голь

rare #36613

nounfeminineinanimateuncountablenoun in -ь

1.
the poor, poor folk, beggars, paupers
Голь на вы́думки хитра́.
The poor are clever at inventing things (necessity is the mother of invention).
Collective noun, used with a singular verb; folksy and somewhat dated.
2.
poverty, destitution, penury
Вокру́г были одна́ голь да нищета́.
All around there was nothing but poverty and want.
3.
(rare) bare patch, bare spot, treeless place
На скло́не холма́ темне́ла голь без еди́ного куста́.
A bare patch without a single bush showed dark on the hillside.

Examples

Голь на вы́думки хитра́.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Голь на выдумки хитра, говорит бабушка.
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Grandma says.
В те годы вся голь собиралась на этом рынке.
In those days, all the poor used to gather at this market.