What is the meaning of the expression “to show you where the crayfish are wintering”?
Nothing good can be expected if someone threatens: “Я тебе покажу, где раки зимуют!” (“Ya tebe pokazhu gde raki zimuyut”) or “I'll show you where the crayfish are wintering!” It means that a person wants to punish their opponent or teach them a lesson for something.
First, we need to figure out where these creatures live. And, second, why does this phrase sound so threatening? Crayfish live in freshwater bodies: with the onset of cold weather, they dig holes for themselves. Finding their “houses” hidden under snags is very difficult. It used to be believed that crayfish caught from September to April were especially tasty. They had to be caught in icy water! A dubious pleasure: a luxurious dinner with delicacies on the table for the master and hypothermia and illness for the servant. So, the order to go in search of “where the crayfish are wintering” implied a very severe punishment.
Over time, this expression had a figurative meaning. No one is forced to catch crayfish anymore, but the phrase is still used as a threat.
An English equivalent would be: “To give someone hell.”
