12 phraseological units over which everyone is puzzled

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Where these strange expressions came from - you may not immediately realize. But Lifehacker found out everything.

1. From the bay-flounder

The sea bay has nothing to do with it. From the bay-flounder means "to act unexpectedly, thoughtlessly." Phraseologism is formed from the verbs "plump" and "flounder" and is associated with the image of a person who accidentally fell into the water and is forced to splash helplessly in it. The situation is so-so, so try to act deliberately, and not out of the blue.

2. Procrustean bed

You wouldn't want to be in it. Procrustes is a hero of ancient Greek myths and a robber who caught travelers and subjected them to a kind of torture. He put people on his bed and checked if it fit them in length. If a person turned out to be shorter, then Procrustes stretched his legs, if longer, he chopped off. It is noteworthy that the robber himself had little bed, for which he later paid.

The expression “Procrustean bed” is used when an attempt is made to adjust a phenomenon to the given standards, deliberately distorting it.

3. Kissy young lady

It should be clear who this "young lady" is, and "muslin" means "dressed in a dress made of muslin, thin cotton fabric." This elegant but impractical outfit was popular at the end of the 18th century, but then went out of fashion and turned into a symbol of unsuitability, coyness, effeminacy and even stupidity.

4. Grabbed the kondrashka

Kondrashka is not a friendly neighbor, but a euphemism for stroke or apoplexy. The expression means the same as "died suddenly." It is believed that the disease was not called by its name, so as not to accidentally trigger it on oneself: the superstitious people believed that it worked. Sometimes the kondrashka is replaced by the more honorable Kondraty.

5. On zugunder

If someone threatens to take you to the zugunder, run. Because it means "punish" or "prosecute." Phraseologism came from the German language and refers to approximately the 17th-19th centuries, when the arrested soldiers were sentenced to one hundred blows with floppy lashes, or gauntlets. "Zu hundert" - in German means "to a hundred."

6. Containers-bars-rastabars

The expression has nothing to do with either Rasta bars or containers in which products are packaged. It means "talking in vain." Phraseologism originated from the verbs "to chatter" and "rattle", meaning "to talk, to talk," and is most often used in conjunction with the verb "to breed". Raise containers-bars-rastabars in the bar.

7. Suma remittance

Opportunists and chameleons of all Russia were called that way. Initially, the phrase meant a bag hanging on an animal. So that the load was evenly distributed, the bag was divided into two parts and thrown over, shifted over the saddle. Subsequently, the word "peremetny" acquired a negative meaning: this is how they spoke about a person without principles, who occupies the most advantageous position.

8. To breed touris on wheels

Cowards have nothing to do with it. Turusa on Wheels is a wooden siege tower covered with skins. These were used by the ancient Romans. Soldiers were planted inside it so that they could move the structure to the enemy's fortress wall. Alexander Pushkin's contemporaries did not believe that such towers could exist, so they said about everything incredible "to breed turuses on wheels", meaning "to carry nonsense."

9. Lazarus to sing

A very unworthy occupation. Lazarus is called a flattering beggar, and the expression itself means "to complain about your fate, to pretend to be unhappy." It came from the gospel parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. According to her, Lazarus lay at the gate of the rich man while he feasted and led a riotous lifestyle. After death, the beggar went to heaven, and the rich man went to hell. The rich man suffered in hell from the heat and wanted Lazarus to give him water. But God refused him, saying that the rich man had already enjoyed life enough.

10. Throwing beads in front of pigs

Sounds like an interesting game, but no. This phraseological unit also came to us from the Gospel and is used in relation to a person who is not able or does not want to understand someone's thoughts and feelings. In the original, the text sounded like this: "Do not give the holy things to the dogs and do not throw your pearls in front of the pigs, so that they do not trample it under their feet and, turning, do not tear you to pieces." In other words, don't waste your resources for those who will never appreciate it.

11. No belmes

A very useful expression if you are a teacher or a boss. It means “to know nothing and not to understand” and is translated from Tatar as “he does not know”. At first in Russia, the ignorant was called belmes, and then the people noticed the sound similarity between the words "demon" and "belmes" and began to use the latter in the meaning of "not a damn thing" and "does not understand a damn thing."

12. Rest in Bose

This expression means “to die, to die”, but now it is more often used with an ironic connotation “to cease to exist”. It came from the Church Slavonic language and was used in prayers for the dead. The expression “to rest in Bose” literally means “to fall asleep in God,” that is, to give your soul to God. But you can use it in relation to, for example, closed projects and companies.