoid 'Мастерица' in Business
Even if the person is female, 'Мастер' sounds more professional in a modern office or tech environment.
The 'Dacha' Connection
Mentioning this phrase in the context of a dacha or home repair will make you sound very native.
Word Order
Both 'Мастер на все руки' and 'На все руки мастер' are correct, but the latter is slightly more common in literature and formal speech.
Teste-toi
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the idiom.
Мой дедушка сам починил машину, телевизор и стул. Он настоящий ___ ___ ___ ___.
The fixed idiom is 'мастер на все руки'.
In which situation is it MOST appropriate to use this phrase?
Choose the best context:
The phrase describes someone with a wide variety of practical skills.
Match the Russian phrase with its English equivalent or meaning.
Match the following:
These are the standard equivalents.
What would the second speaker say to compliment the first?
— Я сам сделал этот стол, починил свет и настроил интернет. — Ого! Ты ...
This is the natural way to respond to a list of diverse completed tasks.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Versatility vs. Quality
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesМой дедушка сам починил машину, телевизор и стул. Он настоящий ___ ___ ___ ___.
The fixed idiom is 'мастер на все руки'.
Choose the best context:
The phrase describes someone with a wide variety of practical skills.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are the standard equivalents.
— Я сам сделал этот стол, починил свет и настроил интернет. — Ого! Ты ...
This is the natural way to respond to a list of diverse completed tasks.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsNo, it is almost always a high compliment. Only very specific sarcastic tones can make it negative.
Yes! You can say 'Она — на все руки мастер.' Using 'мастерица' is also possible but sounds a bit more traditional/craft-oriented.
'На все руки' = many different skills. 'Золотые руки' = very high quality of skill.
It's better to use 'Специалист широкого профиля' in a formal CV, but you can use the idiom in an interview to show personality.
Traditionally yes, but nowadays it's used for IT, art, and business too.
It's the Accusative case following the preposition 'на', indicating the 'direction' or 'purpose' of the mastery.
Yes: 'Они — на все руки мастера.'
No, that would be funny but incorrect. It only works with hands!
Yes, it's one of the most common idioms in the Russian language.
Russian doesn't have a perfect single idiom for the negative part. You might say 'Хватается за всё, но ничего не умеет' (Grabs everything but knows nothing).
Yes, it's a great way to encourage a child who is trying different hobbies.
'Мастер на все руки' (swapping the first two words) is the most frequent variation.
Expressions liées
Золотые руки
similarGolden hands
И швец, и жнец, и на дуде игрец
synonymA tailor, a reaper, and a pipe player
Мастер — золотые руки
builds onA master with golden hands
Руки растут из жопы
contrastHands grow out of the butt
Специалист широкого профиля
specialized formBroad-profile specialist
