The rarest phraseological units. Friends of the language - phraseological units

All kinds of encyclopedias and dictionaries, as well as Wikipedia, give various definitions. The simplest meaning of “Phraseological unit” is given in the Encyclopedic Dictionary.

“A phraseological unit is a stable figure of speech, a phrase, an expression, the meaning of which does not consist of the concepts of its constituent words.”

In one of the most widespread languages ​​on the planet - Russian, there are a huge number of such examples of phraseological units. If you add expressions that were borrowed from foreign languages, then you might think that all we do is talk using phraseological units.

"Throw down the gauntlet"

"Beat but listen"

"Beat the Key"

"Through the Sleeves"

"Leave it with your nose"

• A phraseological unit is the root of a concept, the basis, a key phrase, a complete turn of speech, a complete thought.
• The word "Phrase" was borrowed from the Greek language "phrasis", which is translated into Russian as "expression".
• The concept of “Phrase” served as the name of the science of language - phraseology, part of linguistics.

The term "Phraseology" consists of two ancient Greek words "phrasis" - "expression" and "logos" - "concept". This is the science that studies stable figures of speech.

Phraseologism can be divided into several types:

Phraseological expressions

Phraseological unities

Phraseological combinations

Phraseological adjunctions (idioms)

Phraseological expressions, are a special figure of speech, which all consist of words with a free meaning. Their peculiarity is their use as ready-made speech patterns.

Example Phraseological expressions aphorisms may serve: " knowledge is power", proverbs:" when the cancer on the mountain whistles", "Where there is a horse with a hoof, there is a crayfish with a claw", as well as common cliches used in everyday colloquial speech:" Good afternoon", "see you again", "best wishes".

Phraseological unities, are a figure of speech in which each term has its own special meaning, but when connected they take on a figurative meaning.

"Cast a fishing rod"

"Getting online"

"To go with the flow"

Phraseological combinations are a figure of speech in which words have a non-free (used only in a specific phrase) or free meaning. Combinations differ from unity and adhesions in that the words included in the expression can be replaced.

"Lust for Glory"

"Revenge"

"Lust for Money"

"Burn with Hate"

"Burn with Love"

"Burn with shame"

A phrase can be not only a complete sentence, a thought, but also a figure of speech, a musical passage, and in singing it can be a musical figure that can be sung without taking a breath.

Phraseological adhesions or as they are also called, idioms, are an unchangeable and untranslatable expression peculiar only to a given language. The term idiom was borrowed from the Greek language “idioma” and is translated as “a peculiar phrase”.

"Neither fish nor fowl"

"Seven spans in the forehead"

"Don't sew a tail on a mare"

• In a phrase they call beautiful, bright, loud speech not sincere, hypocritical, not corresponding to the content.
• Fraser- this is a narcissistic person who utters meaningless, beautiful speeches. A synonym for the term “Fraser” can be the word windbag, talker.
• Fraserism, Phraseology- this is an addiction to meaningless, loud, beautiful speech, essentially idle talk.

Example of Fraserism in Literature

In the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov, you can pay attention to the monologue of a certain Gaev, which he addresses to the closet: " Dear, dear closet! I greet your existence, which for more than a hundred years has been directed exclusively towards the ideals of justice and goodness, your silent call, which forced us to work fruitfully, has not weakened for many hundred years, maintaining, despite sorrows, faith in a better future, cheerfulness and education we have social consciousness and ideals of goodness".

Phraseologisms in video pictures

Speech is a way of communication between people. To achieve complete mutual understanding and express your thoughts more clearly and figuratively, many lexical techniques are used, in particular, phraseological units (phraseological unit, idiom) - stable figures of speech that have independent meaning and are characteristic of a particular language. Often, simple words are not enough to achieve a certain speech effect. Irony, bitterness, love, mockery, your own attitude to what is happening - all this can be expressed much more succinctly, 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, and legends.

Augean stables

First clear out these Augean stables, and then you can go for a walk.

Meaning. A cluttered, polluted place where everything is in complete disarray.

Origin. An ancient Greek legend tells us that King Augeas lived in ancient Elis, 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 Augeas' service, and the king instructed him 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 into the gates of the stables, and a stormy stream washed away all the dirt from there within a day.

The Greeks sang this feat along with the other eleven, and the expression “Augean stables” began to be applied to everything neglected, polluted to the last limit, and generally to denote great disorder.

Arshin swallow

It stands as if it had swallowed an arshin.

Meaning. Standing unnaturally straight.

Origin. The Turkish word “arshin”, meaning a measure of length of one cubit, has long become Russian. Before the revolution, Russian merchants and craftsmen constantly used arshins - wooden and metal rulers seventy-one centimeters long. Imagine what a person must look like after swallowing such a ruler, and you will understand why this expression is used in relation to prim and arrogant people.

Overeat henbane

In Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” the old man, outraged by the shameless greed of his old woman, angrily says to her: “Why, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?”

Meaning. Behaving absurdly, viciously, like a madman.

Origin. In the village, in the backyards and landfills, you can find tall bushes with dirty yellowish flowers with purple veins and an unpleasant odor. This is henbane - a very poisonous plant. Its seeds resemble poppy seeds, but whoever eats them becomes like a madman: he raves, goes on a rampage, and often dies.

Buridanov's donkey

He rushes about, cannot decide on anything, like Buridan’s donkey.

Meaning. An extremely indecisive person, hesitating between equally valuable decisions.

Origin. Philosophers of the late Middle Ages put forward a theory according to which the actions of living beings depend not 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. Take a hungry donkey and put on both sides of his muzzle, at equal distances, are two identical armfuls of hay. The donkey will have no reason to prefer one of them to the other: after all, they are exactly alike. He will not be able to reach for either the right or the left and will eventually die from hunger.

Let's go back to our sheep

However, enough about this, let's get back to our sheep.

Meaning. An appeal to the speaker not to be distracted from the main topic; a statement that his digression from the topic of conversation was over.

Origin. Let's return to our sheep - a tracing from the French revenons a nos moutons from the farce “The Lawyer Pierre Patlin” (c. 1470). With these words, the judge interrupts the speech of the rich clothier. Having initiated a case against the shepherd who stole a sheep from him, the clothier, forgetting about his litigation, showers reproaches on the shepherd's defender, lawyer Patlen, who did not pay him for six cubits of cloth.

Versta Kolomenskaya

Everyone will immediately pay attention to a Kolomna mile like you.

Meaning. This is what they call a very tall person, a brute.

Origin. In the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow there was the summer residence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The road there was busy, wide and considered the main one in the state. And when huge milestones were erected, the likes of which had never been seen in Russia, the glory of this road increased even more. The savvy people did not fail to take advantage of the new product and dubbed the lanky man the Kolomna milepost. That's what they still say.

Lead by the nose

The smartest man, he fooled his opponent by the nose more than once or twice.

Meaning. Deceive, mislead, promise and fail to deliver.

Origin. The expression was associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies took bears to show by wearing a nose ring. And they forced them, poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of a handout.

Hair on end

Horror gripped him: his eyes rolled out, his hair stood on end.

Meaning. This is what they say when a person is very scared.

Origin. “Standing on end” means standing at attention, on your fingertips. That is, when a person gets scared, his hair seems to stand on tiptoes on his head.

That's where the dog is buried!

Ah, that's it! Now it’s 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 his campaigns and battles with his beloved dog. Once, during a trip to the Netherlands, a dog even saved its 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 only be found by tourists 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,” “I got to the bottom of it.”

But there is a more ancient and no less probable source of the saying 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 a dog that belonged to Xanthippus, the father of Pericles, did not want to part with its owner, jumped into the sea and swam after the ship to Salamis. Exhausted from fatigue, she died immediately.

According to the testimony of the ancient historian Plutarch, a cinema sema was erected for this dog on the seashore - a dog 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 spirits supposedly guarding every treasure, did not dare to directly mention the purpose of their search and conventionally began to talk about a black dog, implying the devil and the treasure.

Thus, according to this version, the expression “that’s where the dog is buried” meant: “that’s where the treasure is buried.”

Add the first number

For such deeds, of course, they should get paid the first day!

Meaning. Severely punish or scold someone

Origin. Well, what, this expression is familiar to you... And where did it come from on your unfortunate head! You won't believe it, 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 would last for a long time, until the first day of the next month.

Rub glasses

Don't believe it, they're trying to bully you!

Meaning. To deceive someone by presenting the matter in a distorted, incorrect, but beneficial light for the speaker.

Origin. We are not talking about glasses that are used to correct vision. There is another meaning for the word "points": the red and black marks on playing cards. For as long as there have been cards, there have been dishonest players and cheaters. In order to deceive their partner, they resorted to all sorts of tricks. By the way, they knew how to quietly “rub in points” - turn a seven into a six or a four into a five, on the go, during the game, by gluing in a “point” or covering it with a special white powder. It is clear that “to cheat” came to mean “to cheat”, hence special words were born: “fraud”, “fraud” - a trickster who knows how to embellish his work, pass off the bad as very good.

Voice in the wilderness

Work in vain, you will not convince them, your words are the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

Meaning. Denotes vain persuasion, appeals that no one heeds.

Origin. As the biblical stories tell, one of the ancient 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 lower, the valleys to be filled, and the crookedness and unevenness to be straightened. However, the calls of the hermit prophet remained “the voice of one 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 says a good word to me? After all, I'm an orphan all around. 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 ancient military battering gun. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast iron block attached to chains. Nothing extra!

Naked truth

This is the state of affairs, the naked truth without embellishment.

Meaning. The truth is as it is, without mincing words.

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 truth (truth) in the form of a naked woman, which was supposed to symbolize the true state of affairs without silence or embellishment.

Onion grief

Do you know how to cook soup, dear onion.

Meaning. A klutz, an unlucky person.

Origin. The caustic volatile substances contained in abundance in the onion irritate the eyes, and the housewife, while crushing the onion for her cooking, sheds tears, although there is not the slightest grief. It is curious that tears caused by the action of irritants differ in chemical composition from sincere tears. Fake tears contain more protein (this is not surprising, since such tears are designed to neutralize caustic substances that enter 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 passing nuisance. Most often, they turn half-jokingly, half-sorrowfully to a child who has done something strange again.

Two-Faced Janus

She is deceitful, cunning 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, that's it, now you can sleep peacefully: it's all in the bag.

Meaning. Everything is fine, 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 have found its way into a popular saying at that time.

There is another explanation: much later, clerks and clerks, when dealing with court cases, used their hats to receive bribes.

If only you could help me,” says the plaintiff to the clerk in a sarcastic poem. A.K. Tolstoy, - I would pour ten rubles into my hat, by the way. Joke? “Rash now,” said the clerk, holding up his cap. - Come on!

It is very possible that the question: “Well, how am I doing?” - clerks often answered with a sly wink: “It’s in the bag.” This is where the saying could have come from.

Money doesn't smell

He took the money and didn’t wince, money doesn’t 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 brought the money to his son's nose and asked if it smelled. He answered negatively. Then the emperor said: “But they are from urine...” Based on this episode, a catchphrase developed.

Keep in a black body

Don't let her sleep in bedBy the light of the morning star, Keep the lazy girl in the black body And don’t take the reins off her!

Nikolay Zabolotsky

Meaning. To treat someone harshly, strictly making you work hard; to oppress someone.

Origin. The expression comes from Turkic expressions associated with horse breeding, meaning - to eat in moderation, to be malnourished (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 comes “to keep in a black body.”

Bring to white heat

Vile guy, drives me crazy.

Meaning. Make you angry to the limit, drive you crazy.

Origin. When metal is heated during forging, it glows differently depending on the temperature: first red, then yellow and finally blinding white. At a higher temperature, the metal will melt and boil. An expression from the speech of blacksmiths.

Smoke rocker

In the tavern the smoke stood like a yoke: songs, dances, shouting, fighting.

Meaning. Noise, din, disorder, turmoil.

Origin. In old Rus', huts were often heated in a black way: the smoke escaped not through the chimney, but through a special window or door. And they predicted the weather by the shape of the smoke. The smoke comes in a column - it will be clear, dragging - towards fog, rain, a rocker - towards the wind, bad weather, or even a storm.

Egyptian executions

What kind of punishment is this, just Egyptian executions!

Meaning. Disasters that bring torment, severe punishment

Origin. Goes back to the biblical story of 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 and other reservoirs and containers turned into blood, but remained transparent for the Jews. Execution by frogs. As was promised to Pharaoh: “They will go out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and into your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. Toads filled the whole land of Egypt.

Invasion of midges. As a third punishment, hordes of midges fell upon Egypt, attacking the Egyptians, clinging to them, getting into their eyes, noses, and ears.

Dog flies. The country was flooded with dog flies, from which all animals, including domestic ones, began to attack the Egyptians.

Cattle pestilence. All Egyptians' livestock died out; only the Jews were not affected by the attack. Ulcers and boils. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to take a handful of furnace soot and throw it up in front of Pharaoh. And the bodies of the Egyptians and the animals were covered with terrible sores and boils. Thunder, lightning and fiery hail. A storm began, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a hail of fire 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 children in Egypt (except for the Jewish ones) died in one night, Pharaoh gave up and allowed the Jews to leave Egypt. Thus began the Exodus.

Iron curtain

We live as if behind an iron curtain, no one comes to us, and we don’t visit anyone.

Meaning. Obstacles, obstacles, complete political isolation of the country.

Origin. At the end of the 18th century. An iron curtain was lowered onto the theater stage to protect spectators in case of a fire. 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? Don't trust the yellow press.

Meaning. A low-quality, deceitful press, greedy for cheap sensations.

Origin. In 1895, the New York World newspaper began regularly publishing a series of comic strips called “The Yellow Kid.” Its main character, a boy in a long yellow shirt, made funny comments about various events. In early 1896, another newspaper, the New York Morning Journal, lured the creator of the comic strip, artist Richard Outcault. Both publications thrived on publishing scandalous materials. A dispute broke out between competitors over the copyright of “Yellow Baby.” In the spring of 1896, the editor of the New York Press, Erwin Wordman, commenting on this litigation, contemptuously called both newspapers “the yellow press.”

Alive Smoking Room

A. S. Pushkin wrote an epigram to the critic M. Kachenovsky, which began with the words: “How! Is Kurilka the journalist still alive? It ended with wise advice: “...How to extinguish a stinking splinter? How can I kill my Smoking Room? Give me some advice.” - “Yes... spit on him.”

Meaning. An exclamation when mentioning someone's continued activity or existence despite difficult conditions.

Origin. There was an old Russian game: a lit splinter was passed from hand to hand, chanting: “The Smoking Room is alive, alive, alive, alive, not dead!..” The one whose splinter went out, began to smoke, and smoke, lost.

Gradually, the words “the Smoking Room is alive” began to be applied to certain figures and various phenomena that, according to the logic of things, should have disappeared long ago, but, despite everything, continued to exist.

Behind seven seals

Well, of course, because this is a sealed secret for you!

Meaning. Something incomprehensible.

Origin. Goes back to the biblical expression “a book with seven seals” - a symbol of secret knowledge 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 Him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open this book and to open its seals?” And no one in heaven, nor on earth, nor 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 of the book. After the opening 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 ordered John to eat the book: “... it will be bitter in your belly, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey,” in order to talk about the future renewal of the whole world and dispel the fears of believers about the future of Christianity, which Jews, pagans and false teachers are fighting on all sides.”

Nick down

And get this in your head: you won’t be able to deceive me!

Meaning. Remember it firmly, once and for all.

Origin. The word “nose” here does not mean the organ of smell. Oddly enough, it means “memorable tablet”, “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.

The truth is in the wine

And next to the neighboring tables Sleepy footmen hang around, And drunkards with rabbit eyes shout “In vino Veritas.”

Alexander Blok

Meaning. If you want to find out exactly what a person is thinking, 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 to mean: what is on the sober mind is on the tongue of the drunk.

It is not worth it

You shouldn't do this. The game is clearly not worth the candle.

Meaning. The effort expended 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 head analysis

Well, brother, you've come late to the very basic 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 forbidden to go inside with a hat, put their three hats and caps at the very entrance. At the end of the church service, when everyone left, they took them apart. Only those who were clearly in no hurry to go to church came to the “head-by-side analysis.”

How to get chickens into cabbage soup

And he ended up 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 without any idea of ​​its true meaning. Let's start with the word "chicken". This word in old Russian means “rooster”. But “cabbage soup” was not in this proverb before, and it was pronounced correctly: “I got caught in the plucking like a chicken,” that is, I was plucked, “unlucky.” The word “plucking” was forgotten, and then people, willy-nilly, changed the expression “to plucking” to “into cabbage soup.” When she was born is not entirely clear: some think that even under Demetrius the Pretender, when she was “plucked”; the Polish conquerors fell; 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 give out right and left: caliphs for an hour.

Meaning. About a man who accidentally found himself in a position of power for a short time.

Origin. The Arabic fairy tale “A Waking Dream, or Caliph for an Hour” (collection “A Thousand and One Nights”) tells how the young Baghdadian Abu-Shssan, not knowing that the caliph Grun-al-Rashid is in front of him, shares with him his cherished dream - become caliph at least for a day. Wanting to have fun, Harun al-Rashid pours sleeping pills into Abu Hassan’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-1ksan believes that he is the caliph, enjoys luxury and begins to give orders. In the evening, he again drinks wine with sleeping pills and wakes up at home.

Scapegoat

I'm afraid that you will forever be their scapegoat.

Meaning. Responsible for someone else's fault, for the mistakes of others, because the true culprit cannot be found or wants to evade responsibility.

Origin. The phrase goes back to the text of the Bible, to the description of the ancient Hebrew ritual of transferring the sins of the people (community) onto a living goat. This ritual was performed in the event of desecration of the sanctuary where the Ark of the Ark was located by Jews. To atone 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 priest laid his hands on it as a sign that all the sins of the community were transferred to him, after which the goat was expelled into the desert. All those present at the ceremony were considered purified.

sing Lazarus

Stop singing Lazarus, stop being poor.

Meaning. Beg, whine, complain exaggeratedly about fate, trying to evoke 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 pitiful lamentations, alms from passers-by. The blind people especially often sang the song “About the Rich Man and Lazarus,” composed based on one gospel story. Lazarus was poor and his brother was rich. Lazarus ate the rich man's leftover 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 reassure those from whom beggars begged for money. Since not all beggars were actually so unhappy, their plaintive moans were often feigned.

Get into trouble

You promised to be careful, but you deliberately get into trouble!

Meaning. Undertaking something risky, running into trouble, doing something dangerous, doomed to failure.

Origin. Rozhon is a sharpened stake that was used in bear hunting. When hunting with a goad, daredevils held this sharp stake in front of them. The enraged beast got into trouble and died.

Disservice

Constant praise from your lips is a real disservice.

Meaning. Unsolicited help, a service that does more harm than good.

Origin. The primary source is I. A. Krylov’s fable “The Hermit and the Bear.” It tells how the Bear, wanting to help his friend the Hermit smack a fly that had landed on his forehead, killed the Hermit himself along with it. But this expression is not in the fable: it developed and entered folklore later.

Cast pearls before swine

In a letter to A. A. Bestuzhev (late January 1825), A. S. Pushkin writes: “The first sign of an intelligent person is to know at first glance who you are dealing with, and not to throw pearls in front of the Repetilovs and the like.”

Meaning. Wasting words speaking to people who cannot understand you.

Origin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ says: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces” (Gospel of Matthew, 7: b). In the Church Slavonic translation, the word “pearl” sounds like “beads”. It is 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 even approach him on a crooked goat.

Meaning. He is completely unapproachable, it is not clear how to contact him.

Origin. Amusing their high patrons, using harps and bells for their amusement, dressing up in goat and bear skins, and in the plumage of a crane, these “spinners” were sometimes able to do some pretty good things.

It is possible that their repertoire also included riding goats or pigs. Obviously, it was the buffoons who sometimes encountered such a bad mood from a high-ranking person that “even a goat had no effect on him.”

Unlucky man

Nothing went well with him, and in general he was a bad person.

Meaning. Frivolous, careless, dissolute.

Origin. In the old days in Rus', not only the road was called a path, but also various positions at the prince’s court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the hunter's path is in charge of hound hunting, the stablemaster's path is in charge of carriages and horses. The boyars tried by hook or by crook to get a position from the prince. And those who did not succeed were spoken of with disdain: a good-for-nothing person.

Shelve

Now you’ll put it on the back burner, and then you’ll forget it completely.

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, the father of Peter I, ordered a long box to be installed in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace, where anyone could drop their complaint. Complaints were received, but it was very difficult to wait for a solution: months and years passed. The people renamed this “long” box “long”.

It is possible that the expression, if not born, was fixed in speech later, in “presences” - institutions of the 19th century. The officials of that time, accepting various petitions, complaints and petitions, undoubtedly sorted them, putting them in different boxes. “Long” could be called the one where the most leisurely tasks were postponed. It is clear that the petitioners were afraid of such a box.

Retired goat drummer

I am no longer in office - a retired goat drummer.

Meaning. A person not needed by anyone, respected by anyone.

Origin. In the old days, trained bears were brought to fairs. They were accompanied by a dancing boy dressed as a goat, and a drummer accompanying his dance. This was the “goat drummer”. He was perceived as a worthless, frivolous person. What if the goat is also “retired”?

Bring it under the monastery

What have you done, what should I do now, you brought me under the monastery, and that’s all.

Meaning. To put someone in a difficult, unpleasant position, to bring them 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 went to the monastery. According to another version, the expression is related to the fact that Russian guides led 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 difficult life of women in Tsarist Russia. Only strong relatives could protect 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 sent to the monastery “in humility” for six months or a year.

Plant the pig

Well, he has a nasty character: he planted the pig and is satisfied!

Meaning. Secretly set up some nasty thing, do some mischief.

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 quietly put pork in his food, then his faith was desecrated.

Get into trouble

The guy got into such trouble that even the guard screamed.

Meaning. Find yourself in 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 not a pleasant thing.

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: water and sauerkraut. Preparing them was not particularly difficult. And if someone was called a master of sour cabbage soup, it meant that he was not fit for anything worthwhile.

Beluga roar

For three days in a row she roared like a beluga.

Meaning. Scream or cry loudly.

Origin. “As dumb as a fish” - this has been known for a long time. And suddenly “beluga roar”? It turns out that we are not talking about the beluga, but about the beluga whale, which is the name of the polar dolphin. He really roars very loudly.

Breeding antimonies

That's it, the conversation is over. I have no time to create antimonies with you here.

Meaning. Chat, carry on empty conversations. Observe unnecessary ceremony in relationships.

Origin. From the Latin name for antimony (antimonium), which was used as a medicine and cosmetic, after first grinding it and then dissolving it. Antimony does not dissolve well, so the process was very long and laborious. And while it was dissolving, the pharmacists carried on endless conversations.

On the side of the bake

Why should I go to them? Nobody called me. It's called coming - on the side of the heat!

Meaning. Everything is random, extraneous, attached to something from the outside; superfluous, unnecessary

Origin. This expression is often distorted by saying “on the side.” In fact, it could be expressed with the words: “side bake.” For bakers, baked, or baked, are 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. This is what 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. The Mirzas (Tatar princes), finding themselves subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg all sorts of concessions from him, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.

Grated kalach

Like a grated kalach, I can give you practical advice.

Meaning. This is what they call an experienced person who is difficult to deceive.

Origin. There used to be such a type of bread - “grated kalach”. The dough for it was crumpled, kneaded, “grated” for a very long time, which is why the kalach turned out to be unusually fluffy. And there was also a proverb - “do not grate, do not crush, there will be no kalach.” That is, trials and tribulations teach a person. The expression comes from a proverb, and not from the name of the bread.

Tip on your tongue

What are you saying? Thump your tongue!

Meaning. An expression of dissatisfaction with what was said, an unkind wish to someone who says something that is not meant to be said.

Origin. It is clear that this is a wish, and not a very friendly one. But what is its significance? Pip is a small horny tubercle on the tip of a bird's tongue that helps them peck food. The growth of such a tubercle may be a sign of illness. Hard pimples on the human tongue are called pimples by analogy with these bird bumps. According to superstitious beliefs, pip usually appears in deceitful people. Hence the bad wish, designed to punish liars and deceivers. From these observations and superstitions, an incantatory formula was born: “Tip on your tongue!” Its main meaning was: “You are a liar: let there be a pip on your tongue!” Now the meaning of this spell has changed somewhat. “Tip your tongue!” - an ironic wish to the one who expressed an unkind thought, predicted something unpleasant.

Sharpen the laces

Why are you sitting idle and sharpening your swords?

Meaning. Talking idle talk, engaging in useless chatter, gossiping.

Origin. Lyasy (balusters) are turned figured posts of the railing at the porch; Only a true master could make such beauty. Probably, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant conducting an elegant, fancy, ornate (like balusters) conversation. And by our time, there were fewer and fewer people who could conduct such a conversation. So this expression came to mean empty chatter. Another version elevates the expression to the meaning of the Russian word balyasy - tales, Ukrainian balyas - noise, which go back directly to the common Slavic “tell”.

Pull the gimp

Now they’re gone, he’ll keep dragging his feet until we give up on this idea ourselves.

Meaning. To procrastinate, to delay something, to speak monotonously and tediously.

Origin. Gimp is the finest gold, silver or copper thread, which was used to embroider braids, aiguillettes and other decorations of officer uniforms, as well as priests' vestments and simply rich costumes. It was made in a handicraft way, by heating the metal and carefully pulling out a thin wire with pliers. 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 face in the dirt

Don't let us down, don't lose face in front of the guests.

Meaning. To make a mistake, to disgrace oneself.

Origin. To hit the dirt with your face originally meant “to fall on the dirty ground.” Such a fall was considered especially shameful by the people in fist fights - wrestling competitions, when a weak opponent was thrown prone to the ground.

In the middle of nowhere

What, should we go see him? Yes, this is in the middle of nowhere.

Meaning. Very far away, somewhere in the wilderness.

Origin. Kulichiki is a distorted Finnish word “kuligi”, “kulizhki”, which has long been included in Russian speech. This is what forest clearings, meadows, and swamps were called in the north. Here, in the wooded part of the country, settlers of the distant past constantly cut down “kulizhki” in the forest - areas for plowing and mowing. In old charters 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 “kulizhki”, worse developed than those close to him, where, according to the ideas of that time, goblins, devils, and all sorts of forest evil spirits lived in the swamps and windfalls. This is how ordinary words received their second, figurative meaning: very far away, at the edge of the world.

Fig leaf

She is a terrible pretender and lazy person, 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, experienced shame and girded themselves with fig leaves (fig tree): “And their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed together fig leaves and made girdles for themselves "(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.

Filka's certificate

What kind of filthy letter is this, can’t you really express your thoughts?

Meaning. An ignorant, illiterate document.

Metropolitan Philip could not come to terms with the revelry of the guardsmen. In his numerous messages to the tsar - letters - he sought to convince Grozny to abandon his policy of terror and dissolve the oprichnina. Tsyuzny contemptuously called the disobedient Metropolitan Filka, and his letters - Filka letters.

For his bold denunciations of Ivan the Terrible and his guardsmen, Metropolitan Philip was imprisoned in the Tverskoy Monastery, where he was strangled by Malyuta Skuratov.

Grab the stars from the sky

He is a man not without abilities, but there are not enough stars from heaven.

Meaning. Do not be distinguished by talents and outstanding abilities.

Origin. A phraseological expression associated, apparently, by association with the award stars of military and officials as insignia.

That's enough of a prickle

He was in great health, and suddenly he got sick.

Meaning. Someone died suddenly or was suddenly paralyzed.

Origin. According to the historian S. M. Solovyov, the expression is associated with the name of the leader of the Bulavin uprising on the Don in 1707, Ataman Kondraty Afanasyevich Bulavin (Kondrashka), who in a sudden raid destroyed the entire royal detachment led by the governor Prince Dolgoruky.

Apple of discord

This ride is a real bone of contention, can’t you give in, let him go.

Meaning. What gives rise to conflict, serious contradictions.

Origin. Peleus and Thetis, the parents of the Trojan War hero Achilles, forgot to invite the goddess of discord Eris to their wedding. Eris was very offended and secretly threw a golden apple onto the table at which gods and mortals were feasting; on it was written: “To the most beautiful.” A dispute arose between three goddesses: Zeus's wife Hera, Athena the maiden, 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 made the wife of King Menelaus, the beautiful Helen, fall in love with the young man. Leaving her husband, Helen 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. Everything that can serve as a source of disaster if you are careless.

Origin. When the great titan Prometheus stole the fire of the gods from Olympus and gave it to people, Zeus terribly punished the daredevil, but it was too late. Possessing the divine flame, people stopped obeying the celestials, learned various sciences, and came out of their pitiful state. A little more - and they would have won complete happiness.

Then Zeus decided to send punishment on them. The blacksmith god Hephaestus sculpted the beautiful woman Pandora from earth and water. The rest of the gods gave her: some cunning, some courage, some extraordinary beauty. Then, handing her a mysterious box, Zeus sent her to earth, forbidding her to open the box. Curious Pandora, as soon as she came into the world, opened the lid. Immediately all human disasters flew out of there and scattered throughout the universe. Pandora, in fear, tried to slam the lid again, but in the box of all the misfortunes, only deceptive hope remained.

There are so many phrases and phrases in the Russian language that with a literal translation, we won’t go far - the new generation of the Russian people is no worse than the same foreigners. We are forgetting the powerful and rich Russian language, we are borrowing more and more Western words and terms...

Today we will look at examples of the most famous set expressions; Let's learn together to understand, “decipher” and understand the meaning and secret meaning of Russian phraseological units. So, what is a “phraseological unit”?

Phraseologism- this is a stable combination of words characteristic only of a given language, the meaning of which is not determined by the meaning of the words included in it, taken individually. Due to the fact that a phraseological unit (or idiom) cannot be translated literally (the meaning is lost), difficulties in translation and understanding often arise. On the other hand, such phraseological units give the language a bright emotional coloring...

We often say established phrases without delving into their meaning. Why, for example, do they say “goal like a falcon”? Why is it “they bring water to the offended”? Let's understand the real meaning of these expressions!

"Goal like a Falcon"

“As naked as a falcon,” we say about extreme poverty. But this saying has nothing to do with birds. Although ornithologists claim that falcons actually lose their feathers during molting and become almost naked!

“Falcon” in ancient times in Rus' was called a ram, a weapon made of iron or wood in the shape of a cylinder. He was hung on chains and swung, thus breaking through the walls and gates of enemy fortresses. The surface of this weapon was flat and smooth, simply put, bare.

In those days, the word “falcon” was used to describe cylindrical tools: an iron crowbar, a pestle for grinding grain in a mortar, etc. Falcons were actively used in Rus' before the advent of firearms at the end of the 15th century.

"Hot spot"

The expression “green place” is found in the Orthodox funeral prayer (“... in a green place, in a place of peace ...”). This is how heaven is called in texts in Church Slavonic.

Ironically, the meaning of this expression was rethought by the democratic intelligentsia of the times of Alexander Pushkin. The language game was that our climate does not allow growing grapes, so in Rus' intoxicating drinks were produced mainly from cereals (beer, vodka). In other words, a hot place means a drunken place.

“They carry water for the offended”

There are several versions of the origin of this saying, but the most plausible seems to be the one associated with the history of St. Petersburg water carriers.

The price of imported water in the 19th century was about 7 kopecks in silver per year, and of course there were always greedy traders who inflated the price in order to make money. For this illegal act, such unfortunate entrepreneurs were taken away from their horse and forced to carry barrels in a cart on themselves.

"Sieve Friend"

“We’re not at the front here, dear friend!” We don’t need “languages”...

It is believed that a friend is called this by analogy with sieve bread, usually wheat. To prepare such bread, much finer flour is used 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. That's why the bread was called sieve bread. It was quite expensive, was considered a symbol of prosperity and was put on the table to treat the most dear guests.

The word “sieve” when applied to a friend means the “highest standard” of friendship. Of course, this phrase 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 trading obligations. On Friday they received the goods, and agreed to give the money for it on the next market day (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 previously considered a day free from work, so a similar phrase was used to describe a slacker who had a day off every day.

“Where Makar didn’t drive his calves”

One of the versions of the origin of this saying is as follows: Peter I was on a working trip to the 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: “You will all be Makars from now on!”

Allegedly, from then on, “Makar” became 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”, “golytba”, “crook”). 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.

“If we don’t wash, we just roll”

In the old days, skilled laundresses knew that well-rolled linen would be fresh, even if the washing was not done at all brilliantly. Therefore, having made a mistake in washing, they achieved the desired impression “not by washing, but by rolling.”

"Drunk drunk"

We find this expression in Alexander Pushkin, in the novel “Eugene Onegin”, when talking about Lensky’s neighbor, Zaretsky:

Falling off a Kalmyk horse,
Like a drunk Zyuzya, and the French
Got captured...

The fact is that in the Pskov region, where Pushkin was in exile for a long time, “zyuzya” is called a pig. In general, “as drunk as a drunk” is an analogue of the colloquial expression “drunk as a pig.”

"Dividing the skin of an unkilled bear»

It is noteworthy that back in the 30s of the 20th century in Russia it was customary 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 a “divided” skin; it is valued only when it remains intact. The primary 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 traveling troupes, the main actor was a learned, trained bear, followed by a “goat,” and behind her a mummer with a goat skin on his head—a drummer.

His task was to beat a homemade drum, inviting the audience. Eating odd jobs or handouts is quite unpleasant, and then the “goat” is not real, it’s retired.

“The promised one has been waiting for three years”

According to one version, it is a reference to a text from the Bible, to the book of the prophet Daniel. It says: “Blessed is he who waits and attains one thousand and thirty-five days,” that is, three years and 240 days. The biblical call for patient waiting was humorously reinterpreted by the people, because the full saying goes like this: “They wait for the promised for three years, but refuse the fourth.”

"Good riddance"

In one of Ivan Aksakov’s poems you can read about a road that is “straight as an arrow, with a wide surface that spreads like a tablecloth.” This is how in Rus' people were seen off on a long journey, and no bad meaning was put into them.

This original meaning of the phraseological unit is present in Ozhegov’s Explanatory Dictionary. But it also says that in modern language the expression has the opposite meaning: “An expression of indifference to someone’s departure, departure, as well as a desire to get out, wherever.” An excellent example of how ironics rethink stable etiquette forms in language!

“Shout to the entire Ivanovskaya”

In the old days, the square in the Kremlin on which the bell tower of Ivan the Great stands was called Ivanovskaya. On this square, clerks announced decrees, orders and other documents concerning the residents of Moscow and all the peoples of Russia. So that everyone could hear clearly, the clerk read very loudly, shouting throughout Ivanovskaya.

"Pull the gimp"

What is a gimp and why does it need to 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 - repeated rolling and pulling through increasingly smaller holes.

Pulling out the rigmarole was a very painstaking task, requiring a lot of time and patience. In our language, the expression “pull the ropes” has been fixed in its figurative meaning - to do something long, tedious, the result of which is not immediately visible.

Nowadays, it is understood as a boring conversation, a tedious conversation.

"Japanese policeman!"

"Japanese policeman!" - a stable curse word in Russian.

Appeared after the Otsu Incident, when policeman Tsuda Sanzo attacked Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.

In his youth, Tsarevich Nicholas, the future Tsar Nicholas II, traveled to the countries of the East. The Tsarevich and his friends had as much fun as they could. Their riotous fun, which violated eastern traditions, was not very popular with the local residents, and finally, in the Japanese town of Otsu, a local policeman, outraged by the tactlessness of the Europeans, rushed at the crown prince and hit him on the head with a saber. The saber was in its sheath, so Nikolai escaped with a slight fright.

This event had a significant resonance in Russia. A Japanese policeman, instead of ensuring the safety of people, rushes at a man with a saber just because he laughs too loudly!

Of course, this minor incident would have long been forgotten if the expression “Japanese policeman” had not also turned out to be a successful euphemism. When a person utters the first sound in a drawn-out manner, it seems that he is about to swear. However, the speaker is just remembering an old political scandal, which, most likely, he has never heard of.

Disservice

“Your constant praise is a real disservice.”

Its meaning is unsolicited help, a service that does more harm than good.

And the Primary Source was I. A. Krylov’s fable “The Hermit and the Bear.” It tells how the Bear, wanting to help his friend the Hermit smack a fly that had landed on his forehead, killed the Hermit himself along with it. But this expression is not in the fable: it developed and entered folklore later.

Shelve

“Now you’ll put it on the back burner, and then you’ll forget it completely.”

The meaning of this phraseological unit is simple - to give the matter a long delay, to delay its decision for a long time.

This expression has a funny story.

Once Tsar Alexei, the father of Peter I, ordered a long box to be installed in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace, where anyone could drop their complaint. Complaints were received, but it was very difficult to wait for a solution: months and years passed. The people renamed this “long” box “long”.

It is possible that the expression, if not born, was fixed in speech later, in “presences” - institutions of the 19th century. The officials of that time, accepting various petitions, complaints and petitions, undoubtedly sorted them, putting them in different boxes. “Long” could be called the one where the most leisurely tasks were postponed. It is clear that the petitioners were afraid of such a box.

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Phraseology is one of the branches of linguistics that studies stable combinations of words. Surely each of us is familiar with the expressions “beat the bullshit”, “led by the nose”, “out of the blue”, “carelessly”, etc. But how many of us have ever thought about where they came from? our language? I bring to your attention a small selection of phraseological units with their meanings and history of origin, thanks to which you may learn something new and be able to make your speech more expressive and varied.

Let's start, perhaps, with such a well-known expression as "Augean stables", used to describe a very dirty place that will require considerable effort to clean. The phraseology originates from the times of Ancient Greece, where King Augeas lived, who loved horses very much, but did not care for them: the stables where the animals lived had not been cleaned for about thirty years. According to legend, Hercules (Hercules) entered the service of the king, who received orders from Augeas to clean out the stalls. To do this, the strongman used a river, the flow of which he directed into the stables, thereby getting rid of the dirt. Impressive, right?

"Alma mater"(from Latin “mother-nurse”)

In ancient times, students used this phraseological turn to describe an educational institution that, as it were, “fed” them, “raised” and “educated”. Nowadays it is used with some irony.

"Achilles' heel"(weak, vulnerable spot)

The source of this phraseological unit is ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, Thetis, the mother of Achilles, wanted to make her son invulnerable. To do this, she dipped him into the sacred river Styx, forgetting, however, about the heel by which she held the boy. Later, while fighting his enemy Paris, Achilles received an arrow in this heel and died.

"Gogol to walk"(walk around with a very important air, self-confidently)

No, this expression has nothing to do with the famous Russian writer, as it might seem at first. Gogol is a wild duck who walks along the shore with his head thrown back and his chest puffed out, which prompts comparison with a man trying to show all his importance.

"Nick down"(very good to remember something)

In this expression, the word “nose” does not mean a part of the human body. In ancient times, this word was used to refer to tablets on which all sorts of notes were made. People carried it with them as a reminder.

"Get away with your nose"(leave with nothing)

Another phraseological unit associated with the nose. However, like the previous one, it has nothing to do with the organ of smell. This expression originates from Ancient Rus', where bribery was widespread. People, when dealing with the authorities and hoping for a positive outcome, used “prizes” (bribes). If the judge, manager or clerk accepted this “nose”, one could be sure that everything would be resolved. However, if the bribe was rejected, the applicant left with his “nose”.

"Pandora's Box"(source of troubles and misfortunes)

An ancient Greek myth says: before Prometheus stole fire from the gods, people on earth lived in joy and did not know any troubles. In response to this, Zeus sent a woman of unprecedented beauty to earth - Pandora, giving her a casket in which all human misfortunes were stored. Pandora, succumbing to curiosity, opened the casket and scattered them all.

"Filka's letter"(a document of no value, a meaningless piece of paper)

This phraseological turn is rooted in the history of the Russian state, or more precisely, during the reign of Ivan IX the Terrible. Metropolitan Philip, in his messages to the sovereign, tried to convince him to soften his policies and to abolish the oprichnina. In response, Ivan the Terrible only called the Metropolitan “Filka”, and all his letters “Filka”.

These are just some of the phraseological units of the Russian language that have a very interesting history behind them. I hope that the material presented above was useful and interesting for you.

Phraseology is a very interesting and fascinating section of the language. Getting acquainted with the origin of individual phraseological units, you are amazed at the wisdom of the people, the flexibility of their minds and imaginative thinking. Let's look at some examples of such collective creativity of the people.

Freeze

In pre-revolutionary Russia, the Greek language was taught. When teachers were dissatisfied with their students’ answers, they often uttered the word “moros,” which meant “stupidity” in Russian. This word came into use, transforming into “freeze” - “to say something stupid” (namely “to say”, not “to do”).

All over Ivanovskaya

At the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in Moscow, all thirty bells rang on church holidays; the ringing could be heard throughout half of Moscow. “To all Ivanovskaya” began to mean “to call (shout, make noise) very loudly, at the top of your lungs.”

Getting into trouble

In a carding machine there is a hole - a drum with teeth. The wool carders, being careless, could get their hand into a hole, and this was an extremely unpleasant sensation, and they could even lose their hand. “To get into trouble” has changed over time not only in spelling (the noun with a preposition was transformed into the derived adverb “to get into trouble” and began to be written together with the prefix), but also acquired a somewhat softened, not so harsh meaning: “to get into trouble” now simply means “ to get into an awkward position” rather than to get into trouble.

Where do crayfish spend the winter?

Of the several versions about the origin of this phraseological unit, the most reliable seems to be that especially guilty people were sent to get delicious crayfish in winter, since there was a high probability of getting pneumonia. “Showing where crayfish spend the winter” meant forcing them to climb into a winter pond. At the same time, the person did not have the opportunity to make an excuse, saying that he searched, but did not find such places.

Goal like a falcon

This phraseological unit puzzles many: why is the “falcon naked” plucked, or what? And the answer is simple: the “falcon” here is not a bird at all, but a smoothly trimmed log, a battering weapon. There were no knots, jagged edges or bumps allowed on it - in the heat of battle, warriors could have injured their hands.

The reinterpretation of the expression is such that it denotes the poverty of someone, the lack of even the necessary.

Long box

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, wanting to be known as kind and sympathetic, started a special long-shaped box for petitions (petitions) at the facade of the palace in Kolomenskoye so that petitioners could drop their notes into it. The boyars were responsible for delivering petitions to the king. They not only delayed petitions, but often completely “lost” some if they contained complaints against themselves.
If the resolution of a case is delayed, they now say “the case has been shelved.”

Tobacco case

Phraseologism has the meaning of the threat of failure of some business. It goes back to the times of barge haulers in Rus'. The barge haulers tied a tobacco pouch around their necks so as not to get wet when they pulled the barge. If the water level near the river bank rose and reached the chest, alarming cries were heard: “Taba-a-ak!”

Laces (balusters) sharpen, baluster

Balusters, balusters, lathes - these are all the names of figured posts for stair railings, which were made on lathes. The work was not difficult, the master did not require special attention to complete it, so he could afford to work and joke and joke at the same time.
Therefore, the stable expression “sharpen your laces, play around” came into use precisely as “cheerfully joke around.”

Tuck it into your belt

In Rus', the belt was a mandatory item of clothing for both men and women. As for the working people, for them it was not only a tribute to fashion, but also the need to deftly handle a tool, temporarily unnecessary to tuck into their belt, so that at the right moment they could use it again, without wasting time searching.
Additionally, a disparaging meaning appeared in this expression when it began to be used in relation to those less dexterous and skillful in any matter, equating it with an unnecessary thing: “I’ll put you in your belt!”

Shabby look

At first glance, the meaning of this phraseological unit is directly related to the inevitable soiling of clothes during lunch (meal) - even very neat people have encountered this trouble at least once. But there is a completely different version associated with the historical fact of the transfer of the weaving factory founded by Peter I to the merchant Zatrapeznikov. The factory produced cheap fabric for poor people and for household needs.
Later, the expression “He looks shabby” began to characterize unkempt people in wrinkled and unkempt clothes.

Kazan orphans

After the conquest of Kazan, Tsar Ivan the Terrible needed to gain the loyalty of the Tatars, and he spent a lot of money on appeasing them, generously gifting many of them. After this, some deprived people began to importunately demand rewards for themselves, pretending to be poor.
This gave rise to mockingly calling them “Kazan orphans,” which later “stuck” to all beggars.

You can’t lure with a roll

In Rus' until the 17th century. The main product for baking bread was rye flour. Rye bread was eaten by both the poor and the rich. Wheat flour was used only for baking kalachi and Easter cakes for the holidays, which was available only to the rich; for the poor it was an inaccessible delicacy.
Not to back down from a decision even with generous promises means to be adamant, not to give in to persuasion under any circumstances, even if they “lure you in with a roll.”

Gimp pull

In the old days, gold, silver and copper threads for embroidery were called gimp. They were made by hand back then. Threads were slowly and extremely carefully drawn from the hot metal, which should have the same thickness and uniform structure as they solidified. This could only be achieved by jewelry work at a slow pace.
Therefore, “gimp to pull”, “gimp” in an allegorical sense means “to hesitate”, “to hesitate”. Probably, the idiom “pushing the tires” appeared in a similar way.

The thief's hat is on fire

This phraseological unit has its own background: an old joke. It talks about an incident at the bazaar when, wanting to find a thief, people turned to a healer for help. The healer suddenly shouted: “Look, the thief’s hat is on fire!” One of those present involuntarily grabbed his head. This gave him away. He was the thief.
The expression “The thief’s cap is on fire!” now denotes a person who, by a careless action or word, has betrayed his unseemly actions or intentions.

Slurping not salty

In ancient Rus', salt was an expensive product; it was transported from afar and was valued very much, used carefully and economically. Food was salted directly at the table and often from the owner’s hand. And since “his own hand is the ruler,” the host generously salted the food of those guests who sat closer to him and were, of course, more noble. And those who sat on the far edge sometimes did not get any salt at all. And such a guest left, it turns out, “without a sip.”
Now this is what they say about an unsuccessful visit, where the guest was not given due attention and he did not achieve the desired result from his visit.

Not at ease

An example of how a phraseological unit can lead away from its meaning in a completely unexpected direction. This is a tracing-paper from French, where n’est pas dans son assiette is translated as “to be in a bad mood, not in the mood.” But the word assiette also has a second meaning – “plate”. However, it doesn’t even occur to us to think about some kind of utensil when we use this expression. We understand perfectly well that we are talking about some kind of awkwardness or bad mood, as well as other inconveniences.

Make a fool of yourself

The characteristic features of the Russian people in past centuries were modesty and shyness. An uncovered head for both men and women was considered unacceptable liberty and disgrace, especially if a person’s hat or scarf was torn off “in peace.” Hence the negative meaning of the expression “goof” - “get into an awkward position”, “disgrace yourself”.

From board to board

Doing some kind of work from start to finish is the same as reading a book “from cover to cover,” that is, from cover to cover. And in ancient Rus', the first books, still handwritten, had not leather or cardboard, but wooden covers.
Hence “from board to board.”

Find out the lowdown

In the old days, cruel torture was used for interrogation in prisons. One of the most sophisticated was the one when nails were driven under the nails. Few people could withstand such torment and gave out what they wanted from them. In other words, the information seemed to be obtained “from under the fingernails,” that is, it was “the inside story,” and it was extracted from there.

From the red line

The first Russian books were written by hand, and the initial letters of sections were painted with ornaments in red paint, sometimes including other colors. Each new paragraph began with a red letter. This line became known as the “red line”. The phraseological unit means “to start something new”, “to start over”.

Lost your mind

The meaning of this idiom is associated with the name of the Greek mountain Pantelik. In the numerous caves and grottoes formed by the work of marble miners, it was sometimes possible to get lost. Therefore, this expression is used in the sense of “deviating from the intended course,” but not in a literal, but in a figurative sense, for example, “losing the thread of reasoning” and the like.

Miracles in a sieve

Initially, the expression had the appearance of an amazing phenomenon: “Miracles: there are many holes in the sieve, but there is nowhere to get out.” Then it surprisingly shortened and acquired an ironic meaning: “Well, what miracles can there be in a sieve? Should you try carrying water?”

Walk trump

Advantage in a card game comes to mind. But no! The point is the boyar collar, which they sewed onto their festive caftan to distinguish themselves from the common people. Such gates were embroidered with pearls, gold and silver, stuck up impressively, giving importance to the person, making her posture proud, and were called “trump cards”. Hence, “to trump” means to “put on airs,” and “to trump” means to brag about something.