The meaning of the proverb “It’s not Senka’s hat,” or the Rules of worldly wisdom.

In Rus', boyars wore high hats made of marten, sable or beaver fur; The more noble and ancient the boyar family was considered, the higher the hat was. (N. Kostomarov “Essay on the home life and morals of the Great Russian people in the 16th and 17th centuries”)

English analogues of the phraseological unit “Hat for Senka”

• The cobbler should stick to his last - the shoemaker should hold on to his last
• The higher the ape goes, the more he shows his tail - the higher the monkey climbs, the more visible its tail
• To fit like a glove - fits like a glove

Synonyms of the saying “It’s not Senka’s hat”

• You don't take it according to rank
• Wealth cannot buy intelligence
• According to Erema and the cap
• To each his own
• May God give honor to the one who knows how to take it down
• According to merit and honor
• They honored Savva neither in honor nor in glory
• By slave and master

Use of the phrase in literature

- “Good God! Pushkin was killed, Lermontov was killed, Pisarev was drowned, Ryleev was strangled... Would you say that the government is to blame? But after all, a master is like a slave, and a hat is like Senka" ( I. Bunin “Village”)
- “Klavka, having excited the old people, began to argue easily, with a smile: “Aunt Daria, that’s who you are.” Breathe on your own and choose to live your own life. Senka's hat" ( V. Rasputin “Farewell to Matera”)
- “Eulalia Andrevna, I see that we are rivals. Listen, give me Artemy Vasilich without a doubt. You need ideal people, with sublime feelings, and that’s what he’s like for me, and this one suits me too. According to Senka and the hat" ( A. Ostrovsky “Slaves”)
- “The captain’s house stood on a hill... the abomination of desolation was visible everywhere: the columns were askew, the roof was rotten, the mezzanine stood with broken glass. “It’s like Senka,” said Lekandra, climbing the shaky steps of the collapsed porch” ( D. Mamin-Sibiryak “We all eat bread”).
- “And after a few minutes I became convinced that now that she was gone, the need to think about her had lost its urgency..- In the end, her death was not so mysterious, something... something like that had to happen. According to Senka - a hat" ( M. Gorky “The Life of Klim Samgin”)

Hats, clothing and appearance have been since ancient times distinctive feature, defining different classes. External data is important condition in order to be considered one of the people in a certain circle social class. In Rus', it was the hat that showed a person’s belonging to one class or another. Previously, Senka was the name given to a nobleman who sits in the Senate, so he had to wear a hat in accordance with his class. Simple people They usually wore caps, which is why there is an analogue of the saying “For Senka, a hat,” which says that “for Yerema, and a cap.”

In general, the custom of covering hair came to us from ancient times. It was then that people began to consider hair as a container magical power. Thus, combed and cut hair could not simply be thrown away - it was believed that this could cause headache or, even worse, a sorcerer will find them and bring disaster to the owner of the hair.

In Rus', men cut their hair short. Usually they did their haircut using a pot, which was called “under the pot.” In order to do this hairstyle, you just needed to place a pot to your head and trim off the protruding edges of your hair. Women wore long hair, braided. Moreover, they wore one braid before marriage and two after they got married. Married woman could not appear in public without a headdress.

A headdress on a woman is, first of all, a tribute to tradition and decoration. A man's headdress indicated his position and social status. Russian nobility could wear hats made of velvet and valuable fur. In addition, a woman’s headdress could be used to determine her age. Family status and in what area she lives.

All men's hats in Rus' can be divided into several types. Ordinary people wore hats made of white felt in summer, and from cloth and fur in winter. Wealthy people could wear hats made of thin cloth or velvet, and the rich could afford hats made of brocade or satin; in addition, a band with pearls could be fastened here. Moscow dandies added gold buttons to such a hat. The headdresses of the kings amazed with their splendor and luxurious decoration. One of these headdresses is the well-known “Monomakh hat”. It came to Russia in the 14th century. as a gift from the Bukhara prince and has since become a symbol of power and autocracy in Russia. The hat also helped determine the nobility of the boyars. So, this could be understood by how tall their fur “throats” (hats made from fur taken from the throat of an animal) were. The more noble a person was, the higher the hat was on his head.

The common people did not have the right to wear luxurious fur hats made from sable, beaver or marten fur. Most likely, it was from those times that the expression “a hat according to Senka” originated. In modern Russian, a phraseological unit is used when we want to say that a person claims something that he does not deserve in accordance with his capabilities, spiritual qualities or mental abilities.

People at all times always wore hats, because a hat not only protected from bad weather, but also determined a person’s status and was a symbol of wealth. The hat took on all sorts of shapes! And it could tell a lot about its owner. But we are all human, and people tend to make mistakes. What if the hat on your head doesn't suit you at all? So, today’s publication will be devoted to the meaning of the proverb “It’s not Senka’s hat.”

The meaning and history of the origin of the proverb

This proverb is so ancient that its appearance dates back to around the 17th century. I would like to note that in those distant times, hats had great importance. Wearing hats was mandatory for men. Women were also required to cover their heads when getting married. The origin of man played a leading role. And it doesn't matter that you're stupid, the main thing is that you noble birth. By right of birth, a person was given honors. The proverb mentions a certain Senka, which indicates his simple origin; if he were noble, they would say Semyon about him. And if Senka bought himself a fur hat, and even one sewn with gold threads, then he would not have the right to wear it.

The meaning of the proverb “It’s not Senka’s hat” comes down to the fact that everyone is rewarded according to his deserts. In those days, belonging to a noble family was decisive. Over time, the meaning of the expression changed, and the meaning of the proverb “Not for Senka’s hat” acquired the following: a person is in the wrong place. This proverb is used with a bit of mocking irony, ridiculing the person who is not only out of place, but also not worthy of this position and the honors that he receives. And sometimes this position is simply beyond his strength or, as they say, beyond his capabilities.

The proverb is also used if a young man is courting a girl and, blinded by her beauty, sometimes does not see real picture: he is not a match for her. According to many criteria, she does not suit him, it is possible that this social status, and the difference in characters, and even height.

Today's day, or What to do if your boss is “Senka”

We looked in detail at what “It’s not like Senka’s hat” means, but what to do if you had to encounter “Senka” in real life? But first, you should make sure that you don’t have envy and don’t want to shift your work onto someone else’s shoulders. Still, be lenient, because “Senka” is also a person who has the right to make mistakes. It is quite possible that your patience and attentiveness will be generously rewarded over time. And if life has become so unbearable, then you should distract yourself and go, say, to the pool or gym. And don’t forget that you can start searching at any moment new job.

Instead of a thousand words

Thanks to the proverb “It’s not Senka’s hat,” the meaning of which we examined in detail in this publication, you can see the very essence of that worldly wisdom, which was formulated in the form of rules of life. It is enough to say the proverb, and there is no need to resort to lengthy explanations, the idea is clear. And your interlocutor quickly understands what idea they want to convey to him.

Knowing the meaning of the proverb “It’s not Senka’s hat” will help you use it appropriately. It's always a pleasure if appropriate occasion there is the right phrase that will not only teach, but also guide you on the right path.

According to tradition, men in Rus', when entering a church, took off their hats and folded them at the entrance, and at the end of the service they took them back. The one who was late had already arrived to the preliminary analysis, and since then this expression has been fixed in the meaning of “arriving somewhere too late, when everything is already over.” And the expression "nodding acquaintance", meaning a superficial and cursory acquaintance with someone, is also associated with the old custom. When acquaintances or friends met, they raised their hats in greeting, and only friends shook hands.

The custom of covering hair came to us from ancient times. It was then that the idea was born that hair is a repository of magical life force.
In Rus', a hat, more than any other item of clothing, testified to a person’s belonging to one class or another. Perhaps the saying appeared in those days “After Senka and the hat”. Famous proverb“According to Senka and a hat” was first recorded in Russian writing back in the 17th century. Senka, from the proverb, had a wide selection of hats, but his property resources allowed him to wear a felt cap and a sheepskin hat. The boyar dressed richer: in winter he wore a sable hat with a warm cap under it, in summer he wore a feather hat, and at home he rested in an elegantly embroidered slipper.

Word a cap arose in Russian from the French borrowing shap, igap, although it has been suggested that Turkic origin this word. In the texts of the 17th century. along with the common hat, they also used shapa, shapa, which can be considered historically the original for cap (shap + k + a with the original diminutive, which soon disappears): “The Novgorodian Anufrey Artemyev revealed the son of 110 hats of men”; “Mikhail didn’t give me his hat and he’s here with me, so I’ll give you your hat.” These examples are taken from historical sources XVII V.
All Russian men's hats were divided into several types. “Ordinary citizens have hats made of white felt in summer, and in winter they are made of cloth, lined with fur,” noted Olearius. These hats were called kolpak, although the name itself appeared only in the 17th century; before that, the hats were felted and were called felt boots.

The nobility of the boyar family in old Rus' could be easily determined by the height of their fur “gorlatny” (they were called gorlatny because the fur for them was taken from the throat of a killed animal) hats. The more noble and dignified the nobleman was, the higher such a hat rose above his head. The common people did not have the right (or even the means) to wear these luxurious hats made of marten, beaver or sable fur. This is where the proverbs were born: “According to Senka and the hat” or “According to Erem and the cap”, that is: to each honor according to his deserts.