The avoidance of using the adjective ‘последний‘ stems from pilots and paratroopers, individuals who, in the line of duty, constantly face life-threatening risks. With each flight, there existed a relatively high probability that it could mark their final one. Therefore, they avoided any hint of terminality and used the adjective ‘крайний‘ instead of ‘последний’ (e.g. ‘крайний раз‘ for ‘last time’). The potential lexical inaccuracy did not concern them.
Gradually, this habit was picked up by many anxious people who did not want to tempt fate. Let’s explore why this should not be done in terms of language. The word ‘последний’ means more than just “something marking the end.” Among its various definitions, it also refers to “something that occurred recently, with no subsequent events following yet.” For instance, when we refer to ‘последние новости‘ (=latest news), we imply that more news will follow after the mentioned ones.
This post is not intended to scare or discourage the use of the adjective ‘последний’; quite the opposite. The choice of adjective, however, is up to you. In the next post, we will analyze when the use of the adjective ‘крайний’ is truly justified.
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