Some of them are outdated and not popular. But there are some that are still relevant today. Among them, one can single out the phrase "the cap is on fire on a thief." The meaning of phraseology, its origin and application you will find in this article.
Interpretation of the expression
This is how a person works, that by his behavior he often betrays himself, his sins, feeling guilty. When this happens, he explains the expression "the hat on the thief is on fire." Thus, it is implied that a person gives himself away.
Why is this happening? Of course, in reality, a headdress on a thief or someone guilty of something will not blaze with fire. This is so unbelievable. But the behavior of the person himself will show everything for him. Such is the psychology of people. If they are to blame for something, they behave extremely unnaturally, nervously, as if the truth is about to be revealed. That's what it means "the hat on the thief is on fire."
Expression synonyms
There are several stable turns, similar in meaning to the phrase "the cap is on fire on the thief." The meaning of the phraseological unit "God marks the rogue" is the same. However, it is rarely used in colloquial speech. Rogue is a criminal. That is, a synonymous expression means that the fraudster is marked with some kind of sign.
Let's consider another turnover, close in meaning to the phrase "the cap is on fire on the thief." The meaning of the phraseological unit “the cat knows whose meat it ate” is also similar to the expression we are considering.
It implies that the guilty person knows his guilt, expects retribution, and thereby betrays himself.
The origin of the expression "the cap is on fire on the thief"
The meaning of a phraseological unit, as we have already noted, is not at all connected with the headdress burning on the head of the criminal. But how did this expression come about?
There is a legend that says the following. Several centuries ago, in one of the large cities in Rus', thefts in the market became more frequent. Both sellers and buyers suffered from thieves.
However, the thieves could not be caught and caught. Exhausted by this state of affairs, the merchants decided to turn to the old sage. He listened carefully to them and promised them to come to the market on the day when many people would gather to recognize the thieves. Time passed, but the sage was not there, and the thefts continued as before. Everyone hoped for the old man and waited for him. And so he came.
This happened on one of the big holidays, when all the townspeople gathered in the square. The sage shouted loudly: “People, look. The thief's hat is on fire! And then the pickpockets immediately grabbed their heads, giving themselves away. They were seized and they found stolen money and things.
People asked the sage why he was so slow. To which he replied that he was waiting for the whole city to gather. On any other day, he would have been able to catch only one or two thieves, but now he was able to identify all at once.
Since then, the expression “the cap is on fire on a thief” has appeared. The meaning of a phraseological unit expands the possibilities of its use. Nowadays, it can be found in literary works, print media, blogs, etc. They adorn the speeches of artistic heroes, headlines and the texts themselves.
Where did this expression come from? Some believe that this is an invented story that formed the basis of an old anecdote. But such a story actually happened many hundreds of years ago. In one of the cities in a large market, thefts constantly occurred, but the thief could not be caught. Both sellers and buyers suffered from thieves. Then the local merchants turned to the sage, who listened attentively to them and replied that he would come on the day when the most people would gather in the market.
Origin of expression
Time passed, the thefts continued, but the sage did not go. And on one of the holidays, a whole festivity unfolded in the market. It seemed that the whole city had gathered in the square. At that moment, a sage appeared and shouted loudly: “Look, the cap is on fire on the thief.” Immediately several people grabbed their checkers. As it turned out, they committed all these thefts. When the sage was asked why he did not come for so long, he replied that on any other day one or two thieves could be caught. And today the whole city is here, so they caught everyone at once.
Why was it so easy for the sage to identify the criminals? After all, until now no one could either grab their hand or convict them of theft, they were so careful. And it's all about the psychology of people. Despite outward calmness, those people who commit a crime are in constant nervous tension. They are well aware that they are doing wrong, but either they cannot stop, or they are forced to commit a crime due to certain circumstances. They are constantly haunted by the fear of being caught. Some are afraid of the punishment they deserve, while others are afraid of exposure so that friends and family won't find out what they're up to.
It is because of this nervous tension that the thief grabs his hat at such words. Although the very next moment, when the mind turns on after the instinct, this person begins to understand that this simply cannot be. And if he concealed his actions so carefully, who can know that he is a thief. So it turns out that without knowing it, the criminal betrays himself in the most ridiculous situations.
In addition, people have noticed that if a criminal, passing by, hears part of the conversation of people he does not know out of the corner of his ear, and such innocent words as “sparrow” or “raven” are mentioned in this conversation, then he will definitely hear something completely different what they are actually talking about. So, instead of the word "sparrow", it will seem to him that they say "thief bey." And at the word "raven", he will assume that the finger is pointing at him, and not at a flying bird.
It's all about psychology
Do not think that this was only the psychology of the criminals of the past. Nothing has changed today. The same people, the same nervous state. As in past centuries there were thieves of different categories, so now. A simple street thief, who still has a conscience, will definitely react to the phrase: "The cap is on fire on the thief." But there was another caste of thieves who slowly and methodically robbed their people legally. Such people, who have long lost their conscience, no longer consider themselves thieves, because in their opinion, this is how the world should be arranged. Such criminals were then, and, unfortunately, continue to exist today.
The thief's hat is on fire Razg. Iron. Someone unwittingly, accidentally himself gives out what he would like to hide. - Why did she, like a hare, run away from you when we left Lyabyev? .. Isn't it because the thief's hat is on fire: - out of fear for herself, out of timidity towards you?(Pisemsky. Freemasons).
Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .
Synonyms:See what "The cap is on fire on the thief" in other dictionaries:
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The thief's hat is on fire.- (they shouted at the auction: the hat is on fire on the thief, and the thief grabbed the hat). See FRAUD STEALTH The hat on the thief is on fire (the healer shouted, and the thief grabbed his head). See TRUE KRIVDA The cat knows whose meat it has eaten. The thief's hat is on fire. See MAN... IN AND. Dal. Proverbs of the Russian people
the thief's hat is on fire- expose yourself, expose yourself, expose yourself, give yourself away, give yourself away with your head, give yourself out, give yourself out with your head, give yourself out with your head, expose yourself Dictionary of Russian synonyms. the hat on the thief burns adj., number of synonyms: 9 ... Synonym dictionary
the thief's hat is on fire- the turnover goes back to an old anecdote about how they found a thief in the market. After vain attempts to find the thief, people turned to the sorcerer for help; he shouted loudly: “Look! The cap is on fire on the thief!” And suddenly everyone saw how some kind of person ... ... Phraseology Handbook
The thief's hat is on fire- Razg. About a person who has done something. bad, which gives itself away as something. BMS 1998, 98 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings
on the villain (thief) and the hat is on fire- Wed. After such words, it seems that you and I, Mishka, have nothing to do here. Yes, it looks like it. On the thief, it can be seen that the hat is on fire. Ostrovsky. Festive sleep before dinner. 3, 4. Cf. Why did she, like a hare, run away from you when we left Alyabyev? .. not from ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary
Razg. Iron. Someone unwittingly, accidentally himself gives out what he would like to hide. Why did she, like a hare, run away from you when we left Lyabyev? .. Isn't it because the thief's hat is on fire: out of fear for herself, out of timidity towards you? (Pisemsky. ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language
A CAP- wives. cap, hat; hat, night, hat, hats, the common name of the tire on the head, esp. soft or warm: a round hat, a Tatar, a Cossack, a man's, a coachman's, a three-piece hat, etc. In a Monomakh's hat, the weight is 2 f. 20 gold without sable, ... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
A CAP- HAT, hats, wives. (from the French chape cover). 1. Headwear (preferably warm or soft). “Grabbing a sash and a hat in an armful, hurry home without a memory.” Krylov. “They put on old bast shoes, put on torn hats.” Nekrasov. “A girl at seventeen, what a hat ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
A CAP- Headdress, mostly warm, soft. The word hat comes from the Latin sarra (kind of headdress), came into Russian from the Old French language in the 11th-12th centuries, when, after the wedding * of the daughter of the Kiev prince * Yaroslav the Wise Anna and ... ... Linguistic Dictionary
a cap- n., f., use. often Morphology: (no) what? hats for what? hat, (see) what? hat what? hat, what? about the hat pl. What? hats, (no) what? caps for what? caps, (see) what? hats what? hats, what? about hats 1. A hat is called a head ... ... Dictionary of Dmitriev
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There are many mysterious phraseological units in the Russian language. Do you know, for example, what the expression "On the thief and the cap is on fire" means? Why should the headdress blaze with flames on the swindler? To answer these questions, let's fast forward a few centuries.
Joke about pickpockets and a sage
The meaning of the phraseological unit "The cap is on fire on the thief" is closely connected with one ancient story. It happened in a big city. Thefts in the market became more frequent, from which not only buyers, but also the merchants themselves suffered. People carried out searches, arranged cunning traps for pickpockets, but everything was useless. Then it was decided to ask for help from the local sage.
He listened to the story and promised to solve the problem. But it could be done on a special day. The inhabitants of the city waited a long time for the promised help from the sage. He appeared at the market in the midst of a big holiday, squeezed through the crowd and shouted loudly: "Look, people! The thief's hat caught fire!" In those days, everyone wore hats. The unlucky swindler was frightened and grabbed his hat, impersonating himself.
According to another interpretation, several people rushed to save their heads at once. They turned out to be thieves. The sage explained to the people that he had deliberately chosen a holiday to catch all the pickpockets in the city at once. The well-aimed phrase was remembered by the people and became winged.
The meaning of the phraseological unit "The cap is on fire on the thief"
People often remember this expression when it comes to a person who has exposed himself. It is applied not only to thieves. So they say about people who have committed some meanness or who are trying to hide their unseemly act. In such cases, the perpetrators try to behave as usual in order to avert possible suspicions. But nerves take their toll. A person looks away, fusses, gets confused in explanations and in the end he gives himself away.
The proverb is present not only in Russian. She is well known by Ukrainians and Poles. The Indians have a similar tradition. True, instead of a hat, a turban appears in it, and it was not necessary to set fire to it.
Indian legend of exposing thieves
The meaning of the story is similar to the meaning of the phraseological unit "The cap is on fire on the thief." There was a cotton market in Delhi. Only large dealers were allowed to enter it, there was a guard at the gate, guards were watching the rows. But the cotton still disappeared. The merchants turned to the wise vizier Birbal.
He gathered together all the dealers and announced: "We know who committed thefts. Thieves are so stupid! They managed to hide cotton even in their own turban!" Then three merchants reached for the head. They were afraid that a piece of cotton might stick to their clothes. Birbal ordered the guards to seize them and whip them. The perpetrators were quick to admit their guilt. They returned the money and served time in prison.
Why does the guilty give himself away?
The expression "On the thief and the cap is on fire" means that the guilty always involuntarily exposes himself. Why is this happening? It's all about the human psyche. We know from childhood what behavior is considered good and what is bad. Our parents punished us when we behaved inappropriately. Having matured, we continue to experience discomfort in violation of generally accepted rules. We instinctively fear retribution.
Criminals are constantly on edge. Their lives built on lies can be destroyed at any moment. Close people will turn away from them, having learned the truth, their ill-gotten position in society will be lost. Because of fear, the perpetrators commit many unnecessary actions, get confused in the testimony, and make stupid mistakes. And thus the hidden comes out.
The meaning of the phraseological unit "On the thief and the cap is on fire" can be conveyed in four words: the guilty person will give himself away. Our ancestors checked this truth more than once and passed it on to us with the help of popular expressions. Our task is to teach this to our children in order to protect them from numerous illegal temptations.
