To chick out, to chicken out, to funk, to get cold feet, to be scared. Derived from the Dutch maritime loanword drijven (to drift), which entered Russian as дрейфовать (to drift, a ship or ice). Over time, the slang variation дрейфить emerged metaphorically—meaning to lose control, waver, or drift away from a challenge due to fear. In everyday colloquial speech, it means to display cowardice, hesitate out of fear, or back down from a confrontation (не дрейфь, прорвёмся! — “don’t chicken out, we’ll make it through!”).
Так все, напоминание самой себе к учебному году: я живу по фану, не парюсь и не дрейфлю!
Alright, note to self for the school year: I’m here to enjoy life, not to stress out, and I’m not going to be scared off by anything!
(милыч @ x.com, 09/2019)
