We use such phrases every day in speech, without thinking at all about their original meaning and origin. Why is the latest warning from China? Who is this silent sap? And why should a successful business burn out?
Reach the handle
IN Ancient Rus' The rolls were baked in the shape of a castle with a round bow. Townspeople often bought rolls and ate them right on the street, holding them by this bow or handle. For reasons of hygiene, the pen itself was not eaten, but was given to the poor or thrown to be eaten by dogs. According to one version, about those who did not disdain to eat it, they said: they got to the point. And today the expression “to reach the point of failure” means to completely descend, to lose human appearance.
bosom friend
The ancient expression “to pour on the Adam’s apple” meant “to get drunk”, “to drink alcohol.” From here the phraseological unit “bosom friend” was formed, which today is used to denote a very close friend.
Add the first number
In the old days, schoolchildren were often flogged, often without any fault of the person being punished. If the mentor showed special zeal, and the student suffered especially hard, he could be freed from further vices in the current month, until the first day of the next month. This is how the expression “pour in the first number” arose.
Goof
Prosak used to be called a special machine for weaving ropes and ropes. It had a complex design and twisted the strands so tightly that getting clothes, hair, or beard into it could cost a person his life. Exactly from similar cases The expression “to get into trouble” originated, which today means to be in an awkward position.
Latest Chinese warning
In the 1950s and 1960s, American aircraft often violated Chinese airspace for reconnaissance purposes. The Chinese authorities recorded every violation and each time sent a “warning” to the United States through diplomatic channels, although no real action followed them, and such warnings were counted in the hundreds. This policy has given rise to the expression “China's final warning,” meaning threats without consequences.
Hanging dogs
When a person is reproached or accused of something, you can hear the expression: “They hang dogs on him.” At first glance, this phrase is completely illogical. However, it is not associated with an animal at all, but with another meaning of the word “dog” - burdock, thorn - now almost not used.
Quietly
The word sape means "hoe" in French. In the 16th-19th centuries, the term “sapa” was used to denote a method of digging a trench, ditch or tunnel to approach fortifications. Gunpowder bombs were sometimes placed in tunnels to castle walls, and specialists trained to do this were called sappers. And from the secretive digging of mines came the expression “on the sly,” which is used today to denote careful and unnoticed actions.
Big boss
The most experienced and strong barge hauler, walking first in the strap, was called a cone. This evolved into the expression "big shot" to refer to an important person.
The case burned out
Previously, if a court case disappeared, the person could not be legally charged. Cases often burned down: either from fire in wooden court buildings, or from deliberate arson for a bribe. In such cases, the accused said: “The case has burned out.” Today this expression is used when we talk about the successful completion of a major undertaking.
Leave in English
When someone leaves without saying goodbye, we use the expression “left in English.” Although in the original this idiom was invented by the British themselves, and it sounded like ‘to take French leave’ (“to leave in French”). It appeared during the Seven Years' War in the 18th century as a mockery of French soldiers who left their unit without permission. At the same time, the French copied this expression, but in relation to the British, and in this form it became entrenched in the Russian language.
Blue blood
The Spanish royal family and nobility prided themselves on the fact that, unlike common people, they trace their ancestry back to the West Goths and never mixed with the Moors who entered Spain from Africa. Unlike the dark-skinned commoners, blue veins stood out on the pale skin of the upper class, and therefore they called themselves sangre azul, which means “blue blood.” Hence this expression for denoting the aristocracy penetrated into many European languages, including in Russian.
And it's a no brainer
The source of the expression “It’s a no brainer” is a poem by Mayakovsky (“It’s even a no brainer - / This Petya was a bourgeois”). It became widespread first in the Strugatskys’ story “The Country of Crimson Clouds”, and then in Soviet boarding schools for gifted children. They recruited teenagers who had two years left to study (classes A, B, C, D, D) or one year (classes E, F, I). The students of the one-year stream were called “hedgehogs.” When they came to the boarding school, the two-year students were already ahead of them in the non-standard program, so at the beginning school year The expression “no brainer” was very relevant.
Washing the bones
Among Orthodox Greeks, as well as some Slavic peoples there was a custom of secondary burial - the bones of the deceased were removed, washed with water and wine and put back. If the corpse was found undecayed and swollen, this meant that during life this person was a sinner and he was cursed to come out of his grave at night in the form of a ghoul, a vampire, a ghoul and destroy people. Thus, the ritual of washing the bones was necessary to ensure that there was no such spell.
The highlight of the program
The opening of a nail-like object was timed to coincide with the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris. Eiffel Tower, which created a sensation. Since then, the expression “highlight of the program” has entered the language.
If we don't wash, we'll just ride
In the old days, village women used a special rolling pin to “roll” their laundry after washing. Well-rolled laundry turned out to be wrung out, ironed and clean, even if the wash was not of very high quality.
Newspaper duck
“One scientist, having bought 20 ducks, immediately ordered one of them to be cut into small pieces, which he fed to the rest of the birds. A few minutes later he did the same with another duck, and so on, until one remained, which thus devoured 19 of its friends.” This note was published in the newspaper by the Belgian humorist Cornelissen to mock the gullibility of the public. Since then, according to one version, false news has been called “newspaper ducks.”
Seven Fridays a week
Previously, Friday was a day off from work, and, as a result, a market day. On Friday, when they received the goods, they promised to give the money due for it on the next market day. Since then, to refer to people who do not fulfill their promises, they say: “He has seven Fridays in a week.”
Scapegoat
According to the ancient Jewish rite, on the day of remission of sins, the high priest placed his hands on the head of the goat and thereby laid the sins of the entire people on it. The goat was then taken into the Judean desert and released. This is where the expression “scapegoat” comes from.
Fail
To fail means to experience failure, to fail on the way to the goal. However, the word “fiasco” in Italian means a large two-liter bottle. How could such a strange combination of words be created and how did it acquire its modern meaning? There is an explanation for this. It was born from unsuccessful attempt the famous Italian comedian Bianconelli performed a funny pantomime in front of the audience with a large bottle in his hand. After his failure, the words “Bianconelli fiasco” took on the meaning of an acting failure, and then the word “fiasco” itself began to mean failure.
Why are newcomers called “dummies”?
A teapot is an inexperienced user, a person who does not know how to efficiently use a personal computer to the extent necessary for him. The term comes from mountaineering. Experienced climbers call a kettle a beginner who has made his first ascent to the top of a mountain. As a rule, the first thing such people do is not take the necessary actions to set up the camp, but pose for photographers, resting one hand on their side and putting the other to the side, leaning on an ice axe, ski pole, etc., which is why their silhouette strongly resembles a teapot.
Carve out the sea The Persian king Xerxes went to war against Greece in the 5th century BC. e. and ordered the construction of a bridge across the strait between Asia and Europe to transport his troops. The storm swept away the bridge. The enraged ruler ordered the builders to be executed and the sea to be cut with chains. The expression is used in relation to those people who, in blind rage, try to take out their anger on something beyond their control.
Penelope's fabrics Penelope is the wife of Odysseus from Homer's poem of the same name. She waited twenty years for her husband. She promised her many fans that she would get married as soon as she wove the blanket. But every night she unraveled everything she had done during the day. Today the expression is used to mean clever cunning. "Penelope's Work" is an endlessly ongoing labor, the results of which are destroyed as one moves forward.
Barrel of Danae According to Greek legend, King Danae had 50 beautiful daughters. He was against their marriage and ordered them to kill their husbands. The gods were angry at this atrocity and sentenced their daughters to the following punishment: deep underground, fill a bottomless barrel with water. Now it is a symbol of aimless, never-ending work.
Hannibal's oath As a nine-year-old boy, Hannibal, the future outstanding Carthaginian commander, vowed to fight Rome forever. He kept his vow. Used in the meaning of the oath of allegiance that a person gives to this noble cause devotes his whole life
Geese saved Rome Rome was attacked by the Gauls at night. Under cover of darkness, they silently overcame the fortifications. But the geese who were in the temple heard the noise and began to laugh. The Romans woke up and repelled the attack of the Gallic tribes. Used when minor events are given extreme importance.
Cross the Rubicon Caesar, returning to Rome with victory, stood for a long time at the border river Rubicon. Her transition and return to Rome meant that he was beginning a struggle for power. After some thought, Caesar made up his mind and crossed the Rubicon. Used when taken important decision and there is no way to retreat. Synonym: “The die is cast!”, “Burn the ships.”
Paris is worth a mass. These words were allegedly said by Henry of Bourbon, the leader of the Huguenots, when in 1593 he renounced his faith and converted to Catholicism. This step secured him the French throne. He entered it under the name of Henry IV. Used in the sense of “to compromise for the sake of gain, for selfish purposes.”
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain. The founder of Islam, Mohammed, was considered the “prophet of Allah on earth.” According to legend, he, wanting to prove that he had extraordinary power, ordered the mountain to come closer. But the mountain did not move. Then he himself approached her. Used in the sense of the need to obey someone whom one wanted to force to obey oneself
Sharpening lyasy Lyasy, or balusters, was the name given in Rus' to carved wooden decorations on pillars holding up the porch. Cutting balusters was considered not difficult and did not require special attention. Therefore, the worker could simultaneously carry on extraneous conversations. Used in the sense of wasting time
Left with the nose When a petitioner in Tsarist Russia applied to an institution or court, he brought an offering to speed up the consideration of cases. If his “gift” was not accepted, then he went back with his offering, or nose, that is, with what he brought. It means “to leave with nothing, to achieve nothing.”
As a red thread, the expression entered the speech of several peoples from the language of English sailors of the late 18th century. Since 1776, by order of the Admiralty, a red thread was woven into all ropes of the English navy. It could only be pulled out by destroying the rope itself. The British naval rope was recognizable everywhere. Used to mean the very essence, a constant sign.
Gibberish letter A letter written in a special, secret way was used in secret correspondence of the 18th century. In the 19th century, officials used gibberish letters, and at a later time, Old Believers. Means “to speak a language that is incomprehensible to most”
1. During the time of Ivan the Terrible in Rus', one of the signs of a nobleman’s dignity was an embroidered collar, which was called a “shivorot”. If any boyar was subjected to the royal wrath and disgrace, he was usually placed on a skinny nag with his back forward, having first turned his clothes inside out. Since then, the expression “topsy-turvy” has been firmly established in the meaning of “on the contrary, wrong.”
2. When a person is lucky, they say that he was born in a shirt. The word “shirt” in this expression appeared not so long ago, but before it was pronounced as “to be born in a shirt,” and it had a purely practical meaning. The fact is that a shirt was called not only clothing, but also the amniotic sac in which the child is located during pregnancy. Sometimes during childbirth this bubble does not burst, and the child is born in it, which, according to superstitious beliefs, promises him happiness and luck in life.
3. The phrase “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat” is well known, which is used to express the humanistic traditions of Russian literature. The authorship of this expression is often attributed to Dostoevsky, but in fact the first person to say it was French critic Eugene Vogüet, who discussed the origins of Dostoevsky’s work. Fyodor Mikhailovich himself cited this quote in a conversation with another French writer, who understood it as the writer’s own words and published them in this light in his work.
4. In the 1950s and 1960s, American aircraft often violated Chinese airspace for reconnaissance purposes. The Chinese authorities recorded every violation and each time sent a “warning” to the United States through diplomatic channels, although no real action followed them, and such warnings were counted in the hundreds. This policy has given rise to the expression “China's final warning,” meaning threats without consequences.
5. The expression “Balzac age” arose after the publication of Balzac’s novel “A Thirty-Year-Old Woman” and is acceptable for women no older than 40 years old.
6. The expression “B” healthy body healthy spirit" was originally taken from the satire of the Roman writer Juvenal and sounded like this: "We must pray to the gods so that a healthy spirit will be in a healthy body." It is believed that this line is based on a well-known Ancient Rome proverb: “A healthy mind in a healthy body is a rare occurrence.”
7. The Swedes themselves call a buffet a snack bar or a sandwich bar.
8. The term for wall bars in Swedish is translated as “frame with crossbars.”
9. The expression “Chinese literacy” corresponds to the English idiom It is Greek to me’. Similar expressions exist in other languages, often with different standards of difficulty. For example, a German expression appeals to the Spanish language, a Romanian expression to Turkish, a Turkish expression to French, and a Chinese expression to bird language.
10. The phrase “Elementary, Watson!”, which we are accustomed to associate with Sherlock Holmes, is never found in Conan Doyle’s original books.
11. Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna in 1746 ordered the foreheads of criminals to be branded. This is where many popular expressions originate: “written on the forehead,” “branded with shame,” and “hardened criminal.”
12. Tyutelka is a diminutive of the dialect tyutya (“blow, hit” - the name of an accurate hit with an ax in the same place during carpentry work. Today, the expression “tyutelka to tyutelka” is used to denote high accuracy).
The most experienced and strong barge hauler, walking first in the strap, was called a cone. This evolved into the expression "big shot" to refer to an important person.
13. Previously, Friday was a day off from work, and, as a result, a market day. On Friday, when they received the goods, they promised to give the money due for it on the next market day. Since then, to refer to people who do not fulfill their promises, they say: “He has seven Fridays in a week.”
14. Previously, in addition to part of the face, the nose was a name for a tag that was worn with oneself and on which notches were placed to record work, debts, etc. Thanks to this, the expression “hack on the nose” arose. In another meaning, the nose was a bribe, an offering. The expression “to stay with the nose” meant to leave with an unaccepted offering without reaching an agreement.
15. The possessive adjective “sharashkina” was formed from the dialect sharan (“trash, goofy, crook”). The expression “sharashkin's office” at first meant literally “an institution, organization of swindlers, deceivers,” and today it is used to mean simply an undignified office.
16. After ancient doctors discovered nerves in the human body, they named them by their similarity to the strings of musical instruments with the same word nervus. This is where the expression for irritating actions, “playing on your nerves,” came from.
17. In French, “assiet” is both a plate and a mood, a state. Presumably, an erroneous translation of the French expression caused the appearance of the phraseological unit “out of place.”
18. According to Christian custom, a priest confessed a person who had only a short time to live, gave him communion and burned incense. As a result, the expression “breathing on its last legs” has been adopted to describe a sick person or a barely working device.
19. Ancient Jews from the time of King David until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. The dead were buried in temporary crypts or simply recesses in the rock, the entrance to which was closed with a large stone. A year later, relatives had to dig up the remains of the deceased and wash the preserved bones clean water for reburial in a permanent grave. Today, the expression “washing the bones” means analyzing a person’s character.
20. According to the Gospel legend, Pontius Pilate, forced to agree to the execution of Jesus, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said: “I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One.” This is where the expression “I wash my hands” comes from to abdicate responsibility.
21. According to the ancient Jewish rite, on the day of remission of sins, the high priest placed his hands on the head of the goat and thereby laid the sins of the entire people on it. This is where the expression “scapegoat” comes from.
22. Once a young doctor, invited to a hopelessly ill Russian boy, allowed him to eat whatever he wanted. The boy ate pork and cabbage and, to the surprise of those around him, began to recover. After this incident, the doctor prescribed pork and cabbage to a sick German boy, but he ate it and died the next day. According to one version, it is this story that underlies the emergence of the expression “what is good for a Russian is death for a German.”
23. A small horny tubercle on the tip of the tongue of birds, which helps them peck food, is called a pip. The growth of such a tubercle may be a sign of illness. Hard pimples in human language are called pips by analogy with these bird tubercles. According to superstitious beliefs, pip usually appears in deceitful people. Hence the unkind wish “peck your tongue.”
24. When the son of the Roman emperor Vespasian reproached him for introducing a tax on public latrines, the emperor showed him the money received from this tax and asked if it smelled. Having received a negative answer, Vespasian said: “But they are from urine.” This is where the expression “money doesn’t smell” comes from.
When the Apostle Thomas was told about the resurrection of the crucified Christ, he declared: “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into His wounds, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Today, any person who is difficult to convince of anything is called “Doubting Thomas.”
25. The opening of the nail-like Eiffel Tower was timed to coincide with the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris, which created a sensation. Since then, the expression “highlight of the program” has entered the language.
26. The expression “after the rain on Thursday” arose due to distrust of Perun, the Slavic god of thunder and lightning, whose day was Thursday. Prayers to him often did not achieve their goal, so they began to talk about the impossible, that this would happen after the rain on Thursday.
27. The expression “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword” does not belong to Alexander Nevsky. Its author is the screenwriter of the film of the same name, Pavlenko, who adapted the phrase from the Gospel: “Those who take the sword will die by the sword.”
28. The expression “The game is not worth the candle” came from the speech of gamblers, who spoke this way about a very small win that does not pay for the cost of the candles that burned out during the game.
29. During the rise of the Moscow principality, large tribute was collected from other cities. Cities sent petitioners to Moscow with complaints of injustice. The king sometimes severely punished complainants to intimidate others. This is where, according to one version, the expression “Moscow does not believe in tears” came from.
30. Koltsov’s 1924 feuilleton talked about a major scam uncovered during the transfer of an oil concession in California. The most senior US officials were involved in the scam. It was here that the expression “It smells like kerosene” was used for the first time.
31. In the old days, it was believed that the human soul was located in the depression between the collarbones, the dimple in the neck. It was customary to keep money in the same place on the chest. Therefore, they say about a poor person that he “has nothing behind his soul.”
32. In the old days, blanks for wooden utensils cut from logs were called baklushi. Their manufacture was considered easy, requiring no effort or skill. Nowadays we use the expression “beating your head” to mean idleness.
33. In the old days, village women used a special rolling pin to “roll” their laundry after washing. Well-rolled laundry turned out to be wrung out, ironed and clean, even if the wash was not of very high quality. Today, to denote achieving a goal by any means, the expression “If we don’t wash it, we ride it.”
34. In the old days, messengers who delivered mail sewed very important papers, or “deeds,” into the lining of their caps or hats so as not to attract the attention of robbers. This is where the expression “It’s in the bag” comes from.
35. In a medieval French comedy, a rich clothier sues a shepherd who stole his sheep. During the meeting, the clothier forgets about the shepherd and showers reproaches on his lawyer, who did not pay him for six cubits of cloth. The judge interrupts the speech with the words: “Let's return to our sheep,” which have become winged.
36. B Ancient Greece There was a small leta coin. In the Gospel parable, a poor widow donates her last two mites to the construction of the temple. The expression “Do your bit” comes from the parable.
In the 17th century, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the distances between Moscow and the royal summer residence in the village of Kolomenskoye were re-measured and very high milestones were installed. Since then, tall and thin people have been called “Verst Kolomenskaya”.
37. In the 13th century, the monetary and weight unit in Rus' was the hryvnia, divided into 4 parts (“ruble”). The especially weighty remainder of the ingot was called the “long ruble.” Associated with these words is the expression about making big and easy money, “Chasing a long ruble.”
38. The most famous quote from the movie "Star Wars" - "May the Force be with you" - in English sounds like "May the Force be with you." This pun phrase can also be understood as “May the 4th be with you.” That's why the day Star Wars“Fans of this saga celebrate May 4th.
39. In the expression "Pandora's box" the word "box" appeared as a result of an incorrect translation of the Greek word πίθος. In fact, the ancient Greeks called pithos a large clay vessel buried in the ground in which they stored grain, wine, oil, or buried people, so Pandora's Box is more appropriately called Pandora's Cup. By the way, it was in the pithos, and not in the barrel, that the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope lived, since the ancient Greeks did not know how to make barrels.
40. The term “yellow press” originated in the United States at the end of the 19th century. By this time, two newspapers had gained great popularity - the New York World and the New York Journal, which relied not on conventional news coverage, but on presenting readers with sensations and emotional presentation of material. In 1895, the New York World began publishing comics by Richard Outcalt, full of satire and caustic commentary on politics, the main character of which was a boy in a yellow shirt. A year later, Outcalt was lured to the New York Journal, and now both newspapers began publishing similar comics. That is why journalists from more serious publications called such newspapers yellow.
41. B famous song from Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island" it is sung: "Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” It is logical to assume that “Yo-ho-ho” is the laughter of pirates, but this is not so. This exclamation was used by English sailors when they needed to simultaneously make efforts together in some work - in Russian it corresponds to the phrase “One, two, took it!”
42. The word “metacarpus” used to be used to describe the hand or palm. There was also a greeting expression “Give me five!”, which was later shortened by one letter and transformed into “Give five!” The shortened phrase supposedly gained particular popularity due to similar idioms in the English language “High five!” and “Give me five!”
43. Previously, photographers, in order for all the children in a group photo to look into the lens, would say: “Look here! Now the bird will fly out!” This bird was quite real at the beginning of the era of mass photography - although not alive, but brass. In those days, cameras were far from perfect, and to get a good picture, people had to freeze in one position for several seconds. To attract the attention of restless children, the photographer’s assistant at the right moment raised a shiny “bird”, which also knew how to trill.
44. When a person is reproached or accused of something, you can hear the expression: “They hang dogs on him.” At first glance, this phrase is completely illogical. However, it is not associated with an animal at all, but with another meaning of the word “dog” - burdock, thorn - now almost not used.
45. The most famous weapon of the Indians is the tomahawk, which they knew how to throw and use in close combat. In addition, ritual tomahawks served as a symbol of war and peace - it is from the Indians that the expression “bury the hatchet” comes from. Having learned these customs, the Europeans crossed this weapon with another symbol - the peace pipe. To do this, the handle of the tomahawk was made hollow, turning it into a mouthpiece, and the cup of the tube was on the other side of the blade. Such gifts were in great demand by Indian leaders, whose support the colonists wanted to enlist.
46. In the operetta “Wedding in Malinovka,” one of the characters playfully distorted the name of the two-step dance, calling it “To that steppe.” Hence, the expression “to the wrong steppe” spread among the people, meaning “to go in the wrong direction” or “to speak out of place.”
47. In African dialects of Portuguese there is a direct analogue of the Russian idiom “to kill a worm” - “mata-bicho” (“mata-bisho”), which means “first breakfast”. The word "mata" translates as "to kill" and "bicho" means "worm".
48. The expression “raspberry ringing,” which refers to the melodious singing of bells, has nothing to do with the robin bird or the raspberry, but comes from the name of the Belgian city of Mechelen (or Malin in French transcription). This city is considered the European center of bell casting and music. The first Russian carillon corresponded to the Mechelen standard ( musical instrument to perform a melody on several bells), ordered by Peter I in Flanders.
49. The popular expression “return to one’s native Penates,” meaning returning to one’s home, to the hearth, is more correctly pronounced differently: “return to one’s native Penates.” The fact is that the Penates are the Roman guardian gods of the hearth, and each family usually had images of two Penates next to the hearth.
50. An analogue of the Russian expression “ White crow"in many European languages is the idiom "black sheep". Although if we call a black sheep simply an exceptional member of society, then by calling a person a black sheep, Europeans also hint at the undesirability of such a member being in society. In this sense, the idiom is close to another Russian expression - “black sheep”.
51. The word sape means “hoe” in French. In the 16th-19th centuries, the term “sapa” was used to denote a method of digging a trench, ditch or tunnel to approach fortifications. Gunpowder bombs were sometimes placed in tunnels to castle walls, and specialists trained to do this were called sappers. And from the secretive digging of mines came the expression “on the sly,” which is used today to denote careful and unnoticed actions.
52.V English language There is a sentence that is used to demonstrate possible lexical uncertainty: ‘James while John had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher’. Despite the apparent nonsense, it is grammatically correct when placed necessary signs punctuation: ‘James, while John had had “had”, had had “had had”; “had had” had a better effect on the teacher’. It can be translated into Russian something like this: “While John used ‘had’, James used ‘had had’; the teacher preferred ‘had had’.”
53. The expression “pounding water in a mortar”, which means doing a useless task, has a very ancient origins- it was used by ancient authors, for example, Lucian. And in medieval monasteries it had a literal character: guilty monks were forced to pound water as punishment.
54. Queen of France Marie Antoinette is credited with the phrase “If they don’t have bread, let them eat cake!”, which she allegedly uttered after learning that the peasants were starving. But this phrase was first recorded by Jean-Jacques Rousseau when Marie Antoinette was still a child. Apparently, it was said by some other queen or princess, but there is no clear answer as to who exactly. In addition, the original phrase does not refer to cakes, but to brioches - sweet rolls made from butter dough with added oil.
55. Where did the expressions “casual acquaintance” and “come to a casual analysis” come from?
56. 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. Anyone who was late came to the head, and since then this expression has been entrenched in the meaning of “arriving somewhere too late, when everything is already over.” And the expression “casual acquaintance,” meaning a superficial and cursory acquaintance with someone, is also associated with an old custom. When acquaintances or friends met, they raised their hats in greeting, and only friends shook hands.
57. Where did the expression “the business burnt out” come from?
Previously, if a court case disappeared, the person could not be legally charged. Cases often burned down: either from fire in wooden court buildings, or from deliberate arson for a bribe. In such cases, the accused said: “The case has burned out.” Today this expression is used when we talk about the successful completion of a major undertaking.
58. Where did the expression “leave in English” come from?
When someone leaves without saying goodbye, we use the expression “left in English.” Although in the original this idiom was invented by the British themselves, and it sounded like ‘to take French leave’ (“to leave in French”). It appeared during the Seven Years' War in the 18th century as a mockery of French soldiers who left their unit without permission. At the same time, the French copied this expression, but in relation to the British, and in this form it became entrenched in the Russian language.
59. Where did the expression “get into trouble” come from?
Prosak used to be called a special machine for weaving ropes and ropes. It had a complex design and twisted the strands so tightly that getting clothes, hair, or beard into it could cost a person his life. It was from such cases that the expression “get into trouble” came about, which today means to be in an awkward position.
60. Where did the expression “go uphill” come from?
At the beginning of the 19th century it was popular among the people card game“slide”, somewhat reminiscent of poker. When a player began to place bets, forcing his partners to pass, they said about him that he was “going uphill.” Later this expression found its way into everyday speech and is now used to denote a person who is steadily increasing his position and achieving success.
61. What did devil's advocates used to do in the Catholic Church?
Until 1983, there was a special position in the Catholic Church - devil's advocate. This man’s job was to collect all possible arguments against the canonization of the next righteous candidate. In contrast to the devil's advocate, there was another position - the defender of God, whose functions were opposite. In modern parlance, the term "devil's advocate" is often used to describe people who defend a position that they do not themselves hold.
62. Which science was an exception to Socrates’ “I know that I know nothing”?
“I know that I know nothing,” is a well-known saying of Socrates. In addition to him, Plato recorded another Socratic phrase: “I always say that I know nothing, except perhaps one very small science - eroticism (the science of love). And I’m terribly strong at it.”
63. Where did the expression “beluga roar” come from?
The silent beluga fish has nothing to do with the expression “beluga roar,” which means to scream or cry loudly and strongly. Previously, beluga was called not only a fish, but also a polar dolphin, which today is known to us as a beluga whale and is distinguished by its loud roar.
64. Why do they say about aristocrats that they have blue blood?
The Spanish royal family and nobility were proud that, unlike the common people, they traced their ancestry to the West Goths and never mixed with the Moors who entered Spain from Africa. Unlike the dark-skinned commoners, blue veins stood out on the pale skin of the upper class, and therefore they called themselves sangre azul, which means “blue blood.” From here this expression for denoting aristocracy penetrated into many European languages, including Russian.
65. Where did the expression “bosom friend” come from?
The ancient expression “to pour on the Adam’s apple” meant “to get drunk”, “to drink alcohol.” From here the phraseological unit “bosom friend” was formed, which today is used to denote a very close friend.
66. Where did the expression “get to the point” come from?
In Ancient Rus', rolls were baked in the shape of a castle with a round bow. Townspeople often bought rolls and ate them right on the street, holding them by this bow or handle. For reasons of hygiene, the pen itself was not eaten, but was given to the poor or thrown to be eaten by dogs. According to one version, about those who did not disdain to eat it, they said: they got to the point. And today the expression “to reach the point of failure” means to completely descend, to lose human appearance.
67. Where did the expression “spread your thoughts over the tree” come from?
In the first edition of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” from 1800 one can find the lines: “The prophetic Boyan, if he wanted to compose a song for someone, spread his thoughts across the tree, gray wolf along the ground, like a gray eagle under the clouds.” The strange combination of “thought along the tree” allowed text researchers to assume that the original was “thought along the tree” (translated from Old Russian “mys” is a squirrel). Or the poet wrote “with a thought, like a thought on a tree,” and the copyist omitted what he thought were unnecessary words. However, the catchphrase has become firmly established as “spreading thoughts along the tree,” which means going into unnecessary details and being distracted from the main idea.
68. Why did the village old-timer from Eugene Onegin crush flies?
In “Eugene Onegin” you can find the lines: “He settled in that chamber, // Where the village old-timer // For forty years, he was quarreling with the housekeeper, // He looked out the window and crushed flies.” The word “fly” is used here not in its literal meaning, but as a metaphor for alcohol. Another metaphor for a drunken person is also known - “under the fly”, where the word fly is used in the same sense.
69. Where did the expression “give good” come from?
In the pre-revolutionary alphabet, the letter D was called “good.” The flag corresponding to this letter in the code of signals navy means “yes, I agree, I allow.” This is what gave rise to the expression “give the go-ahead.” The expression “Customs gives the go-ahead”, derived from it, first appeared in the film “White Sun of the Desert.”
70. The most experienced and strong barge hauler, walking first in the strap, was called a cone. This evolved into the expression "big shot" to refer to an important person.
The Russian language is rich and powerful with its long history. And each era brought something of its own to this language. And such expressions have come down to us that absolutely everyone knows, for example, to freeze stupidity or set horns, and everyone knows what they mean, but only a few know where they came from. Read more about the origin of these and other catchphrases in this article..
Freeze stupidity
This expression appeared thanks to gentlemen high school students. The fact is that the word “moros” translated from Greek means “stupidity”. This is what the teachers said to the careless students when, out of ignorance of the lesson, they began to talk nonsense: “You are talking nonsense.” Then the words were rearranged - and it turned out that out of ignorance the schoolchildren “were freezing stupidity.”
Big boss
Do you remember the picture “Barge Haulers on the Volga”, how in it the barge haulers are dragging the barge with all their strength? The heaviest and most important place in this burden is the place of the first barge hauler. He sets the initiative, he directs the rest. Therefore, this place was occupied by the most strong man. This man in a burlatka harness was called a “big shot.” This means that a “big shot” is a big and important person.
Alive Smoking Room
In the old days in Rus' there was such a game: everyone sat in a circle, someone lit a torch - and then it was passed around the circle from hand to hand. At the same time, everyone present sang a song: “The Smoking Room is alive, alive, alive, not dead...” And so on until the torch burned. The one in whose hands the torch went out lost. Since then, this expression began to be applied to those people and sometimes to things that, it would seem, should have disappeared a long time ago, but despite everything continued to exist.
And prove that you are not a camel
This phrase became very popular after the publication of the next series of the zucchini, “Thirteen Chairs.” There was a miniature where Mr. Director talks with Mr. Himalayan about a camel recently brought to the circus. The accompanying documents read: “We are sending a Bactrian camel to your circus and Himalayan”, i.e. the surname of Pan Himalayan was written with a small letter. Fearing bureaucratic checks, Mr. Director demands a certificate from Mr. Himalayan stating that he is not actually a camel. This so vividly ridiculed the role of the bureaucratic machine in our country that the expression very quickly spread to the people and became popular. Now we say this when we are asked to prove obvious things.
Not at ease
In French, “asiet” is both a plate and a mood, a state. They say that in early XIX century, a certain translator, while translating a French play, translated the phrase “buddy, you’re out of sorts” as “you’re out of your element.” Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov, who was an avid theatergoer, of course, could not ignore such a brilliant blunder and put an illiterate phrase into Famusov’s mouth: “My dear! You are out of your element. You need sleep from the road.” WITH light hand Alexander Sergeevich's crazy phrase took on meaning and took root in the Russian language for a long time.
Add the first number
In the old days, schoolchildren were often flogged, often without any fault of the person being punished. If the mentor showed special zeal, and the student suffered especially hard, he could be freed from further vices in the current month, until the first day of the next month. This is how the expression “pour in the first number” arose.
And it's a no brainer
The source of the expression “It’s a no brainer” is Mayakovsky’s poem (“It’s even a no brainer – / This Petya was a bourgeois”). The wide spread of this phrase was facilitated by the use of this phrase in the Strugatskys’ story “The Land of Crimson Clouds,” and it also became common in Soviet boarding schools for gifted children. They recruited teenagers who had two years left to study (classes A, B, C, D, D) or one year (classes E, F, I). Pupils of the one-year stream were called “hedgehogs”. When they arrived at the boarding school, the two-year students were already ahead of them in the non-standard program, so at the beginning of the school year the expression “no brainer” was very relevant.
Give the go-ahead
In the pre-revolutionary alphabet, the letter D was called “good.” The flag corresponding to this letter in the code of signals of the navy means “yes, I agree, I authorize.” This is what gave rise to the expression “give the go-ahead.” The derivative expression “Customs gives the go-ahead” first appeared in the film “White Sun of the Desert.”
Fly like plywood over Paris
It would not be an exaggeration to say that everyone has heard the expression “Fly like plywood over Paris.” The meaning of this phraseological unit can be conveyed as a missed opportunity to do or get something, to be out of work, to fail. But where did this saying come from? In 1908 year, the famous French aviator Auguste Fanier, making a demonstration flight over Paris, crashed into the Eiffel Tower and died, after which the famous Menshevik Martov wrote in Iskra that “the tsarist regime is flying to its death as quickly as Mr. Fanier over Paris. “The Russian perceived this maxim somewhat differently, changing the name of the foreign aviator to plywood. This is where the expression “fly like plywood over Paris” came from.
: History is not a teacher, but an overseer, magistra vitae: it teaches nothing, but only punishes for ignorance of the lessons.