What does the expression «as lucky as a drowned man» mean?
If a person is literally haunted by bad luck, they may say sadly: He was probably born on Monday. After all, many believe that losers are born on this day. But, they may also add in surprise: Wow, “везет как утопленнику” (“vezyot kak utoplenniku”) or “as lucky as a drowned man”. It makes one wonder: in what sense?
Initially, this phrase sounded like this: "As lucky as a drowned man on Saturday - no need to go to the bathhouse." The fact is that, earlier, the sixth day of the week was considered a bathing day: on Saturday, bathhouses were heated in villages. The owners washed themselves and entertained those who did not have their own steam rooms. The whole day was spent in chores: At the end, the tired owners could even joke that only Saturday drowned men were free from bathhouse chores.
The phrase became popular, but, over time, its second part was "lost". And, now, an "unlucky drowned man" is understood to mean a person who fails in everything. A similar expression in English would be: “Just my/our/their luck!”
