fartsovka means in the Soviet Union, the illegal trade of acquiring desirable consumer goods and currency from foreigners. It carries an Arena rating of 1286, earned across 31 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, fartsovka ranks #166 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,443 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,751 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,755 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “fartsovka” is a great word
FARTSOVKA — [Noun] In the Soviet Union, the illegal practice of acquiring desirable consumer goods and currency from foreigners. From Russian фарцовка (farcovka), a jargon term for this specific black-market activity. Unlike the general 'black market' or the British 'spiv' (a petty profiteer), fartsovka was the illicit, systemic shadow of a planned economy. It was the hissed negotiation for Levi’s jeans in a Moscow alley, the covert flip of a Beatles cassette, the furtive acquisition of a nylon jacket—a grey-market sacrament for the soul-starved citizen, a capitalism of whispers in a system built on shouts.
Etymology
From Russian фарцовка (farcovka).
noun
- In the Soviet Union, the illegal trade of acquiring desirable consumer goods and currency from foreigners.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- farfetch 49% match — Anything brought from afar, or brought about with studious care; a deep stratagem. vs fartsovka →
- contrabandism 49% match — trading in contraband goods; smuggling vs fartsovka →
- troak 48% match — To barter or trade, especially outside a government monopoly. vs fartsovka →
- comshaw 47% match — A bribe or gratuity for a service or for arranging a deal; squeeze. vs fartsovka →
- sheftsvo 47% match — In the Soviet Union, a form of patronage where more skilled or advanced workers (such as military troops or a factory) provided assistance and mentoring to the less skilled (such as farmers and construction labourers). vs fartsovka →
- jangmadang 46% match — A kind of local market or black market in North Korea that emerged since the famine in the 1990s. vs fartsovka →
- fartette 46% match — (usually as "old fartette") An elderly woman; especially one who is not aware of the latest trends. vs fartsovka →
- mongering 46% match — Trading or peddling (typically, of a specified commodity). vs fartsovka →