The article deals with words which function in Russian imprecations and have unclear semantics and motivation. These words were recorded by the researches of the Uralic Federal University Toponymic Expedition on the territory of the interfluve between the Volga and the Dvina rivers (eastern districts of Vologda and Kostroma regions) in 2013-2016. Vologda Region: скúма (Скúма тебя неси!) (which means something like: "thank God if I'd get rid of you!"), Vologda Region: сáван (Иди ты к сáвану! Понеси тебя сáван! (both expressions mean, simply put,: "go to hell!") and others), Vologda Region: ýтлина (Ýтлина падú тебе в дом!), which means: "may the devil come to your place!", Kostroma Region: даровáя or недаровáя (Будь ты даровáя! // Будь ты недаровáя!) - both meaning actually the same: one female wishes the other one to fall ill. The semantic and motivational reconstruction carried out by the authors not only lets know the "fate" of several words and idioms, but also helps to understand the ways of creation of Russian imprecations, which nowadays are poorly studied by Russian linguistics.