Collection of pique vests. Pique vests

While he was indulging in his thoughts, strolling back and forth absentmindedly, the old men went about their daily business.

These were strange and funny people in our time.

Nearly all of them wore white pique waistcoats and straw boater hats. Some even wore hats made of darkened Panama straw. And, of course, everyone was already wearing yellowed starched collars, from which hairy chicken necks rose. Here, at the dining room at 68, where the famous Florida cafe used to be located, the ruins of the pre-war commercial Chernomorsk gathered: brokers left without their offices, commission agents who withered due to the lack of commissions, grain agents, accountants who had gone out of their minds and other riff-raff.

They used to gather here to make deals. Now they were drawn here, to a sunny corner, by a long-term habit and the need to scratch their old tongues. They read the Moscow Pravda every day—they did not respect the local press—and everything that happened in the world, the old people regarded as a prelude to declaring Chernomorsk a free city. Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, Chernomorsk was truly a free city, and it was so fun and profitable that the legend of "free port" still casts a golden sheen on the bright corner near the Florida cafe.

Have you read about the conference on disarmament? - addressed one pique waistcoat to another pique waistcoat. -- Speech by Count Bernstorf.

Bernstorf is the head! answered the asked waistcoat in such a tone as if he had been convinced of this on the basis of a long acquaintance with the count. “Did you read the speech that Snowden made at the assembly of voters in Birmingham, that stronghold of the Conservatives?”

Well, what to talk about ... Snowden is the head! Listen, Valiadis, he said to the third old man in Panama. - What do you think about Snowden?

I'll tell you frankly, - Panama answered, - Don't put your finger in Snowden's mouth. I personally wouldn't put my finger on it.

And, not in the least embarrassed by the fact that Snowden would never let Valiadis put his finger in his mouth, the old man continued:

But no matter what you say, I'll tell you frankly - Chamberlain is still a head too.

Pique vests raised their shoulders. They did not deny that Chamberlain is also a head. But Brian comforted them most of all.

Brian! they said with fervour. - This is the head! He and his pan-Europe project...

I'll tell you frankly, Monsieur Pound," Valiadis whispered, "everything is all right. Beneš has already agreed to a pan-Europe, but do you know under what condition?

Pique vests gathered close and stretched out their chicken necks.

Provided that Chernomorsk will be declared a free city. Benes is the head. After all, they also need to sell their agricultural implements to someone? Here we will buy.

At this message, the eyes of the old men gleamed. For many years they wanted to buy and sell,

Brian is the head! they said with a sigh. - Benesh - also a head.

When Ostap woke up from his thoughts, he saw that an unfamiliar old man in a crushed straw hat with a greasy black ribbon was holding him tightly by the side of his jacket. His trailer tie had slid aside, and a copper cufflink was looking straight at Ostap.

And I tell you, - the old man shouted into the ear of the great strategist, - that MacDonald will not fall for this bait! He will not fall for this bait! Do you hear?

Ostap pushed the boiled old man away with his hand and got out of the crowd.

Hoover is the head! - rushed after him. "And the Hindenburg is the head..."

The pique vest is out of fashion now, but you can hear this expression quite often. What is the secret of the old-fashioned vest, which, despite its unpopularity, remains on the lips of today's youth? Let's figure it out.

Pique vest - what is it?

This element of men's clothing has attracted attention since the time of Alexander II. It was at that time that men began to wear tailcoats to the theater. What did the pique vest mean at that time? It was an indicator of status and good taste.

In the XVIII century. pique fabric was highly valued. And this is not surprising, because, unlike ordinary cotton linen, pique does not wrinkle and warms better. Now such vests are out of fashion, and weave, which bears the same name, in the XXI century. made from synthetics. But still, this material has retained many of the features of its progenitor: it has a characteristic checkered texture and a pronounced ribbed pattern.

Today pique is used to make polo shirts and T-shirts for sports. And also pique is often used to create souvenirs. T-shirts are sewn from this material, on which printed or embroidered logos are then applied. This use is explained by the fact that the named fabric is quite practical and cheap.

Popularization history

Not everyone can answer what pique vests are, but before, any dandy dreamed of this fashionable new thing. At first, gentlemen wore such vests under a tailcoat, and then they began to complement the shirt.

Over time, tastes changed, and therefore the described element of the wardrobe either went into fashion or went out of it. The pique vest gained the greatest popularity in Soviet time, thanks to the book by Ilf and Petrov "The Golden Calf". But after all, the authors wrote their novel with an eye to reality, so we can safely conclude that in Soviet times the named vests were popular among people. old age. Old people wore them for warmth on chilly evenings.

In literature

And what does the expression "pique vest" used as a satirical definition mean? Its history is rooted in literature, or rather, in the notorious work of Ilf and Petrov "The Golden Calf". The book very vividly conveyed how the old men, dressed in pique vests, sit and discuss politics. And they got their information for the discussion from the newspaper. Moreover, the dialogue does not bear any semantic load, but you need to talk about something, so they raise burning topics.

The authors deliberately exacerbate the situation, and the old people are shown in a comical light. But anyway main goal it was not only to mock the older generation, but to show the fact that the lot of old people is to sit on a bench and discuss matters that absolutely do not concern them. And this is sad, because their youth has passed, and they are unhappy in their present.

The book "The Golden Calf" remains a bestseller to this day. She is loved by young people and older people. And there is no doubt that a well-aimed and capacious definition, thanks to her, will remain popular for more than one century.

In modern times

Such a "pique vest" today can be found everywhere: in the hospital, on public transport, on a bench in the park and on television. Moreover, today this expression personifies not only pensioners who like to rant about politics, but also young people who like to discuss the life of celebrities based on the yellow press.

Pique vests of the 21st century are ordinary people who have a narrow outlook and cannot independently reason about events. After all, it is much easier to read gossip than art books. Therefore, those who do not have own opinion, you have to be content with not always correct information from newspapers, glossy magazines or television talk shows.

This human love has reached a special strength with the advent of Instagram. Now, based on the posted photos, you can easily trace all the events of the life of a celebrity and draw your own conclusions. And then, foaming at the mouth, prove to friends the theories that were derived from the new post, and listen to their eloquent answers based on the same information.

Ilf and Petrov wanted to convey to people the simple fact that each of us lives our own life and must solve our own problems. The empty talk that goes on all over the place will never bring any benefit. And to express someone else's opinion with a very authoritative air, a great mind is not required. Therefore, you need to stop transfusing from empty to empty and not to have stupid conversations with stupid people.

The stable phrase "pique vest" has long and firmly established itself in the Russian language, both in colloquial and literary. But not everyone, faced with this expression, understands what in question. This article will help you figure it out.

Interpretation

To begin with, you should disassemble the word "pikey". What is a "pike"? This word French descent- pique, literally translated means "quilted". In our language, this is the name of a double plain weave, which has a convex pattern, that is, it is quilted, warm. Accordingly, this phrase does not carry any unusual meaning. What is in it? In our speech, it appeared and was fixed thanks to immortal work, which was written by Ilf and Petrov - "The Golden Calf", released in 1931.

What does the expression "pique vest" mean?

For those who have not read, or do not remember this from the book - a small digression. In the novel "The Golden Calf" in the city of Chernomorsk, respectable old men, dressed in white pique waistcoats and boaters, gathered in their usual place near the dining room every day. Elderly men were left out of work, so they discussed the news that they read in the Moscow newspaper Pravda, since they did not trust the local print media.

WITH important view, as true experts in all fields of knowledge, they discussed what is happening in the world and in the country, assessed the actions of politicians and diplomats, unraveled their secret motives and plans, thoughtfully talked about what they did not understand at all or were little knowledgeable. And also believed that their town plays important role in world geopolitics. The emphasis on warm old age vests is done because they are hopelessly outdated even for their time, both the vests themselves and their wearers. Subsequently, this phrase became

Pique vest - what does it mean in real time?

Actually, the meaning is almost the same as in the novel "The Golden Calf". This ordinary people, ordinary people who like to discuss various contentious issues, presenting themselves as professional experts in all areas of science, politics, economics, sports, although in fact they are ignorant in this matter and, in fact, are engaged in empty chatter. At the same time, they present their opinion as the only correct one.

Has the meaning changed?

And yet, much has changed since those times described in the novel that Ilf and Petrov created "The Golden Calf". Their pique vests were respectable people who had nothing to do after. Now, people completely become pique vests. different ages, gender and social class. In fact, this phenomenon has become a kind of phenomenon, the causes of which are difficult to understand. You never know what will push a person, even an intellectual, to become a pique vest.

Why is this happening?

The modern world with its technological progress has brought many new opportunities to the activity of pique vests. The Internet provides access to a wealth of information. This is no longer just the Pravda newspaper, it is a mass of various sources: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, online publications, social media and others. And all this is freely available. In addition, more and more people do not want to work, work, everyone wants to do nothing and get money out of thin air. They also spend all their time on the Internet. This is no longer the "Golden Calf", where a pique vest can share his opinion with a group of interlocutors, now he has at his disposal a huge audience, millions of people.

From here all sorts of so-called "experts", "analysts", as well as bloggers and simple commentators appear. It's just that they don't have their own opinion. They either interpret or simply retell the one that they consider to be the only true one. There is a direct parallel with the novel here. And it doesn't matter at all if it is a "yellow press" or something like that. There are quite a few who are paid to pass off other people's thoughts as their own, which the customer needs. For Ilf and Petrov, this was an occupation for the soul. In general, pique vests have clearly reached a new level.

A popular expression in modern realities.

The phrase “pique vest” itself is no doubt still relevant. However, new realities are making their own adjustments, now this popular expression has its own synonyms on the network. These are "sofa analysts" and "sofa troops". Why sofas? Why, it is no longer necessary to gather “opposite the covered veranda of the Narpit dining room No. 68”, now you can do this on your favorite sofa at the computer.

As for the first, everything is quite clear here. Armchair analysts unequivocally consider themselves experts in all sorts of economic matters, such as exchange rates, international economic relations, gas prices, and all that sort of thing.

Naturally, without politics, nowhere. They write whole "analytical articles", which, however, for the most part no one reads. They denounce government actions, expose political intrigues, predict elections, and do so many other things that it looks like they don't do anything else at all. This is the meaning of their life.

Due to the fact that in last years wars break out in one or another country, and in general the situation in the world is quite tense and explosive, a whole army of "couch troops" has appeared different countries. This type of pique vests has imagined itself to be real experts in the field of tactics and strategy of warfare, weapons, incitement and repayment of military conflicts. They think that in the warmth and comfort, behind the screen of their monitors, they know better how to fight than politicians, generals, and even soldiers at the front.

Let's go back to basics and compare

And yet, the pique vests of Ilf and Petrov were harmless. Unlike modern ones, they were not rude to each other. They only agreed that “Snowden is the head” and “don’t put your finger in his mouth”, or disagreed, while looking into the interlocutor’s eyes, and did not throw mud at him for a different opinion.

"It was strange and funny people"- so it is said about them in the novel. Modern pique vests are also weird and funny. Because many of their opuses are really funny to read. And how strange a person must be to waste a lot of his time in order to write outright nonsense.

In the "Golden Calf" everything that happened in the world, pique vests were considered as "a prelude to the announcement of Chernomorsk as a free city." And now they consider all the events in the world as if everything that happens concerns them directly. On the net, they are foaming at the mouth to tell politicians what to do, as if the first persons of the state will really read them. The nuance that you can hide your identity on the Internet gives rise to a whole wave of rudeness, aggression and other negativity towards those who do not agree with your opinion. In general, the image of a pique waistcoat, born by Ilf and Petrov, has somewhat changed and is firmly rooted in the life of society.

Pique vests
From the novel (Ch. 14) The Golden Calf (1931) Soviet writers Ilya Ilf (1897-1937) and Evgeny Petrov (1903-1942).
The authors write about “venerable old men” (“almost all of them were in white pique waistcoats and straw boater hats”) who gather in Chernomorsk at their usual place near dining room No. 68 and discuss the latest international news they gleaned from the newspaper Pravda. At the same time, they give assessments to politicians, unravel their secret plans, judge everything with an important air of connoisseurs:
“Have you read about the conference on disarmament? - addressed one pique waistcoat to another pique waistcoat. - Speech by Count Bernstorf.
Bernstorff is the head! - answered the asked waistcoat in such a tone, as if he was convinced of that on the basis of a long acquaintance with the count. Did you read Snowden's speech at the electoral meeting in Birmingham, that Conservative stronghold?
Well, what to talk about ... Snowden is a head! .. "
Pique vests seriously believe that a considerable place is given to Chernomorsk in these large-scale plans - foreign powers are working to ensure that this country town was nevertheless declared a free city (that is, a city with the right to free trade), as the old people in Panama - former brokers, sales agents, etc., really want.
Ironically: about people eager for thoughtful discussions on topics of internal and foreign policy, but ill-informed and therefore indulging in empty talk, ridiculous assumptions, hypotheses.

• - Razg. Shuttle. On the workers of the road repair service. Mokienko 2003, 31...

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"Pique vests" in books

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