DSK and IMF (Russian Alphabet Soup)

DSK

Disambiguation: this is just a small item about common abbreviations in Russian, not about Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former Managing Director of the IMF.

DSK – DomoStroitelnyi Kombinat – домостроительный комбинат. Common abbreviation for construction companies in Russia and in Russian parlance throughout the former Soviet Union. Though it mostly refers to house (дом) building enterprises, the term also covers undustrial construction. DSK may also refer to road-building companies (дорожно-строительная компания), but that usage is less common.

DSK – DomoStroitelnyi Kooperativ – домостроительный кооператив. A popular form of incorporation for apartment building construction, especially popular in the Soviet period. Often organised and financed on a share basis by future dwellers-owners.

DSK – Dachno-Stroitelnyi Kooperativ – дачно-строительный кооператив. A popular form of incorporation for dacha building companies. Often organised and financed on a share basis by future users-owners of dachas, country cottages ranging in size from garden sheds without modcoms to palatial country houses for the new rich.

Oh, and Strauss-Kahn is Стросс-Кан and IMF is МВФ (международный валютный фонд).

Read a serious comment on the DSK affair on the Russian version of Tetradki here.

But if you can't help cracking up in giggles, try the already running online game (free) DSK, Catch the Chambermaid. (sorry, I can't help giggles too).

DSK face cutout from this photo, made with iWork/Pages programme. Read more on I Work in Pages blog.