Little drunkard, boozer, wino. Derived from the noun алкаш (drunkard/alcoholic) — which itself is a colloquial shortening of the formal medical/social term алкоголик — combined with the diminutive or mildly mocking suffix -ик. In modern everyday Russian, street slang, and casual banter, it is a colloquial noun used to describe someone who frequently drinks alcohol or looks like a typical neighborhood drunkard. The suffix adds a touch of irony, casual dismissal, or even twisted familiarity, making it less clinical and more of a street label (у нашего подъезда опять эти алкарики собрались — “those local winos gathered near our entrance again”).
Да и то… когда жили в районе НВ, я несколько лет подряд каждое лето покупала айву у мужичка на Голубца. На вид алкарик натуральный, но айва у него просто фантастическая.
And even then… when we lived in the NV district, I used to buy quince every summer for several years in a row from a guy on Golubtsa Street. He looked like a real alcoholic, but his quince was simply fantastic.
(Shonya @ Taganrog.su, 06/2012)
