What does it mean to “poskresti po susekam” ("scrape through ‘suseks’")?

This photo of 'suseks' was taken in Nizhny Novgorod Region.

Insider (CC BY-SA)

In the old days, a ‘susek’ was a container for storing grain or a partitioned off part of the barn where grain or bread was kept. In Russian, there is another word with a similar meaning, ‘zakroma’, formed from the word ‘edge’ (‘kromka’). But, ‘suseks’ were used for "spare" bread, when the ‘zakromas’ were already full, that is, they were a kind of emergency reserve.

The word itself has common roots with the verb ‘sech’, i.e. "to cut off".

Today, the phrase "to scrape through ‘suseks’" means to pick up the last of the stock.

Dear readers,

Our website and social media accounts are under threat of being restricted or banned, due to the current circumstances. So, to keep up with our latest content, simply do the following:

• Subscribe to our Telegram channel
• Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter
• Enable push notifications on our website
• Install a VPN service on your computer and/or phone to have access to our website, even if it is blocked in your country

If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.