Phraseologisms(from Greek phrasis + logos - expression, figure of speech) - these are stable reproducible expressive complexes that have a holistic meaning and perform a single syntactic function. They give speech a special expressiveness, emphasize the national specifics, the originality of the language. Without them, a person's speech is colorless and often does not convey what he feels. But mastering phraseology is a difficult process, and shortcomings are encountered here very often. The formation of a phraseological unit is based on semantic simplification, that is, the limitation of the meanings of a word that has become a component of a phraseological unit that has its own single phraseological meaning. For example, the word eye in the four-volume "Dictionary of the Russian Language" has three meanings: 1) the organ of vision, 2) the ability to see; vision; vision, 3) the evil eye - the mysterious magical power of the gaze, bringing misfortune. Last word meaning eye is idiomatic. In the proverb Too many cooks spoil the broth component without an eye(singular only) is based on the figurative meaning of "care", which arose in oral speech on the basis of the second meaning. Expression cry out all eyes- to cry a lot and for a long time - relies on the first meaning of the word eye. Phraseologism relies on the same meaning Tet-a-tet- alone with someone. Phraseologism, acquiring a single meaning, receives its subject-conceptual orientation, due to which it can become a synonym for the word: Tet-a-tet− alone, beat the buckets− sit back.
The meaning of a phraseological unit, based on the figurative phraseological meanings of its components, is often motivated differently in different languages. So, the adverbial phraseological unit of the Russian language Tet-a-tet has correspondences: it. uner vier Augen (literally: between four eyes), English, face to face (face to face), fr. tete a tete (head to head). Phraseological units do not allow a literal (word by word) translation: they require the search for a phraseological equivalent of another language, since the phraseological meaning is accompanied by an emotional, semantic and stylistic expression; for example phraseology give bream colloquial, and the expression pitch darkness− bookstore.
The degree of semantic simplification of the components of a phraseological unit is different; the older the phraseological unit and the less connected it is with the words of general use, the less motivated the phraseological meaning, the more its internal form is forgotten. The classification of phraseological units is based on the degree of semantic simplification. The most famous classification is V. V. Vinogradov.
1 . Phraseological unions: to sharpen lyas, how to give a drink, on your mind − the main sign of fusion is its semantic indivisibility, the absolute non-derivation of the values of the whole from the components. It is a semantic unit, homogeneous with the word, devoid of internal form. Phraseological fusions are also called idioms. Idioms (phraseological fusions) do not allow word by word (literal) understanding, since one of the components has fallen out of modern word usage; this is also facilitated by a change in shape: laces(instead of balusters− balustrade posts; cf. ital. balustro - column, baluster), joke to say− vm. tell a joke.
2. Phraseological units: lather your neck; to take dirty linen out of the hut; shot sparrow; you never know. Sayings and proverbs adjoin phraseological units, which do not have the form of phrases, but sentences: The work of the master is afraid; Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
A feature of phraseological units is their semantic duplicity: they can be understood literally(to take out dirty linen from the hut) and figuratively - as one semantic unit, with its own phraseological meaning "to disclose something".
3. Phraseological combinations- this kind of stable combinations in which non-free phraseological meanings of words are realized, for example - look away(from someone): I With an effort, he averted his eyes from that beautiful face. However, when management changes, phraseological unity arises look away(to someone) - to deceive: The courtesy and dexterity that he flaunted in front of the buyer who came to his shop were nothing more than a means of "averting" the buyer's eyes, "talking his teeth" and meanwhile foisting rotten, clingy(G. Uspensky).
Composite names and terms. Phraseologisms are expressive means of the language, they are characteristic of oral and book speech, the language of fiction. According to these properties, compound names differ from phraseological units: they do not have an emotional-figurative meaning. Compound names are nominative means of the language, its compound lexemes.
The time comes when schoolchildren begin to study what phraseological units are. Their study has become an integral part of the school curriculum. Knowledge of what phraseological units are and how they are used will be useful not only in the lessons of the Russian language and literature, but also in life. Figurative speech is a sign of at least a well-read person.
What is a phraseological unit?
Phraseologism - with a certain content of words, which in this combination have a different meaning than when these words are used separately. That is, a phraseological unit can be called a stable expression.
Phraseological turns in the Russian language are widely used. The linguist Vinogradov was engaged in the study of phraseological units, to a greater extent thanks to him they began to be widely used. Foreign languages also have phraseological units, only they are called idioms. Linguists are still arguing whether there is a difference between a phraseological unit and an idiom, but they have not yet found an exact answer.
The most popular are colloquial phraseological units. Examples of their use can be found below.
Signs of phraseological units
Phraseologisms have several important features and characteristics:
- Phraseologism is a ready language unit. This means that a person who uses it in his speech or writing retrieves this expression from memory, and does not invent it on the go.
- They have a permanent structure.
- You can always pick up a synonymous word for a phraseological unit (sometimes an antonym).
- Phraseologism is an expression that cannot consist of less than two words.
- Almost all phraseological units are expressive, they encourage the interlocutor or the reader to show vivid emotions.
Functions of phraseological units in Russian
Each phraseological unit has the same main function - to give brightness, liveliness, expressiveness to speech and, of course, to express the author's attitude to something. In order to imagine how much speech becomes brighter when using phraseological units, imagine how a humorist or writer makes fun of someone using phraseological units. The speech becomes more interesting.
Styles of phraseological units
The classification of phraseological units according to style is their very important feature. In total, there are 4 main styles of set expressions: interstyle, bookish, colloquial and colloquial. Each phraseological unit belongs to one of these groups, depending on its meaning.
Colloquial phraseological units are the largest group of expressions. Some believe that interstyle and vernacular phraseological units should be included in the same group as colloquial ones. Then there are only two groups of set expressions: colloquial and bookish.
Differences between book and colloquial phraseological units
Each style of phraseological units differs from each other, and book and colloquial phraseological units demonstrate the most striking difference. Examples: not worth a penny And fool fool. The first stable expression is bookish, because it can be used in any work of art, in a scientific and journalistic article, in an official business conversation, etc. Whereas the expression " fool fool" widely used in conversations, but not in books.
Book phraseological units
Book phraseological units are set expressions that are much more often used in writing than in conversations. They are not characterized by pronounced aggression and negativity. Book phraseological units are widely used in journalism, scientific articles, fiction.
- During it means something that happened a long time ago. The expression is Old Slavonic, often used in literary works.
- pull the gimp- the value of a long process. In the old days, a long metal thread was called a gimp; it was pulled out with tongs from a metal wire. The thread was embroidered on velvet, it was a long and very painstaking work. So, pull the gimp It's a long and extremely boring job.
- Play with fire- to do something extremely dangerous, "to be on the cutting edge."
- Stay with your nose- to be left without something that you really wanted.
- Kazan orphan- this is a phraseological unit about a person who pretends to be a beggar or a patient, while having the goal of gaining a benefit.
- You can't ride a goat- so a long time ago they talked about girls who, on holidays, jesters and buffoons could not cheer in any way.
- Bring to clean water- expose in committing something impartial.
There are a lot of book phraseological units.
Interstyle phraseological turns
Interstyles are sometimes called neutral colloquial, because they are neutral from both a stylistic and an emotional point of view. Neutral colloquial and book phraseological units are confused, because interstyle ones are also not particularly emotionally colored. An important feature of interstyle turns is that they do not express human emotions.
- Not a drop means the complete absence of something.
- Play a role- somehow influence this or that event, become the cause of something.
There are not very many interstyle phraseological turns in the Russian language, but they are used in speech more often than others.
Colloquial phraseological turns
The most popular expressions are colloquial phraseological units. Examples of their use can be very diverse, from expressing emotions to describing a person. Colloquial phraseological units are perhaps the most expressive of all. There are so many of them that it is possible to give examples ad infinitum. Colloquial phraseological units (examples) are listed below. Some of them may sound different, but at the same time have a similar meaning (that is, be synonymous). And other expressions, on the contrary, contain the same word, but are bright antonyms.
Synonymous colloquial phraseological units, examples:
- All without exception, the meaning of generalization: all as one; both old and young; from small to large.
- Very fast: in an instant; did not have time to look back; in a moment; couldn't blink an eye.
- Work diligently and diligently: tirelessly; up to the seventh sweat; roll up your sleeves; in the sweat of your face.
- Proximity value: in two steps; be at your side; hand over.
- Run Fast: headlong; what is strength; at full speed; what is urine; in all shoulder blades; from all legs; only heels sparkle.
- Similarity value: all as one; everything, as in the selection; one to one; well done to young man.
Antonymic colloquial phraseological units, examples:
- The cat cried(few) - Chickens don't peck(a lot of).
- Nothing is visible(dark, hard to see) - At least collect the needles(light, clearly visible).
- Lose your head(bad thinking) - Head on shoulders(reasonable person).
- Like a cat with a dog(warring people) - Do not spill water, Siamese twins; soul to soul(close, very friendly or
- two steps away(near) - For distant lands(far).
- Soar in the clouds(thoughtful, dreaming and unfocused person) - Keep your eyes open, keep your eyes open(attentive person).
- scratch your tongue(talk, gossip) - swallow tongue(to be silent).
- Mind Chamber(clever man) - Without a king in my head, live in someone else's mind(stupid or reckless person).
Phraseologisms examples with explanation:
- american uncle- a person who very unexpectedly helps out of a financially difficult situation.
- Fight like a fish on ice- do unnecessary, useless actions that do not lead to any result.
- Beat the thumbs- idle.
- Throw down the gauntlet- to enter into an argument with someone, to challenge.
no comments
Phraseological units are the national wealth of the language. They enliven speech, make it colorful. Steady turns act as an expressive stylistic means. Without them, it is difficult to imagine a text rich in speech turns. They enliven and fill with images, the texts begin to take on a new life.
In a work of art - the method of characterizing a hero, creating a vivid character, spectacular pictures of reality along with metaphors and.
General concept of phraseological units
Phraseologism is a ready-made stable speech turnover with a single, holistic meaning. Stability is understood as the relative constancy of the lexical (component) composition.
| Phraseologism | The meaning of phraseology |
| keep a stone in one's bosom | hold a grudge against someone |
| how to drink | exactly, definitely |
| bring to a white heat | to a state of intense irritation, anger |
| come to a standstill | be in a stalemate |
| small fry | a person who has no power |
| take the rubbish out of the house | divulge family secrets |
| smoke the sky | live in idleness |
| like uncut dogs | a lot of |
| take the bull by the horns | get down to business with determination |
| dig in dirty laundry | show interest in the details of someone's private life |
| build castles in the air | come up with unrealistic plans |
| cover their tracks | hide something that can serve as evidence |
| take water in your mouth | stubbornly silent |
| unsalted slurping | be deceived in one's expectations |
| no hind legs | 1) to be exhausted, extremely tired; 2) sleep soundly |
| hold the tail with a gun | try to appear cheerful, independent |
Set phrases are studied by phraseology (Greek. phrase- "expression", logos- "teaching"). All constant speech turns of the language are called "phraseology".
In a broad sense, phraseological units are proverbs and sayings, winged expressions - all integral phrases or phrases.
Examples of phraseological units
- And the chest just opened;
- familiar faces;
- the tongue talks, but the head does not know;
- a husband loves a healthy wife, and a brother loves a rich sister;
- shitty situation.
Phraseologism is a kind of linguistic unit. Outwardly, in structure, it is similar to phrases - it consists of two or more word components.
They differ in that the words in it lose their independent lexical meaning.
The meaning of a phraseological unit is not the sum of the meanings of the components, as in a free phrase - green + field = green field, but completely different - brew + porridge = "start a difficult and unpleasant business", sideways + get out = "do not pass without a trace, end badly." The meaning follows from a stable phrase and expresses one concept. It has the same meaning.
Phraseologisms have the property of impenetrability: it is impossible to introduce a new component into their structure. They are characterized by a stable sequence of words.
Other terms for defining phraseological units are idiom (Greek. idioma– “special property”), phraseological unit, phraseme, set phrase, phraseological phrase. In any language, phraseological units are individual, they need to be understood. They are not translated into another language verbatim.
Lexical meaning of phraseological units
Like words, phraseological units serve as names for actions, phenomena, states, objects, signs. Some of them combine expressive coloring with meaning.
Expressiveness is understood as the presence of an evaluative component, informational "redundancy" in contrast to a neutral word: turn tail, talk about lofty matters- ironic from rags to riches, disentangle porridge- disapproving monkey labor, oatmeal forehead- contemptuously alive smoking room, zhdanki eat- playfully.
Phraseologisms sound like free phrases. This phenomenon is defined as homonymy:
- give up during charging and give up in the meaning of "lose the desire to do something";
- cast a line into the lake and cast a line meaning "to hint at something".
Homonymous will be ideoms that have several meanings: close your eyes- to be near the dying in the last minutes of life; hide, keep silent about something; deliberately not to pay attention, not to notice something.
Phraseologisms that are close in meaning are combined into synonymous rows. Examples: "very fast" (run, run away) - one leg here, the other there, with all legs, as if on fire, with all blades.
From stable turns of speech, you can also form pairs that are opposite in meaning (antonyms): a yellow-mouthed chick is a shot sparrow, soul to soul - like a cat with a dog, lose your temper - pull yourself together, bend your line - dance to someone else's tune.
The origin of phraseological units
Steady turns are not created spontaneously during oral communications, written speech. These are ready-made lexical units with a known meaning. Etymology (a branch of linguistics) deals with the study of phraseological units and their origin.
Most of them came into the literary language from folklore: behind seven seals, milk rivers, self-collection tablecloth, good fellow, red maiden. Many turnovers are associated with ancient rites, now forgotten.
Many phraseological units came from the vocabulary: hit the tone, play the first violin- from musicians; game is not worth the candle- from furriers, cut under the walnut, without a hitch- from carpenters. Some phrases are related to history: ice carnage, Monomakh's hat, all over Ivanovo.
There are turns associated with biblical stories, ancient mythology: carry your cross, Babylonian pandemonium, until the second coming,with or on a shield, Augean stables, Trojan horse.
Here are a couple of interesting phraseological units, the meaning of which is related to their origin.
According to the ancient belief of the ancestors, a closed (circular) line, made with coal or a knife, spoken with special words, gained power and protected from evil spirits. The circle was also held in the air.
In Nikolai Gogol's story "Viy" Khoma Brut is saved from a witch by drawing a circle around him and saying a prayer. The Russian warriors drew a circle over their heads with the end of the sword, believing that enemy blows would not touch them, the spoken ones. From the ancient rite, the expression " headlong"- boldly, without fear.
turnover " rub glasses» (to deceive someone) came from the jargon of card cheats and means the real action - rubbing extra points on the so-called powder cards. Using powder - "sticky", the player turned the six into a seven or eight, two into a three. That is, he rubbed the points needed for the desired amount (for example, 21 points).
The expression took root in speech and served as the basis for the formation of nouns eyewash(deception) and eyewash(deceiver).
Phraseological units still appear today: issue on the mountain, new Russians, rich Pinocchio, cherchet la femme, rush hour.
Phraseologism - a means of attracting attention
Phraseological turns are well remembered. Ready and known to the reader, they facilitate perception. The use of antonymic (opposite in meaning) contextual combinations, figurative phrases, ambiguity attracts the attention of the audience.
The problem is that the administration of our enterprise selects and arranges personnel contrary to good traditions, which have long been described in folklore. According to these traditions, it is not recommended to let the goat into the garden, throw the pike into the river, and appoint the fox as the head of the chicken coop.
The use of phraseological units when writing content is appropriate in a conversational style, as well as in an artistic and journalistic style. Here are some methods for transforming phraseological units:
- Literalization. The context of the turnover implies the perception of it in its direct meaning: If the listeners do not laugh, I get upset, withdraw into myself and sit there.
- Permutation or replacement of individual words: Of the two evils, I choose the one that I have not tried before. Learning is light, and ignorance is a pleasant twilight.
- Expansion of the phraseological unit structure: What a pity that you are finally leaving.
- Combining parts of different meanings: All people are brothers, but not all of the mind.
- A complete change in the meaning of the ideoma: There are brave people. I am not a brave man; How could one call the weaker sex, which takes so much strength?
- Inserting a specifying definition: I am his personal king. He is without a king in his head, so I have him instead of a king.
Headings built on the basis of phraseological units arouse the reader's interest. Metaphor has an emotional effect on the audience: Water Don't Come Alone, Push Racing, Freedom on the Left.
The news, presented as a word game with a steady turnover, sounds like a slogan: In the courtyard - a pillar, at the pillar - gop.
Ecology of life: Often, in order to achieve some kind of speech effect, simple words are not enough. Irony, bitterness, love, mockery...
Speech is a way of communication between people. In order to achieve complete mutual understanding, to express one's thoughts more clearly and figuratively, many lexical techniques are used, in particular, phraseological units (phraseological unit, idiom) - stable turns of speech that have an independent meaning and are characteristic of a particular language.
Often, to achieve some kind of speech effect, simple words are not enough. Irony, bitterness, love, mockery, one's own attitude to what is happening - all this can be expressed much more capaciously, more precisely, more emotionally.
We often use phraseological units in everyday speech, sometimes without even noticing - after all, some of them are simple, familiar, and familiar from childhood. Many of the phraseological units came to us from other languages, eras, fairy tales, legends.
"The game is not worth the candle" and other popular expressions
Augean stables
Rake first these Augean stables, and then you will go for a walk.
Meaning. A cluttered, polluted place where everything is in complete disarray.
Origin. He lived in ancient Elis, according to an ancient Greek legend, King Augius, a passionate lover of horses: he kept three thousand horses in his stables. However, the stalls in which the horses were kept had not been cleaned for thirty years, and they were overgrown with manure up to the roof.
Hercules was sent to the service of Avgius, to whom the king instructed to clean the stables, which no one else could do.
Hercules was as cunning as he was powerful. He directed the waters of the river through the gates of the stables, and a stormy stream washed out all the dirt from there in a day.
The Greeks sang this feat along with the other eleven, and the expression "Augean stables" began to apply to everything neglected, polluted to the last limit, and in general to denote a great mess.
Arshin swallow
It stands as if the arshin swallowed.
Meaning. Stay unnaturally straight.
Origin. The Turkish word "arshin", meaning a measure of length of one cubit, has long become Russian. Until the revolution, Russian merchants and artisans constantly used arshins - wooden and metal rulers seventy-one centimeters long. Imagine how a person who swallowed such a ruler should look like, and you will understand why this expression is used in relation to stiff and arrogant people.
henbane overeat
In Pushkin's "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" an old man, indignant
with the shameless greed of his old woman, angrily says to her:
“What are you, woman, overeating with henbane?”
Meaning. Act absurdly, viciously, like crazy.
Origin. In the countryside, in the backyards and dumps, you can find tall bushes with dirty yellowish, purple-veined flowers and an unpleasant smell. This is henbane - a very poisonous plant. Its seeds resemble poppies, but the one who eats them becomes like a madman: he raves, rages, and often dies.
Buridan's donkey
He rushes about, cannot decide on anything, like Buridan's donkey.
Meaning. An extremely indecisive person, hesitating in the choice between equivalent decisions.
Origin. The philosophers of the late Middle Ages put forward a theory according to which the actions of living beings do not depend on their own will, "but solely on external causes. The scientist Buridan (more precisely, Buridan), who lived in France in the 14th century, confirmed this idea with such an example. Let's take a hungry donkey and put on either side of his muzzle, at equal distances, are two identical bundles of hay. The donkey will have no reason to prefer one of them over the other: they are exactly alike. He will not be able to reach out either to the right or to the left, and in the end he will die. with hunger.
Back to our sheep
However, enough about this, let's get back to our sheep.
Meaning. A call to the speaker not to digress from the main topic; a statement that his digression from the topic of conversation is over.
Origin. Let's return to our rams - tracing paper from the French revenons a nos moutons from the farce "Lawyer Pierre Patlin" (c. 1470). With these words, the judge interrupts the rich clothier's speech. Having initiated a case against the shepherd who stole the sheep from him, the clothier, forgetting about his lawsuit, showers reproaches on the shepherd's defender, Patlen's lawyer, who did not pay him for six cubits of cloth.
Versta Kolomna
At such a verst of Kolomna as you, everyone will immediately pay attention.
Meaning. So they call a person of very tall stature, a tall man.
Origin. In the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow, there was a summer residence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The road there was busy, wide and was considered the main one in the state. And when they put up huge milestones, the likes of which have never happened in Russia, the glory of this road increased even more. The savvy people did not fail to take advantage of the novelty and dubbed the lanky man the Kolomna verst. That's what they still say.
lead by the nose
The smartest man, more than once or twice led the enemy by the nose.
Meaning. To deceive, mislead, promise and not fulfill the promise.
Origin. The expression was associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies took bears to the show for a ring threaded through their noses. And they forced them, poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of handouts.
Hair on end
Horror seized him: his eyes popped out, his hair stood on end.
Meaning. So they say when a person is very scared.
Origin. “Stand on end” is to stand at attention, on your fingertips. That is, when a person is frightened, his hair stands on tiptoe on his head.
That's where the dog is buried!
Ah, that's it! Now it is clear where the dog is buried.
Meaning. That's the thing, that's the real reason.
Origin. There is a story: the Austrian warrior Sigismund Altensteig spent all campaigns and battles with his beloved dog. Once, while traveling in the Netherlands, the dog even saved his owner from death. The grateful warrior solemnly buried his four-legged friend and erected a monument on his grave, which stood for more than two centuries - until the beginning of the 19th century.
Later, the dog monument could be found by tourists only with the help of local residents. At that time, the saying "That's where the dog is buried!" Was born, which now has the meaning: "I found what I was looking for", "got to the bottom of the matter."
But there is an older and no less likely source of the proverb that has come down to us. When the Greeks decided to give the Persian king Xerxes a battle at sea, they put old men, women and children on ships in advance and transported them to the island of Salamis.
They say that the dog that belonged to Xanthippus, the father of Pericles, did not want to part with his master, jumped into the sea and swam, following the ship, reached Salamis. Exhausted from fatigue, she immediately died.
According to the historian of antiquity Plutarch, this dog was placed on the seashore with a kinosema - a canine monument, which was shown to the curious for a very long time.
Some German linguists believe that this expression was created by treasure hunters, who, out of fear of the evil spirit that allegedly guarded every treasure, did not dare to directly mention the purpose of their search and conditionally began to talk about a black dog, meaning the trait and the treasure.
Thus, according to this version, the expression "this is where the dog is buried" meant: "this is where the treasure is buried."
Pour in the first number
For such deeds, of course, they should be poured on the first number!
Meaning. Severely punish, scold someone
Origin. Something, but this expression is familiar to you ... And where did it just fall on your unfortunate head! Believe it or not, but... from the old school, where students were flogged every week, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. And if the mentor overdoes it, then such a spanking was enough for a long time, until the first day of the next month.
rub glasses
Do not believe it, they rub glasses on you!
Meaning. To deceive someone by presenting the matter in a distorted, incorrect, but favorable light for the speaker.
Origin. We are not talking about glasses that are used to correct vision. There is another meaning of the word "points": red and black marks on playing cards. Ever since there were cards, there have been dishonest players, cheaters in the world. They, in order to deceive a partner, indulged in all sorts of tricks. By the way, they were able to quietly “rub glasses” - turn a seven into a six or a four into a five, on the go, during the game, gluing a “point” or covering it with a special white powder. It is clear that “rubbing glasses” began to mean “cheating”, hence the special words were born: “fraud”, “fraudster” - a trickster who knows how to embellish his work, pass off bad as very good.
Voice in the wilderness
Wasted labor, you won't convince them, your words are the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
Meaning. Denotes vain persuasion, calls that no one heeds.
Origin. As biblical legends convey, one of the Hebrew prophets called out from the desert to the Israelites to prepare the way for God: to lay roads in the desert, to make the mountains go down, the valleys to be filled, and the curvature and unevenness to straighten. However, the calls of the prophet-hermit remained "a voice crying in the wilderness" - they were not heard. The people did not want to serve their fierce and cruel god.
Goal like a falcon
Who will say a kind word to me? After all, I'm an orphan. Goal like a falcon.
Meaning. Very poor, beggar.
Origin. Many people think that we are talking about a bird. But she is neither poor nor rich. In fact, the “falcon” is an old military wall-beating weapon. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast-iron ingot, mounted on chains. Nothing extra!
Naked truth
This is the state of affairs, the naked truth without embellishment.
Meaning. Truth as it is, no bluff.
Origin. This expression is Latin: Nuda Veritas [nuda veritas]. It is taken from the 24th ode of the Roman poet Horace (65 - 8 BC). Ancient sculptors allegorically depicted the truth (truth) in the form of a naked woman, which was supposed to symbolize the true state of affairs without silence or embellishment.
Woe onion
Do you know how to cook soup, onion woe.
Meaning. Idiot, unlucky person.
Origin. The caustic volatile substances contained in the onion in abundance irritate the eyes, and the hostess, while she crushes the onion for her cooking, sheds tears, although there is not the slightest grief. It is curious that tears caused by the action of irritating substances differ in chemical composition from sincere tears. There is more protein in fake tears (this is not surprising, because such tears are designed to neutralize caustic substances that have entered the eye), so fake tears are slightly cloudy. However, every person knows this fact intuitively: there is no faith in muddy tears. And onion grief is not called grief, but a transitory nuisance. Most often, half-jokingly, half-sorrowful, they turn to a child who has again done something wrong.
Two-faced Janus
She is deceitful, quirky and hypocritical, a real two-faced Janus.
Meaning. Two-faced, hypocritical person
Origin. In Roman mythology, the god of all beginnings. He was depicted with two faces - a young man and an old man - looking in opposite directions. One face is turned to the future, the other to the past.
In the bag
Well, everything, now you can sleep peacefully: it's in the bag.
Meaning. It's all right, everything ended well.
Origin. Sometimes the origin of this expression is explained by the fact that in the days of Ivan the Terrible, some court cases were decided by lot, and the lot was drawn from the judge's hat. However, the word "hat" came to us no earlier than in the days of Boris Godunov, and even then it was applied only to foreign headdresses. It is unlikely that this rare word could get into a folk saying at the same time.
There is another explanation: _, much later, clerks and clerks, sorting out court cases, used their hats to receive bribes.
If only you could help me, - the plaintiff says to the deacu in a caustic poem. A. K. Tolstoy, - I would have poured those, she-she, ten rubles into a hat. Joke? "Rash now," said the deacon, holding up his cap. - Come on!
It is very possible that the question: “Well, how am I doing?” - the clerks often answered with a sly wink: "It's in the bag." This is where the proverb could come from.
Money doesn't smell
He took this money and did not wince, the money does not smell.
Meaning. It is the availability of money that is important, not the source of its origin.
Origin. To urgently replenish the treasury, the Roman emperor Vespasian introduced a tax on public urinals. However, Titus reproached his father for this. Vespasian held the money to his son's nose and asked if it smelled. He answered in the negative. Then the emperor said: “But they are from urine ...” On the basis of this episode, a catchphrase developed.
Keep in a black body
Don't let her sleep in bed
By the light of the morning star
Keep a lazy man in a black body
And don't take the reins off her!
Meaning. to be harsh, to be strict with someone, making you work hard; oppress someone.
Origin. The expression comes from the Turkic expressions associated with horse breeding, meaning - moderately nourish, undernourish (kara kesek - meat without fat). The literal translation of these phrases is "black meat" (kara - black, kesek - meat). From the literal meaning of the expression came "keep in a black body."
Bring to white heat
Vile type, brings me to white heat.
Meaning. To piss off to the limit, to bring to madness.
Origin. When the metal is heated during forging, it glows differently depending on the temperature: first red, then yellow, and finally dazzling white. At higher temperatures, the metal will melt and boil. An expression from the speech of blacksmiths.
smoke rocker
In the tavern, smoke stood like a yoke: songs, dances, screams, fights.
Meaning. Noise, noise, confusion, turmoil.
Origin. In old Rus', the huts were often heated in black: the smoke did not escape through the chimney, but through a special window or door. And the shape of the smoke predicted the weather. There is a column of smoke - it will be clear, dragged - to fog, rain, rocker - to the wind, bad weather, and even a storm.
Egyptian executions
What kind of punishment is this, just Egyptian executions!
Meaning. Calamities that bring torment, heavy punishment
Origin. It goes back to the biblical story about the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. For Pharaoh's refusal to release the Jews from captivity, the Lord subjected Egypt to terrible punishments - ten Egyptian plagues. Blood instead of water. All the water in the Nile, other reservoirs and containers turned into red, but remained transparent to the Jews. Execution by frogs. As Pharaoh was promised: “They will go out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and onto your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneaders. Frogs filled the whole land of Egypt.
Midge invasion. As a third punishment, hordes of midges fell upon Egypt, which attacked the Egyptians, stuck around them, climbed into their eyes, nose, ears.
Dog flies. The country was flooded with dog flies, from which all animals, including domestic ones, began to throw themselves at the Egyptians.
Sea of cattle. All the Egyptians lost their livestock, the attack did not affect only the Jews. Ulcers and boils. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to take a handful of furnace black and throw it up in front of Pharaoh. And the bodies of the Egyptians and animals were covered with their terrible sores and boils. Thunder, lightning and fiery hail. A storm began, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and fiery hail fell on Egypt. Locust invasion. A strong wind blew, and behind the wind hordes of locusts flew into Egypt, devouring all the greenery down to the last blade of grass on the land of Egypt.
Unusual darkness. The darkness that fell on Egypt was thick and dense, you could even touch it; and candles and torches could not dispel the darkness. Only the Jews had light.
Execution of the firstborn. After all the first-born in Egypt (with the exception of the Jews) died in one night, the pharaoh surrendered and allowed the Jews to leave Egypt. Thus began the Exodus.
Iron curtain
We live like behind an iron curtain, no one comes to us, and we don't visit anyone.
Meaning. Barriers, obstacles, complete political isolation of the country.
Origin. At the end of the XVIII century. an iron curtain was lowered onto the theater stage to protect the audience in the event of a fire on it. At that time, open fire was used to illuminate the stage - candles and oil lamps.
This expression acquired political overtones during the First World War. On December 23, 1919, Georges Clemenceau declared in the French Chamber of Deputies: "We want to put an iron curtain around Bolshevism so as not to destroy civilized Europe in the future."
Yellow press
Where did you read all this? Do not trust the yellow press.
Meaning. Base, deceitful, greedy for cheap sensations press.
Origin. In 1895, the New York World began to publish a series of comic strips called "The Yellow Kid" on a regular basis. Its main character, a boy in a toe-length yellow shirt, made funny comments on various events. In early 1896, another newspaper, the New York Morning Journal, poached the creator of the comic book, artist Richard Outcolt. Both publications thrived on the publication of scandalous material. A dispute flared up between competitors over the copyright to the "Yellow Baby". In the spring of 1896, the editor of the New York Press, Erwin Wardman, commenting on this lawsuit, contemptuously called both newspapers "yellow press."
Alive Smoking Room
A. S. Pushkin wrote an epigram to the critic M. Kachenovsky, which began with the words:
"How! Is Kurilka a journalist still alive? It ended with wise advice:
“... How to put out a smelly splinter? How to kill my Smoking room? Give me advice.
- "Yes ... spit on him."
Meaning. An exclamation at the mention of the ongoing activity of someone, his existence, despite difficult conditions.
Origin. There was an old Russian game: a lit splinter was passed from hand to hand, singing: “The Smoking Room is alive, alive, alive, not dead! ..” The one whose splinter went out, began to smoke, smoke, lost.
Gradually, the words “Kurilka is alive” began to be applied to various figures and to various phenomena that, logically, should have disappeared long ago, but, despite everything, continued to exist.
Behind seven seals
Well, of course, because this is a secret for you with seven seals!
Meaning. Something beyond understanding.
Origin. It goes back to the biblical turnover “a book with seven seals” - a symbol of secret knowledge that is inaccessible to the uninitiated until seven seals are removed from it, III from the prophetic New Testament book “Revelations of St. John the Evangelist". “And I saw in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a book written inside and out, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open this book and break its seals?” And no one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth, could open this book and look into it. The Lamb, who “was slain and redeemed us to God with his blood, opened the seals from the book. After the removal of six seals, the seal of God was placed on the inhabitants of Israel, according to which they were accepted as true followers of the Lord. After the opening of the seventh seal, the Lamb told John to eat the book: "... it will be bitter in your womb, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey" in order to tell about the future renewal of the whole world and dispel the fears of believers about the future of Christianity, on which Jews, Gentiles and false teachers are on all sides.
Nick down
And cut it on your nose: you will not be able to deceive me!
Meaning. Remember firmly, firmly, once and for all.
Origin. The word "nose" here does not mean the organ of smell. Oddly enough, it means "commemorative plaque", "record tag". In ancient times, illiterate people carried such sticks and tablets with them everywhere and made all kinds of notes and notches on them. These tags were called noses.
Truth in wine
And next to the neighboring tables Sleepy lackeys stick out,
And drunkards with rabbit eyes shout "In vino Veritas".
Meaning. If you want to know exactly what a person thinks, treat him to wine.
Origin. This is the famous Latin expression: In vino Veritas (in wine veritas). It is taken from the work "Natural History" by the Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). where it is used in the sense: what is on the sober mind, then the drunk on the tongue.
It is not worth it
You shouldn't do it. The game is clearly not worth the candle.
Meaning. The effort you put in is not worth it.
Origin. The phraseological expression is based on a card term, which means that the stakes in the game are so insignificant that even the winnings will be less than the funds spent on candles to illuminate the card table.
To the hat analysis
Well, brother, you came late, to the most hat analysis!
Meaning. Be late, show up when it's all over.
Origin. The saying arose in those days when in our frosty country people, coming to church in warm clothes and knowing that it was impossible to go inside in a hat, folded their three-pieces and caps at the very entrance. At the end of the church service, leaving, everyone took them apart. “To the hat analysis” came only those who were clearly in no hurry to go to church.
Like chickens in cabbage soup (get in)
And he got with this case, like chickens in cabbage soup.
Meaning. Bad luck, unexpected misfortune.
Origin. A very common saying that we repeat all the time, sometimes having no idea about its true meaning. Let's start with the word chicken. This word in old Russian means "rooster". And there was no “schey” in this proverb before, and it was pronounced correctly: “I got into a pluck like chickens,” that is, I was plucked, “bad luck.” The word "pluck" was forgotten, and then people willy-nilly changed the expression "pluck" into cabbage soup. When she was born is not entirely clear: some think that even under Dimitry the Pretender, when “to pluck”; hit the Polish conquerors; others - that in the Patriotic War of 1812, when the Russian people forced Napoleon's hordes to flee.
King for a day
I would not trust their generous promises, which they hand out right and left: caliphs for an hour.
Meaning. About a man who happened to be endowed with power for a short time.
Origin. In the Arabic tale “A dream, or Caliph for an hour” (collection “A Thousand and One Nights”), it is told how the young Baghdadian Abu-Shssan, not knowing that Caliph Grun-al-Rashid is in front of him, shares with him his cherished dream - at least for a day to become caliph. Wanting to have some fun, Haroun al-Rashid puts sleeping pills in Abu-Ghassan's wine, orders the servants to take the young man to the palace and treat him like a caliph.
The joke succeeds. Waking up, Abu-1kssan believes that he is a caliph, enjoys luxury and begins to give orders. In the evening, he again drinks wine with sleeping pills and wakes up already at home.
Scapegoat
I fear you will forever be their scapegoat.
Meaning. The defendant for someone else's guilt, for the mistakes of others, because the true culprit cannot be found or wants to evade responsibility.
Origin. The turnover goes back to the text of the Bible, to the description of the Hebrew rite of laying the sins of the people (community) on a live goat. Such a rite was performed in case of desecration by the Jews of the sanctuary where the ark of revelation was located. In atonement for sins, a ram was burned and one goat was slaughtered "as a sin offering." All the sins and iniquities of the Jewish people were transferred to the second goat: the clergyman laid his hands on him as a sign that all the sins of the community were transferred to him, after which the goat was expelled into the wilderness. All those present at the ceremony were considered cleansed.
Lazarus sing
Stop singing Lazarus, stop being ashamed.
Meaning. Begging, whining, exaggeratedly complaining about fate, trying to arouse the sympathy of others.
Origin. In tsarist Russia, crowds of beggars, cripples, blind men with guides gathered everywhere in crowded places, begging, with all sorts of miserable lamentations, alms from passers-by. At the same time, the blind especially often sang the song “About the Rich and Lazarus”, composed according to one gospel story. Lazarus was poor, but his brother was rich. Lazarus ate the remnants of the rich man's food along with the dogs, but after death he went to heaven, while the rich man ended up in hell. This song was supposed to frighten and conscience those from whom the beggars begged for money. Since not all beggars were actually so unfortunate, their plaintive moans were often feigned.
Climb on the rampage
He promised to be careful, but he deliberately climbs on the rampage!
Meaning. Do something risky, run into trouble, do something dangerous, doomed to failure in advance.
Origin. Rozhon - a pointed stake that was used when hunting a bear. Hunting with a goad, the daredevils put this sharp stake in front of them. The enraged beast climbed on the rampage and died.
Disservice
The incessant praise from your lips is a real disservice.
Meaning. Unsolicited help, a service that does more harm than good.
Origin. The primary source is the fable of I. A. Krylov “The Hermit and the Bear”. It tells how the Bear, wanting to help his friend the Hermit to swat a fly that sat on his forehead, killed the Hermit himself along with it. But this expression is not in the fable: it took shape and entered folklore later.
Cast pearls before swine
In a letter to A. A. Bestuzhev (end of January 1825), A. S. Pushkin writes:
“The first sign of a smart person is to know at a glance who you are dealing with,
and not throw pearls in front of the Repetilovs and the like.
Meaning. Wasting words talking to people who can't understand you.
Origin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ says: “Do not give anything holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample it under their feet and, turning, tear you to pieces” (Gospel of Matthew, 7: b). In the Church Slavonic translation, the word "pearl" sounds like "beads". It was in this version that this biblical expression entered the Russian language.
You can't ride a goat
He looks down on everyone, you can’t drive up to him even on a crooked goat.
Meaning. He is completely unapproachable, it is not clear how to address him.
Origin. Amusing their high patrons, using both the harp and bells for their fun, dressing up in goat and bear skins, in the plumage of a crane, these “spies” sometimes knew how to do good deeds.
It is possible that their repertoire included riding goats or pigs. Obviously, it was the buffoons who sometimes met with such a bad mood of a high-ranking person that "even a goat did not act on him."
unlucky person
Nothing went right with him, and in general he was a good-for-nothing person.
Meaning. Frivolous, careless, dissolute.
Origin. In the old days in Rus', not only the road was called the way, but also various positions at the prince's court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the trapping path is dog hunting, the equestrian path is carriages and horses. The boyars, by hook or by crook, tried to get a way from the prince - a position. And to those who did not succeed, they spoke of those with disdain: an unlucky person.
Shelving
Now put it aside in a long box, and then completely forget.
Meaning. Give the case a long delay, delay its decision for a long time.
Origin. Perhaps this expression originated in Muscovite Rus', three hundred years ago. Tsar Alexei, father of Peter I, ordered in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace to install a long box where anyone could put their complaint. Complaints fell, but it was very difficult to wait for a decision: months and years passed. The people renamed this "long" box to "long".
It is possible that the expression, if not born, was fixed in speech later, in “presences” - institutions of the 19th century. The then officials, accepting various petitions, complaints and petitions, undoubtedly sorted them, laying them out in different boxes. "Long" could be called the one where the most unhurried things were put off. It is clear that the applicants were afraid of such a box.
Retired goat drummer
I am now out of office - a retired goat drummer.
Meaning. No one needs, no one respected person.
Origin. In the old days, trained bears were taken to fairs. They were accompanied by a dancer boy dressed up as a goat, and a drummer accompanying his dance. This was the "goat drummer". He was perceived as a worthless, frivolous person. And if the goat is also “retired”?
Bring under the monastery
What have you done, what am I to do now, led me to the monastery, and nothing more.
Meaning. Put in a difficult, unpleasant situation, bring under punishment.
Origin. There are several versions of the origin of the turnover. Perhaps the turnover arose because people who had big troubles in life usually left for the monastery. According to another version, the expression is connected with the fact that Russian guides brought enemies under the walls of monasteries, which during the war turned into fortresses (bring a blind man under a monastery). Some believe that the expression is associated with the hard life of women in Tsarist Russia. Only strong relatives could save a woman from her husband's beatings, having achieved protection from the patriarch and the authorities. In this case, the wife "brought her husband to the monastery" - he was exiled to the monastery "in humility" for six months or a year.
put a pig
Well, he has a vile character: he planted a pig and is satisfied!
Meaning. Secretly set up some filth, play a dirty trick.
Origin. In all likelihood, this expression is due to the fact that some peoples do not eat pork for religious reasons. And if such a person was imperceptibly put pork meat in his food, then his faith was defiled by this.
Get into a bind
The small one got into such a bind that even the guards shout.
Meaning. Get into a difficult, dangerous or unpleasant situation.
Origin. In dialects, BINDING is a fish trap woven from branches. And, as in any trap, being in it is an unpleasant business.
Professor of sour cabbage soup
He is always teaching everyone. Me too, professor of sour cabbage soup!
Meaning. Unlucky, bad master.
Origin. Sour cabbage soup is a simple peasant food: some water and sauerkraut. It wasn't hard to prepare them. And if someone was called a master of sour cabbage soup, it meant that he was not good for anything worthwhile.
Beluga roar
For three days in a row she roared like a beluga.
Meaning. Shout or cry loudly.
Origin. "Mute like a fish" - this has been known for a long time. And suddenly "roar beluga"? It turns out that we are not talking about a beluga here, but about a beluga whale, as the polar dolphin is called. He really roars very loudly.
Breed antimony
All conversation is over. I have no time to raise antimony here with you.
Meaning. Chatting, empty talk. Observe unnecessary ceremonies in a relationship.
Origin. From the Latin name of antimony (antimonium), which was used as a medicinal and cosmetic agent, after grinding it and then dissolving it. Antimony is poorly soluble, so the process was very long and laborious. And while it was dissolving, the pharmacists had endless conversations.
The side of the bake
Why would I go to them? Nobody called me. It's called came - on the side of the bake!
Meaning. Everything accidental, extraneous, adhering to something from the outside; superfluous, unnecessary
Origin. This expression is often distorted by pronouncing "side-baked". In fact, it could also be conveyed by the words: “side baking”. Baking, or baking, bakers have burnt pieces of dough that stick to the outside of bread products, that is, something unnecessary, superfluous.
Orphan Kazan
Why are you standing, rooted to the threshold, like an orphan from Kazan.
Meaning. So they say about a person who pretends to be unhappy, offended, helpless in order to pity someone.
Origin. This phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. Mirzas (Tatar princes), being subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg him for all sorts of indulgences, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.
Grated roll
As a grated kalach, I can give you good advice.
Meaning. This is the name of an experienced person who is difficult to deceive.
Origin. There used to be such a kind of bread - “grated kalach”. The dough for it was kneaded, kneaded, “rubbed” for a very long time, which made the kalach unusually lush. And there was also a proverb - "do not grate, do not mint, there will be no kalach." That is, a person is taught by trials and tribulations. The expression came from a proverb, and not from the name of bread.
Pip on your tongue
What are you saying, pip on your tongue!
Meaning. An expression of dissatisfaction with what was said, an unkind wish to someone who says something that is not what should be said.
Origin. It is clear that this is a wish, and not a very friendly one at that. But what is its meaning? A pip is a small, horny bump on the tip of a bird's tongue that helps them peck at food. The growth of such a tubercle can be a sign of illness. Hard pimples on the tongue of a person are called pips by analogy with these bird tubercles. According to superstitious ideas, the pip usually appears in deceitful people. Hence the unkind wish, designed to punish liars and deceivers. From these observations and superstitions, the incantation formula was born: “Pip on your tongue!” Its main meaning was: "You are a liar: let a pip appear on your tongue!" Now the meaning of this spell has changed somewhat. "Pip on your tongue!" - an ironic wish to someone who expressed an unkind thought, predicted an unpleasant one.
Sharpen laces
Why are you sitting idle and whetting your hair?
Meaning. To idle talk, engage in useless chatter, gossip.
Origin. Lasy (balusters) are chiseled curly posts of railings at the porch; only a real master could make such beauty. Probably, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant having an elegant, bizarre, ornate (like balusters) conversation. And the craftsmen to conduct such a conversation by our time became less and less. So this expression began to denote empty chatter. Another version raises the expression to the meaning of the Russian word balyas - stories, Ukrainian balyas - noise, which go directly to the common Slavic "tell".
pull the gimp
Now they are gone, he will pull the rigmarole until we ourselves give up this idea.
Meaning. To procrastinate, to drag out any business, to speak monotonously and tediously.
Origin. Gimp - the thinnest gold, silver or copper thread, which was used to embroider galloons, aiguillettes and other decorations of officer uniforms, as well as chasubles of priests and simply rich costumes. It was made in a handicraft way, heating the metal and carefully pulling out a thin wire with tongs. This process was extremely long, slow and painstaking, so that over time the expression "pull the gimp" began to refer to any protracted and monotonous business or conversation.
Hit the face in the dirt
You don’t let me down, don’t lose face in front of the guests.
Meaning. Embarrass, shame.
Origin. To hit the dirt with the face originally meant "to fall on the dirty ground." Such a fall was considered by the people to be especially shameful in fisticuffs - competitions of wrestlers, when a weak opponent was knocked over prone to the ground.
In the middle of nowhere
What, go to him? Yes, this is in the middle of nowhere.
Meaning. Very far, somewhere in the wilderness.
Origin. Kulichiki is a distorted Finnish word "kuligi", "kulizhki", which has long been included in Russian speech. So in the north were called forest clearings, meadows, swamps. Here, in the wooded part of the country, the settlers of the distant past were always cutting down “kulizhki” in the forest - areas for plowing and mowing. In old letters, the following formula is constantly found: "And all that land, as long as the ax walked and the scythe walked." The farmer often had to go to his field in the wilderness, to the farthest "sandbags", developed worse than the neighbors, where, according to the then ideas, goblin, and devils, and all kinds of forest evil spirits were found in swamps and windbreaks. So ordinary words got their second, figurative meaning: very far, at the end of the world.
fig leaf
She is a terrible pretender and lazy, hiding behind her imaginary illness,
like a fig leaf.
Meaning. A plausible cover for unseemly deeds.
Origin. The expression goes back to the Old Testament myth about Adam and Eve, who, after the fall, knew shame and girded themselves with fig tree (fig tree) leaves: “And their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves belts » (Genesis, 3:7). From the 16th to the end of the 18th century, European artists and sculptors had to cover the most revealing parts of the human body with a fig leaf in their works. This convention was a concession to the Christian church, which considered the depiction of naked flesh sinful and obscene.
Filkin's letter
What kind of filkin's letter is this, can't you really state your thoughts?
Meaning. Ignorant, illiterate document.
Origin. The author of the expression was Ivan the Terrible. To strengthen his power, which was impossible without weakening the princes, boyars and clergy, Ivan the Terrible introduced the oprichnina, which terrified everyone.
Metropolitan Philip could not come to terms with the revelry of the guardsmen. In his numerous letters to the tsar - letters - he sought to convince Grozny to abandon his policy of terror, to dissolve the oprichnina. The disobedient Metropolitan Tsyuzny contemptuously called Filka, and his letters - Filkin's letters.
For the bold denunciations of Grozny and his guardsmen, Metropolitan Philip was imprisoned in the Tver Monastery, where Malyuta Skuratov strangled him.
Grab the stars from the sky
He is a man not without abilities, but there are not enough stars from heaven.
Meaning. Do not differ in talents and outstanding abilities.
Origin. Phraseological expression, apparently associated by association with the award stars of the military and officials as insignia.
Enough kondrashka
He was a heroic health, and suddenly kondrashka was enough.
Meaning. Someone suddenly died, was suddenly paralyzed.
Origin. According to the assumption of the historian S. M. Solovyov, the expression is associated with the name of the leader of the Bulavinsky uprising on the Don in 1707, ataman Kondraty Afanasyevich Bulavin (Kondrashka), who exterminated the entire royal detachment led by the voivode Prince Dolgoruky with a sudden raid.
Apple of discord
This trip is a real bone of contention, can't you give in, let him go.
Meaning. That which gives rise to conflict, serious contradictions.
Origin. Peleus and Thetis, the parents of Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War, forgot to invite the goddess of discord, Eris, to their wedding. Eris was very offended and secretly threw a golden apple on the table, at which the gods and mortals were feasting; on it was written: "To the most beautiful." A dispute arose between the three goddesses: the wife of Zeus Hera, Athena - the maiden, the goddess of wisdom, and the beautiful goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite.
The young man Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, was chosen as a judge between them. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite who bribed him; For this, Aphrodite forced the wife of King Menelaus, the beautiful Helen, to fall in love with the young man. Leaving her husband, Elena went to Troy, and in order to avenge such an insult, the Greeks began a long-term war with the Trojans. As you can see, the apple of Eris actually led to discord.
Pandora's Box
Well, now hold on, Pandora's box has opened.
Meaning. All that can serve as a source of disaster if not careful.
Origin. When the great titan Prometheus stole the fire of the gods from Olympus and gave people the fire of the gods, Zeus terribly punished the daredevil, but it was too late. Possessing the divine flame, people ceased to obey the celestials, learned various sciences, and got out of their miserable state. A little more - and they would have won complete happiness for themselves.
Then Zeus decided to send punishment on them. The blacksmith god Hephaestus fashioned the beautiful woman Pandora from earth and water. The rest of the gods gave her: who is cunning, who is courage, who is extraordinary beauty. Then, handing her a mysterious box, Zeus sent her to earth, forbidding her to open the box. Curious Pandora, barely having come into the world, slightly opened the lid. Immediately all human disasters flew out from there and scattered throughout the universe. Pandora, in fear, tried to close the lid again, but in the box of all misfortunes, only a deceptive hope remained. published . If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to specialists and readers of our project .
Russian is one of the most beautiful and richest languages in the world. Over the long history of its formation, it has undergone many transformations, changes and has been saturated with various vocabulary that help to make the conversation more clear and understandable, or figurative and tortuous, and sentences elegant.
In contact with
One of these vocabulary phrases in the sentences of the Russian language is rightfully considered to be considered in the article. These are proverbs and sayings carefully collected over the centuries by our ancestors. They make the dialogue between people richer, more beautiful, similar to the literary language.
It is insanely interesting to find the meanings of certain types of phraseological units. You can spend your whole life studying this direction in Russian. Let's try to answer such a question, how and when it is appropriate to use phraseological units in a conversation.
What is phraseology
Phraseologism is a stable phrase, which in most cases has its own meaning in a sentence only in the established, generally accepted form, and nothing more. For example, “run away, sparkling with your heels”, you cannot pronounce it like, “run away with sparkling heels” or say “cherish like the pupil of the eye”, instead of “cherish like the apple of the eye”.
But there are exceptions, when changing the order of words in some types of phraseological units is often considered normal. That is, a number of phrases do not change their meaning when the words are rearranged. Thus, “beat the buckets” and “beat the buckets” or “carry water in a sieve” and “carry water in a sieve” are phraseological units that do not change due to rearrangement of words in them.
The history of the birth of proverbs
Many words of the Russian language are outdated and have lost their true meaning, but they are still present in stable expressions.
Consider an example like "Nick down"(remember something very well). If you think about the meaning of this phrase, it seems quite cruel, but in fact the history of this expression is hidden for centuries. Many centuries ago, illiterate people carried tablets with them, on which, in order to remember upcoming events or necessary facts, they made notches. That is, to chop on the nose used to be literally synonymous with the word “write down”.
Or phraseology "lead by the nose"(deception is very skillful, so that the victim does not notice it at all). Why did they start talking like that? Everything is simple. Did you not pay attention to how huge camels dutifully wander after their master without even trying to escape or somehow lean? The reason for this is far from animal humility, but a ring threaded through the nose, to which a rope is tied, which is in the hands of the owner of the beast. Therefore, the expression "lead by the nose" has acquired its meaning.
And also an interesting story with phraseology "hang nose". Now the full version of the proverb is rarely used, which sounds like “hang your nose on a fifth”. Strange as it may seem, but this phrase originates from musical professionalism, or rather, from violinists. When a person plays the violin, he clamps his head on the instrument so that his nose almost touches the top string, which is called the fifth.
General meaning of set phrases
Most groups of phraseological units in the Russian language have something in common. Therefore, if you look closely, you can notice a pattern in the use, for example, of one or another part of the human body in phraseological usage. Let's try to understand this issue in more detail and understand the meaning of some proverbs. So.
Nose in phraseological units
On the human face, the nose has the function of an organ of smell, that is, the perception of smells. In stable phrases called phraseological units, this part of the body is a symbol of something not far away, located at a very small distance from a person. Here are some variations use of nose meanings in proverbs:
Interesting fact. The nose is considered a symbol of something very close, not only in proverbs. Take, for example, at least a fairy tale about Kolobok. How did the cunning fox get its prey to come dangerously close? That's right, she asked Kolobok to come closer and sit on her nose.
Perhaps these values are due to the fact that on the human face the nose protrudes most of all, but at the same time it is still close to the rest of the face.
Mouth and lips
Mostly mouth in proverbs has the same functions as on the human face - talking and eating. Lips, in turn, often express emotions and desires, which is quite natural, because, from the point of view of psychology, it is this part of the human face that is most involved in human facial expressions. By the way, there are not so many groups of set expressions in which lips are used.
- Dial water in your mouth - sharply shut up;
- Pout lips - take offense;
- The lip is not a fool - a person knows how to choose the best or has inflated desires;
- Porridge in the mouth - a person speaks indistinctly;
- Do not take it in your mouth - very tasteless, unpleasant food;
- There was no poppy dew in the mouth - the person is hungry;
- The mouth is full of trouble - a lot of work, a person is very busy;
- Open your mouth - very surprised.
Ears
Ears appear in proverbs as organs of hearing, but also they have one feature- they are quite difficult to see without using foreign objects with a mirror surface, and, of course, this meaning of the symbol could not be ignored.
Teeth in proverbs
Teeth in set phrases are used mostly as a defense against something. And also in proverbs, teeth symbolize a smile and laughter.
- Armed to the teeth - a dangerous opponent, which is very difficult to defeat because of his good training;
- To give a tooth - to laugh or make fun of someone;
- Bare teeth - it is unpleasant to laugh, mock;
- Try it on the tooth - get to know better, study well;
- Show teeth - show readiness for enmity and hostility;
- Sharpen / have a tooth - dislike, have a dislike for someone.
Thus, we can conclude that phraseological units are phrases that make a conversation richer and more varied. They decorate our speech and help to express and define the emotions that seethe in us like a waterfall. So, having such a wealth of language, do we have the right to use slang words that make our speech less pleasant, and our soul more callous? One can only hope that everyone can find the answer to this question for themselves.
