THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SOME RUSSIAN EXPRESSIONS
We often say well-established phrases without delving into their meaning. Why, for example, do they say "goal like a falcon"? Who is a "smoker"? Why, finally, “they carry water on the offended”? We will reveal the hidden meaning of these expressions ...
✏ Goal like a falcon
"Goal like a falcon", we say about extreme poverty. But this proverb has nothing to do with birds. Although ornithologists say that falcons really lose their feathers during molting and become almost naked!
"Falcon" in the old days in Rus' was called a ram, a tool made of iron or wood in the form of a cylinder. It was hung on chains and swung, thus breaking through the walls and gates of the enemy's fortresses. The surface of this weapon was even and smooth, simply speaking, bare.
The word "falcon" in those days was used to refer to cylindrical tools: iron scrap, a pestle for grinding grain in a mortar, etc. Sokolov was actively used in Rus' until the advent of firearms at the end of the 15th century.
✏ The smoking room is alive
"Smoking room is alive!" - an expression from the old Russian children's game "Smoking Room". The rules were simple: the participants sat in a circle and passed a burning torch to each other, saying: "The smoking room is alive, the smoking room is alive! The legs are thin, the soul is short." The one in whose hands the torch was extinguished left the circle. It turns out that the "smoking room" is not a person at all, as one might think, but a burning chip of which in the old days they illuminated the hut. She barely burned and smoked, as they said then "smoked".
Alexander Pushkin did not miss the chance to exploit this linguistic ambiguity in his epigram to the critic and journalist Mikhail Kachenovsky:
- How! Is the Kurilka journalist still alive?
- Lively! still dry and boring
And rude, and stupid, and tormented by envy,
Everything squeezes into its obscene sheet
Both the old nonsense and the new nonsense.
- Ugh! Tired of the Kurilka journalist!
How to put out a smelly splinter?
How to kill my smoking room?
Give me advice. - Yes ... spit on him.
✏ Poor place
The expression "hot spot" is found in the Orthodox prayer for the dead ("... in a place of hotness, in a place of rest ..."). So in the texts in the Church Slavonic language is called paradise.
The meaning of this expression was ironically rethought by the raznochintsy-democratic intelligentsia of the times of Alexander Pushkin. The language game was that our climate does not allow growing grapes, therefore in Rus' intoxicating drinks were produced mainly from cereals (beer, vodka). In other words, green means a drunken place.
✏ They carry water to the offended
There are several versions of the origin of this saying, but the most plausible seems to be the one connected with the history of St. Petersburg water carriers. The price of imported water in the 19th century was about 7 kopecks of silver per year, and of course there were always greedy merchants who inflated the price in order to cash in. For this illegal act, such unfortunate entrepreneurs were deprived of a horse and forced to carry barrels in a cart on themselves.
✏ Shabby look
This expression appeared under Peter I and was associated with the name of the merchant Zatrapeznikov, whose Yaroslavl linen manufactory produced both silk and wool, which were in no way inferior in quality to the products of foreign factories. In addition, the manufactory also made very, very cheap hemp striped fabric - motley, "shabby" (rough to the touch), which went to mattresses, bloomers, sundresses, women's headscarves, work dressing gowns and shirts.
And if for rich people such a dressing gown was home clothes, then for the poor, things from shabby clothes were considered “going out” clothes. The shabby appearance spoke of the low social status of a person.
✏ Sith friend
It is believed that a friend is so called by analogy with sieve bread, usually wheat. For the preparation of such bread, flour is used much finer grinding than in rye. To remove impurities from it and make the culinary product more “airy”, not a sieve is used, but a device with a smaller cell - a sieve. Therefore, the bread was called sieve. It was quite expensive, was considered a symbol of prosperity and was put on the table to treat the dearest guests.
The word "sitny" in relation to a friend means the "highest standard" of friendship. Of course, this turnover is sometimes used in an ironic tone.
✏ 7 Fridays a week
In the old days, Friday was a market day, on which it was customary to fulfill various trade obligations. On Friday, the goods were received, and the money for it was agreed to be given on the next market day (on Friday of the next week). Those who broke such promises were said to have seven Fridays a week.
But this is not the only explanation! Friday was considered to be a free day from work before, therefore, a loafer was characterized by a similar phrase, for whom every day is a day off.
✏ Where Makar did not drive calves
One of the versions of the origin of this saying is as follows: Peter I was on a working trip to Ryazan land and communicated with the people in an "informal setting". It so happened that all the men he met on the way called themselves Makars. The king was very surprised at first, and then said: "From now on, all of you will be Makars!"
Allegedly, since then, "Makar" has become a collective image of the Russian peasant and all peasants (not only Ryazan) began to be called Makars.
✏ Sharashkin office
The office got its strange name from the dialect word "sharan" ("trash", "bad", "rogue"). In the old days, this was the name given to a dubious association of swindlers and deceivers, but today it is simply a "undignified, unreliable" organization.
✏ Not by washing, so by rolling
In the old days, skilled laundresses knew that well-rolled linen would be fresh, even if the wash was not done brilliantly at all. Therefore, having sinned in washing, they achieved the desired impression "not by washing, but by rolling."
✏ Drunk in zyuzyu
We find this expression in Alexander Pushkin, in the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin", when it comes to Lensky's neighbor - Zaretsky:
Falling off a Kalmyk horse,
Like a drunken zyuzya, and the French
Got captured...
The fact is that in the Pskov region, where Pushkin was in exile for a long time, "zyuzey" is called a pig. In general, “like a zyuzya drunk” is an analogue of the colloquial expression “drunk like a pig.”
✏ Share the skin of an unkilled bear
It is noteworthy that back in the 30s of the 20th century it was customary in Russia to say: “Sell the skin of an unkilled bear.” vk.com/anti_maydan This version of the expression seems closer to the original source, and more logical, because there is no benefit from the "divided" skin, it is valued only when it remains intact. The original source is the fable "The Bear and Two Comrades" by the French poet and fabulist Jean La Fontaine (1621-1695).
✏ Retired goat drummer
In the old days, among wandering troupes, the main actor was a learned, trained bear, followed by a "goat" dressed up with a goat's skin on its head, and only behind the "goat" was a drummer.
His task was to beat a homemade drum, calling the audience. Surviving by odd jobs or handouts is rather unpleasant, and here also the "goat" is not real, retired.
✏ Three years of waiting for the promised
According to one version - a reference to the text from the Bible, to the book of the prophet Daniel. It says: "Blessed is he who waits and reaches a thousand and thirty-five days," that is, three years and 240 days. The biblical call to patient waiting was jokingly rethought by the people, because the whole saying sounds like this: "The promised three years are expected, and the fourth is denied."
✏ Leavened patriotism
The expression was introduced into speech by Peter Vyazemsky. Leavened patriotism is understood as a blind adherence to obsolete and absurd "traditions" of national life and peremptory rejection of someone else's, foreign, "not ours."
✏ Tablecloth track
In one of Ivan Aksakov's poems, one can read about the road, which is "straight, like an arrow, with a wide smooth surface that the tablecloth lay down." So in Rus' they saw off on a long journey, and they did not put any bad meaning into them.
This initial meaning of the phraseological unit is present in the Explanatory Dictionary of Ozhegov. But it is also said there that in modern language the expression has the opposite meaning: "An expression of indifference to someone's departure, departure, as well as a wish to get out, anywhere." An excellent example of how ironically stable etiquette forms are rethought in the language!
✏ Shout all over Ivanovskaya
In the old days, the square in the Kremlin, on which stands the bell tower of Ivan the Great, was called Ivanovskaya. On this square, clerks announced decrees, orders and other documents relating to the inhabitants of Moscow and all the peoples of Russia. So that everyone could hear well, the clerk read very loudly, shouted all over Ivanovskaya.
✏ Get to the bottom of a person
The expression to crack a man came to us from those times when coins made of precious metals were in use. Their authenticity was checked by a tooth: if there is no dent, the coin is real.
✏ Dance from the stove
To dance from the stove means to act according to an approved plan once and for all, without using any of your knowledge and ingenuity. This expression became famous thanks to the 19th century Russian writer Vasily Sleptsov and his book The Good Man. This is the story of Sergei Terebenev, who returned to Russia after a long absence. The return awakened childhood memories in him, the most vivid of which are dance lessons.
Here, he stands by the stove, legs in third position. Parents, yard servants are nearby and watch his progress. The teacher gives the command: "One, two, three." Seryozha begins to make the first “pas”, but suddenly he loses time, his legs tangle.
- Oh, what are you, brother! - Father says reproachfully. “Well, go about five to the stove, start over.”
✏ Pull the gimp
What is a gimp and why should it be pulled? This is a copper, silver or gold thread used in gold embroidery for embroidering patterns on clothes and carpets. Such a thin thread was made by drawing - repeatedly rolling and drawing through ever smaller holes.
Pulling the gimp was a very painstaking task, requiring a lot of time and patience. In our language, the expression to pull the gimp is fixed in its figurative meaning - to do something long, tedious, the result of which is not immediately visible.
✏ Dusty story
In the 16th century, during fisticuffs, dishonest fighters took sandbags with them, and at the decisive moment of the fight they threw it into the eyes of their rivals. In 1726, this technique was banned by a special decree.
At present, the expression "splurge" is used in the sense of "create a false impression of one's capabilities
EXPRESSION- EXPRESSION, expressions, cf. 1. Action according to Ch. express express. I can't find words to express my gratitude. 2. more often than not The embodiment of an idea in the forms of some kind of art (philosophical). Only a great artist is able to create such an expression, ... ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
expression- noun, s., use. comp. often Morphology: (no) what? expressions for what? expression, (see) what? expression what? expression about what? about expression; pl. What? expressions, (no) what? expressions for what? expressions, (see) what? expressions than? expressions, oh ... ... Dictionary of Dmitriev
expression- EXPRESSION1, I, cf, what or what. A small text consisting of a phrase, or a combination of words, a figure of speech that is often used in speech. Winged words and expressions. EXPRESSION2, I, cf, what, what. A sign in the form of a formula expressing mathematical ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns
What is there!- Simple. An expression of complete denial, usually in response to someone's proposal, request, etc. Right now, he says, take off this dress, I'll chop it with an ax. I beg him: wait, they say, don’t embarrass yourself in front of people, we’ll come home and change. Which… … Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language
expression- I; cf. what, what. 1. to Express and Express. B. gratitude, disagreement with someone l. V. strengths, weaknesses. Receive, find your own. in what l. (express in what l.). 2. That which is an external manifestation, a reflection of what l. The price of money in. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
expression- I; cf. see also without expression, with the expression of what, which 1) to express and be expressed. Expression of gratitude, disagreement with someone l ... Dictionary of many expressions
3.1.1. - 3.1.1. Sentences reflecting the relationship situation Typical semantics Who, what l. is, stays with someone, than l. in mutual connection, in relationships; seeks / avoids mutual connection, mutual relations; and also who, what l. ... ... Experimental syntactic dictionary
hedgehog family- (Erinaceidae) * * One of the oldest families of insectivores, and indeed mammals. Currently includes 58 genera and about 20 species. Hedgehogs are such characteristic animals that it’s quite enough to fully familiarize yourself with them ... ... Animal life
smart- oh, oh; smart, smart, smart and smart, smart and smart. 1. Possessing a sound mind, ingenuity. Not only is she a great woman, she's very smart, right. This morning she talked to me for half an hour, and so efficiently, interestingly. Turgenev, Fathers and Sons. Small Academic Dictionary
speech characteristic- (speech portrait). Selection of words and expressions specific for each character in a literary work as a means of artistic depiction of characters. In some cases, words and syntactic constructions of a book are used for this purpose ... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms
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Often we pronounce well-established phrases without delving into their meaning. Why, for example, do they say “goal like a falcon”? Who is a "smoker"? Why, finally, do they bring water to the offended? We will reveal the hidden meaning of these expressions.
Hot spot
The expression "hot spot" is found in the Orthodox prayer for the dead ("... in a hot place, in a resting place ..."). So in the texts in the Church Slavonic language is called paradise.
The meaning of this expression was ironically rethought by the raznochintsy-democratic intelligentsia of the time of Alexander Pushkin. The language game was that our climate does not allow growing grapes, therefore in Rus' intoxicating drinks were produced mainly from cereals (beer, vodka). In other words, green means a drunken place.
They carry water on the offended
There are several versions of the origin of this saying, but the most plausible seems to be the one connected with the history of St. Petersburg water carriers. The price of imported water in the 19th century was about 7 kopecks of silver per year, and of course there were always greedy merchants who inflated the price in order to cash in. For this illegal act, such unfortunate entrepreneurs were deprived of a horse and forced to carry barrels in a cart on themselves.
shabby look
This expression appeared under Peter I and was associated with the name of the merchant Zatrapeznikov, whose Yaroslavl linen manufactory produced both silk and wool, which were in no way inferior in quality to the products of foreign factories. In addition, the manufactory also made very, very cheap hemp striped fabric - mottled, "shabby" (rough to the touch), which went to mattresses, bloomers, sundresses, women's headscarves, work dressing gowns and shirts.
And if for rich people such a dressing gown was home clothes, then for the poor, things from shabby clothes were considered “going out” clothes. The shabby appearance spoke of the low social status of a person.
Sith friend
It is believed that a friend is so called by analogy with sieve bread, usually wheat. For the preparation of such bread, flour is used much finer grinding than in rye. To remove impurities from it and make the culinary product more “airy”, not a sieve is used, but a device with a smaller cell - a sieve. Therefore, the bread was called sieve. It was quite expensive, was considered a symbol of prosperity and was put on the table to treat the dearest guests.
The word "sitny" in relation to a friend means the "highest standard" of friendship. Of course, this turnover is sometimes used in an ironic tone.
7 Fridays in a week
In the old days, Friday was a market day, on which it was customary to fulfill various trade obligations. On Friday, the goods were received, and the money for it was agreed to be given on the next market day (on Friday of the next week). Those who broke such promises were said to have seven Fridays a week.
But this is not the only explanation! Friday was considered to be a free day from work before, therefore, a loafer was characterized by a similar phrase, for whom every day is a day off.
Where Makar did not drive calves
One of the versions of the origin of this saying is as follows: Peter I was on a working trip to Ryazan land and communicated with the people in an “informal setting”. It so happened that all the men he met on the way called themselves Makars. At first, the tsar was very surprised, and then said: “From now on, you should all be Makars!” Allegedly, since then, “Makar” has become a collective image of the Russian peasant and all peasants (not only Ryazan) began to be called Makars.
Sharashkin's office
The office got its strange name from the dialect word “sharan” (“trash”, “bad”, “rogue”). In the old days, this was the name given to a dubious association of swindlers and deceivers, but today it is simply an "undignified, unreliable" organization.
Not by washing, so by skating
In the old days, skilled laundresses knew that well-rolled linen would be fresh, even if the wash was not done brilliantly at all. Therefore, having sinned in washing, they achieved the desired impression “not by washing, but by rolling.”
Goal like a falcon
“Goal like a falcon,” we say about extreme poverty. But this proverb has nothing to do with birds. Although ornithologists say that falcons really lose their feathers during molting and become almost naked!
"Falcon" in the old days in Rus' was called a ram, a tool made of iron or wood in the form of a cylinder. It was hung on chains and swung, thus breaking through the walls and gates of the enemy's fortresses. The surface of this weapon was even and smooth, simply speaking, bare.
The word “falcon” in those days was used to refer to cylindrical tools: iron scrap, a pestle for grinding grain in a mortar, etc. Sokolov was actively used in Rus' until the advent of firearms at the end of the 15th century.
Alive smoking room
"Smoking room is alive!" - an expression from the old Russian children's game "Smoking Room". The rules were simple: the participants sat in a circle and passed a burning torch to each other, saying: “The smoking room is alive, alive! Thin legs, short soul. The one in whose hands the torch was extinguished left the circle. It turns out that the "smoking room" is not a person at all, as one might think, but a burning chip of which in the old days they illuminated the hut. She barely burned and smoked, as they said then "smoked".
Alexander Pushkin did not miss the chance to exploit this linguistic ambiguity in his epigram to the critic and journalist Mikhail Kachenovsky:
- How! Is the Kurilka journalist still alive?
- Lively! still dry and boring
And rude, and stupid, and tormented by envy,
Everything squeezes into its obscene sheet
Both the old nonsense and the new nonsense.
- Ugh! Tired of the Kurilka journalist!
How to put out a smelly splinter?
How to kill my smoking room?
Give me advice. - Yes ... spit on him.
Drunk in zyuzyu
We find this expression in Alexander Pushkin, in the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin", when it comes to Lensky's neighbor - Zaretsky:
Falling off a Kalmyk horse,
Like a drunken zyuzya, and the French
Got captured...
The fact is that in the Pskov region, where Pushkin was in exile for a long time, "zyuzey" is called a pig. In general, “like a zyuzya drunk” is an analogue of the colloquial expression “drunk like a pig.”
Sharing the skin of an unkilled bear
It is noteworthy that back in the 30s of the 20th century it was customary in Russia to say: “Sell the skin of an unkilled bear.” This version of the expression seems closer to the original source, and more logical, because there is no benefit from the “divided” skin, it is valued only when it remains intact. The original source is the fable "The Bear and Two Comrades" by the French poet and fabulist Jean La Fontaine (1621-1695).
dusty story
In the 16th century, during fisticuffs, dishonest fighters took sandbags with them, and at the decisive moment of the fight they threw it into the eyes of their rivals. In 1726, this technique was banned by a special decree. At present, the expression "show off" is used in the sense of "create a false impression of one's capabilities."
Promised three years waiting
According to one version - a reference to the text from the Bible, to the book of the prophet Daniel. It says: “Blessed is he who waits and reaches a thousand and thirty-five days,” that is, three years and 240 days. The biblical call to patient waiting was jokingly rethought by the people, because the whole proverb sounds like this: “The promised three years are expected, and the fourth is denied.”
Retired goat drummer
In the old days, among wandering troupes, the main actor was a learned, trained bear, followed by a “goat” dressed up with a goat skin on its head, and only behind the “goat” was a drummer. His task was to beat a homemade drum, calling the audience. Surviving by odd jobs or handouts is rather unpleasant, and here also the “goat” is not real, retired.
leavened patriotism
The expression was introduced into speech by Peter Vyazemsky. Leavened patriotism is understood as a blind adherence to obsolete and ridiculous "traditions" of national life and peremptory rejection of someone else's, foreign, "not ours."
Good riddance
In one of Ivan Aksakov's poems, one can read about the road, which is "straight, like an arrow, with a wide smooth surface that the tablecloth lay down." So in Rus' they saw off on a long journey, and they did not put any bad meaning into them. This initial meaning of the phraseological unit is present in the Explanatory Dictionary of Ozhegov. But it is also said there that in the modern language the expression has the opposite meaning: "An expression of indifference to someone's departure, departure, as well as a wish to get out, anywhere." An excellent example of how ironically stable etiquette forms are rethought in the language!
Scream all over Ivanovskaya
In the old days, the square in the Kremlin, where the bell tower of Ivan the Great stands, was called Ivanovskaya. On this square, clerks announced decrees, orders and other documents relating to the inhabitants of Moscow and all the peoples of Russia. So that everyone could hear well, the clerk read very loudly, shouted all over Ivanovskaya.
dance from the stove
To dance from the stove means to act according to an approved plan once and for all, without using any of your knowledge and ingenuity. This expression became famous thanks to the 19th century Russian writer Vasily Sleptsov and his book The Good Man. This is the story of Sergei Terebenev, who returned to Russia after a long absence. The return awakened childhood memories in him, the most vivid of which are dance lessons.
Here, he stands by the stove, legs in third position. Parents, yard servants are nearby and watch his progress. The teacher gives the command: "One, two, three." Seryozha begins to make the first “pas”, but suddenly he loses time, his legs tangle.
- Oh, what are you, brother! - Father says reproachfully. “Well, go about five to the stove, start over.”
12 catchphrases, the meaning of which is not known to everyone
Editorial responseWinged expressions help to express thoughts more accurately, give speech a more emotional coloring. They allow in a few short but precise words to express more emotions and convey a personal attitude to what is happening.
AiF.ru recalls the meanings of some Russian phraseological units.
quiet glanders
Initially, this expression meant to secretly dig a mine or a secret tunnel. The word "zappa" (translated from Italian) means earthwork shovel.Borrowed into French, the word turned into the French "sap" and received the meaning of "earthworks, trenches and undermining", the word "sapper" also arose from this word.
In Russian, the word "sapa" and the expression "quiet glanders" meant work that is carried out with extreme caution, without noise, in order to get close to the enemy unnoticed, in complete secrecy.
After widespread use, the expression acquired the meaning: carefully, in deep secrecy and slowly (for example, “So he drags all the food from the kitchen on the sly!”).
Nothing is visible
According to one version, the word "zga" comes from the name of a part of the horse harness - a ring in the upper part of the arc, into which a rein was inserted so as not to dangle. When the coachman needed to unharness the horse, and it was so dark that this little ring (zgi) could not be seen, they said that "you can't see it at all."
According to another version, the word "zga" comes from the Old Russian "sytga" - "road, path, path." In this case, the meaning of the expression is interpreted - "so dark that you can not even see the road, the path." Today, the expression “nothing is visible”, “nothing can be seen” means “nothing is visible”, “impenetrable darkness”.
A blind man leads a blind man, but both of them cannot see. (last)
"Darkness hangs over the earth: you can't see it..." ( Anton Chekhov,"Mirror")
dance from the stove
Vasily Alekseevich Sleptsov. 1870 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Published in St Petersburg, 1903
The expression "to dance from the stove" first appeared in the novel of the 19th century Russian writer Vasily Sleptsov"Good man". The book was published in 1871. There is an episode in it when the main character Seryozha Terebenev recalls how he was taught to dance, and the “pas” required from the dance teacher did not work out for him. There is a phrase in the book:
- Oh, what are you, brother! - Father says reproachfully. - Well, go back to the stove, start over.
In Russian, this expression began to be used, speaking of people whose habit of acting according to a hardened scenario replaces knowledge. A person can perform certain actions only “from the stove”, from the very beginning, from the most simple and familiar action:
“When he (the architect) was ordered to plan, he usually drew the hall and the hotel first; just as in the old days, college girls could only dance from the stove, so his artistic idea could only come and develop from the hall to the living room. ( Anton Chekhov,"My life").
shabby look
At times Tsar Peter I lived Ivan Zatrapeznikov- an entrepreneur who received the Yaroslavl textile manufactory from the emperor. The factory produced a cloth called “striped”, or “striped”, popularly called “mess”, “mess” - a coarse and low-quality cloth made from hemp (hemp fiber).Clothes were sewn from shabby clothes mainly by poor people who could not buy something better for themselves. And the appearance of such poor people was appropriate. Since then, if a person is dressed sloppily, they say about him that he has a shabby appearance:
“The hay girls were poorly fed, dressed in shabby clothes and given little sleep, exhausting them with almost continuous work.” ( Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, "Poshekhonskaya antiquity")
Sharpen laces
To sharpen folly means to idle talk, to engage in useless chatter. Lassy (balusters) are chiseled curly columns of railings at the porch.
At first, “sharpening balusters” meant having an elegant, whimsical, ornate (like balusters) conversation. However, there were few craftsmen to conduct such a conversation, and over time, the expression began to mean empty chatter:
“They used to sit in a circle, some on a bench, some simply on the ground, each with some business, a spinning wheel, a comb or bobbins, and they would go and go to sharpen their laces and babble about a different, experienced time.” ( Dmitry Grigorovich, "Village").
Lying like a gray gelding
To lie like a gray gelding means to speak fables without being embarrassed at all. In the 19th century, an officer served in one of the regiments of the Russian army, a German named von Sivers-Mehring. He liked to tell the officers funny stories and fables. The expression "lies like Sievers-Mering" was understandable only to his colleagues. However, they began to use it throughout Russia, completely forgetting about the origins. Sayings appeared among the people: “lazy as a gray gelding”, “stupid as a gray gelding”, although the horse breed has nothing to do with this.
Bullshit
According to one version, the expression "bullshit" comes from "lying like a gray gelding" (in fact, these two phrases are synonymous)There is also a version that the expression "bullshit" came from the name of one scientist - Brad Steve Cobile, who once wrote a very stupid article. His name, consonant with the words "bullshit" correlated with scientific nonsense.
According to another version, "bullshit" is an expression denoting a stupid statement or thought; appeared due to the beliefs of the Slavs that the gray horse (gray with an admixture of a different color) was the most stupid animal. There was a sign according to which if a gray mare is dreamed, then in reality the dreamer will be deceived.
Androns ride
"Androns are coming" means nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, complete nonsense.
In Russian, this phrase is used in response to someone who tells a lie, inappropriately puts on airs and boasts about himself. In the 1840s, on the territory of almost all of Russia, andretz (andron) meant a wagon, various kinds of carts.
“And you don’t have to scold my house! “Do I scold you?.. Cross yourself, Petrovnushka, the androns are coming!” ( Pavel Zarubin, "Dark and bright sides of Russian life")
Biryuk live
The expression "to live with a biryuk" means to be a hermit and a closed person. In the southern regions of Russia, a wolf is called a biryuk. The wolf has long been considered a predatory animal dangerous for the economy. The peasants perfectly studied his habits and habits and often remembered them when speaking about a person. “Oh, and you have grown old, little brother! Dunyashka said regretfully. “Some kind of gray has become like a biryuk.” ( Mikhail Sholokhov, Quiet Don)
Mikhail Golubovich in the movie Biryuk. 1977
to play with spillikins
Spillikins are various small household items that were used during the ancient game. Its meaning was to pull out one toy after another from a pile of toys with fingers or a special hook, without touching or scattering the rest. The one who moved the adjacent spillikin passes the move to the next player. The game continues until the whole pile is taken apart. By the beginning of the 20th century, spillikins became one of the most popular games in the country and were very common not only among children, but also among adults.
In a figurative sense, the expression "playing spillikins" means to engage in trifles, nonsense, leaving aside the main and important:
“After all, I came to the workshop to work, and not to sit back and play spillikins.” ( Mikhail Novorussky"Notes of the Schlisselburger")
Pies with kittens
In Rus', they never ate cats, except in severe famine. During long sieges of cities, their inhabitants, having exhausted all food supplies, people used domestic animals for food, and cats and cats were the last to go.
Thus, this expression means a catastrophic state of affairs. Usually the proverb is shortened and they say: “These are the pies”, in other words, “these are the things”.
Leave unsalted slurping
Illustration for the fairy tale "Shemyakin Court". Copper engraving, first half of the 18th century. Reproduction. Photo: RIA Novosti / Balabanov
In Rus' in the old days, salt was an expensive product. It had to be transported from afar off-road, taxes on salt were very high. When visiting, the host salted the food himself, with his own hand. Sometimes, expressing his respect for especially dear guests, he even added salt to the food, and sometimes those who sat at the far end of the table did not get salt at all. Hence the expression - "to leave without salty slurping":
“And the more she spoke, and the more sincerely she smiled, the stronger the confidence became in me that I would leave her without salty slurping.” ( Anton Chekhov"Lights")
"The fox missed the live and went away slurping unsalted." ( Alexey Tolstoy"The Fox and the Rooster"
Shemyakin Court
The expression "shemyakin court" is used when they want to emphasize the injustice of any opinion, judgment or assessment. Shemyaka - a real historical person, Galician Prince Dimitri Shemyaka, famous for its cruelty, deceit and unrighteous deeds. He became famous for his tireless, stubborn struggle with the great Prince Vasily the Dark, his cousin, for the Moscow throne. Today, when they want to point out the partiality, unfairness of some judgment, they say: “Is this criticism? Shemyakin court of some kind.
In everyday life, quite often, in order to embellish our speech, we use various phraseological units, speech turns, folk sayings and expressions. Do we know their meaning and history? Here are some examples.
1. "Lead by the nose"
Previously, gypsies entertained people at fairs, speaking with bears. They forced the animals to perform various tricks, while deceiving them with the promise of handouts. The gypsies led the bear by the nose ring. It was from that time that "don't lead me by the nose" means "do not deceive." And the expression “to know the whole story” is connected ... with the old torture, when the accused were driven nails or needles under the nails. The purpose of this rather unpleasant act was to gain recognition.
About the one who knows little, we say "master of sour cabbage soup." The origin of the saying is quite simple. Sour cabbage soup (apparently, in the simplest variation) was a simple meal: water and sauerkraut. It wasn't hard to make soup. And if someone was called the "master of sour cabbage soup", this meant that he was not good for anything worthwhile. The expression “to put a pig on”, that is, to do something bad to someone, is apparently due to the fact that some peoples do not eat pork for religious reasons. And if pork was imperceptibly put into a person’s food, then by doing so they did a very serious dirty trick.
3."beat the buckets"
Today, the expression "beat the buckets" means to do nothing. Meanwhile, before beating the buckets was an occupation. Although quite simple ... Dishes in ancient times were mainly made of wood: cups and spoons, “brothers” and plates - everything was wooden. But in order to cut something, it was necessary to chip off a chock - a baklusha - from a log. It was an easy, trifling matter that was entrusted to apprentices. This lesson was called “beating the buckets”. The craftsmen jokingly called the auxiliary workers "bottlenecks". So, from the jokes of the masters, this expression appeared.
4. "I didn't come to the yard"
When you study proverbs and sayings, you wonder what antiquity they sometimes come from. “I didn’t come to court” - This saying has an interesting mythological basis. According to her, only the animal that the brownie likes will live in the courtyard (yard). And if you don't like it, you'll either run away or get sick. What to do ... not to the court ...
5. "Scapegoat"
“Found a scapegoat”, “who will they make the scapegoat this time?” - such phrases can often be heard at work. The “scapegoat” is understood as a person on whom all the flaws were hung up, while he himself may have a very indirect relation to the troubles that have happened, or even be completely uninvolved in them. This expression has its own history... The ancient Jews had a rite of absolution, in which a goat participated. The priest laid his hands on the goat's head, as if shifting the sins of the whole people onto it. After this, the unfortunate man, who had a rather weak attitude towards the sins of an entire people, was driven into the wilderness. So it goes. It is not known how many goats went on a harsh journey for the sins of others, but, fortunately, the rite no longer exists. And the expression still lives on.
6."Kazan orphan"
As you know, the expression "Kazan orphan" refers to a person who pretends to be offended or helpless in order to pity someone. Now this phrase is used, rather, as a good-natured joke. But why exactly "Kazan"? This phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. Tatar princes (mirzas) became subjects of the Russian tsar. At the same time, they tried to beg from Ivan the Terrible all sorts of concessions and benefits, complaining about the bitter fate. It was they who, thanks to the sharp folk language, became the first "Kazan orphans."
7. "Do not take dirty linen out of the hut"
An ancient and ubiquitous proverb. Of course, it does not teach us uncleanliness. She advises not to endure family squabbles and quarrels in public. Dahl generally wrote beautifully about this proverb: “family squabbles will be sorted out at home, if not under one sheepskin coat, then under one roof.” But this proverb also has a direct meaning: among the peasants, rubbish was never swept out and carried out into the street. It was quite difficult to do: sweep the rubbish into the street through the high rapids. However, the main reason is the existence of a rather serious belief: according to rubbish, unkind people can send damage. Rubbish was usually swept into the oven or cooking corner. When the stove was fired, the rubbish was burned. There was another interesting custom: the wedding guests, testing the patience of the bride, forced the hut to be revenged, while again and again they littered and said: “Sweep, sweep, but don’t take it out of the hut, but rake it under the bench and put it in the oven so that it will take out the smoke ".
8. "Neither stake nor yard"
We are talking about a state of extreme poverty. If we disassemble the content of this proverb, it turns out that there is “not a stake”, that is, a short pointed stick, “not a yard” - that is, a house. As for the “yard”, everything is clear, and there are no disputes on this score. But about the “col” there is a rather convincing version of the late nineteenth century. The fact is that, at least in some places, a “stake” was called a strip of arable land two sazhens wide. Therefore, not to have a stake means not to have arable land; not to have a yard means to live with others. Well… it makes sense. It is difficult to overestimate, especially in the old days, the importance of arable land for the peasant. In fact, along with the house, she was his main wealth.
9. "to go crazy"
The word "crazy" is used quite often in everyday life. As you know, it means a situation where a person has lost the ability to clearly perceive the surrounding reality, to think adequately. Interestingly, the origin of the word is associated with large-scale events in 1771, it was then that a devastating plague raged in Moscow. Eyewitnesses described the following symptoms in people: "The reprimand of the patients is unintelligible and confusing, the tongue is definitely frozen, or bitten, or like that of a drunk." The plague manifested itself in chills, fever, headache and confusion. The memory of the above events is reflected in the word "crazy", which we now apply to much less serious situations.
10."Goof"
Means "to get into a difficult, stupid, embarrassing or ridiculous situation, to miss the danger." It appeared in the speech of old Russian spinners, rope craftsmen and was formed from the combination of getting into a trouble. The word prosak has been lost in the modern Russian language, since reality itself has passed away - a rope, rope camp, a machine, on which in the old days ropes were twisted, stretching from the spinning wheel to the sleigh. When working with prosak, the spinner was in great danger if the beard, clothes or hand fell into the loom: he could lose not only his beard, but sometimes his health or life. The expression get into a mess, where the adverb into a mess is formed from a combination of a noun with a preposition, which is traditional for Russian dialects, has lost its direct meaning and is now used only figuratively, that is, it has acquired the status of a phraseological unit. The origin of many Russian phraseological units, by the way, is connected with the professional environment.
11."Get it on your nose"
This expression is often said today in full confidence that the nose is meant. Ordinary human nose. Sometimes they also show on the nose. Meanwhile, this is a mistake ... The nose used to be called a special plaque for records. It was worn along with special sticks, with which they made various notes or notches as a keepsake. Indeed, in antiquity, for all its severity, no one made any notches on his personal nose as a keepsake.
12."Playing with spillikins"
There is such an old game, with the help of which, as they say, patience and caution are developed: spillikins. Before you lies a bunch of tiny little things, glasses, hammers, hearts - spillikins - piled up in a mess. It is required with a small hook to pull out one spillikin after another from the pile so that the rest are not disturbed. A great activity for idlers! It is not surprising that the expression "playing spillikins" has long meant: to engage in trifles, nonsense, leaving aside the main and important.
13. "Shelving"
There is an assumption that this, meaning “to give the case a long delay”, “to delay its decision for a long time”, arose in Moscow Rus', three hundred years ago. Tsar Alexei, the father of Peter I, ordered in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace to install a long box where anyone could drop their complaint. Complaints fell, but it was very difficult to wait for decisions; often months and years had passed before that. The people renamed this "long" box to "long". It is difficult, however, to vouch for the accuracy of this explanation: after all, we are not talking about "lowering" or not "putting", but "putting it on the back burner." One might think 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, putting them 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. By the way, there is no need to assume that someone once specifically renamed the “long” box into “long”: in many places in our country, in the folk language, “long” exactly means “long”. The expression “put under the cloth” that was born later has the same meaning. Cloth covered tables in Russian offices.
