concept
Vershok
vershok
also: вершок
A small pre-revolutionary Russian unit of length equal to about 4.4 centimeters (1.75 inches), traditionally paired with the arshin to specify the thickness of timber and similar dimensions.
Reading notes
- The Darling §35 vershoks
A small pre-revolutionary Russian unit of length, about 1.75 inches, traditionally paired with the arshin to give the thickness of timber.
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Townsfolk (Господа обыватели) §33 twelve-arshin logs, five vershoks thick
The vershok, a small pre-revolutionary Russian unit of length equal to about 4.4 centimeters (1.75 inches), traditionally paired with the arshin to specify timber and other dimensions.
- On the River §3 inches
Rendered here as "inches," the original specifies vershki (plural of vershok), the small unit paired with the arshin; the policeman's tender solicitude is reserved for these small fractional units, as though they were delicate children.