18 phraseological units, the history of the appearance of which is not familiar to many

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

"Warm the snake on the chest", "dog in the manger", "pound water in a mortar" and other phraseological units with an interesting origin.

1. Warm the snake on the chest

So they say about a vile and arrogant person who responded to kindness, care and help with ingratitude.

The source of the phraseological unit is the work of the ancient fabulist Aesop called "The Peasant and the Serpent". It tells the story of a man who found a frozen snake in a field. He put her in his bosom so that she would not die. But after the snake got warm, it bit its savior.

2. Dog in the manger

The expression means "neither to myself nor to people." Phraseologism was borrowed from the fable of the same Aesop "A dog in a manger". In this story, an angry dog lay in the hay and did not allow horses to approach him. Then they were indignant and said: “Well, you are a shameless animal! And you don't eat hay yourself, and you don't allow us to eat!"

3. Jester pea

Phraseologism "pea jester" means a person with an awkward appearance, funny, inappropriate behavior that irritates other people.

Previously, in Russia, this was the name of a scarecrow in a field sown with peas. Christmas rites were also associated with this legume culture, in which a mummer, decorated with pea straw, took part. She was used in their costumes and buffoons, and on Shrovetide, a stuffed pea jester was carried through the streets.

4. Sisyphean labor

This expression means pointless, hard, constantly repetitive work. The catch phrase came to us from the Odyssey, narrated by Homer. According to legend, the king of Corinth, Sisyphus, after death, was sentenced by the gods to lift a boulder to the mountain, which, barely reaching the top, constantly rolled down.

5. Pandora's box

The catch phrase is used when they want to designate the source of misfortune, terrible disasters. It has come down to us from ancient Greek myths, according to which people did not know grief and lived in peace with each other until the moment Prometheus brought them fire. To punish Prometheus, Zeus sent Pandora to Earth with a chest containing misfortunes. The woman, consumed by curiosity, opened the chest, and sorrow spread throughout the world.

6. Beat your thumbs

The expression means "mess around, do trifles."

In Russia, baklushi were a wooden stump from which spoons, cups, and figurines were cut (beaten). This work was considered uncomplicated and does not require qualifications, so it was entrusted to apprentices. Also, the emergence of a catch phrase is associated with the traditional game of towns.

7. Pound water in a mortar

This catch phrase means futile exercise.

Phraseologism was borrowed from monastic life. In the old days, guilty monks were forced to pound water in a mortar - to foster endurance and patience.

8. Stay at a broken trough

A lot of phraseological units came to us from the works of Pushkin. One of them is "to stay at the bottom of the trough." Now this is what they say about a person who has lost everything that he had.

The source of the catch phrase is "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish". The heroine of this tale, the old woman, had few gifts from the magic goldfish - a new trough, a hut, a royal chorus and the title of noblewoman. She wished to command the sea element and the goldfish itself. As a result, greed killed the old woman - the fish took all the generous gifts.

9. Roll up your sleeves

The expression means doing something with enthusiasm, energy, sparing no effort. Its appearance is associated with the history of Russian costume of the 15th – 17th centuries. At that time, outerwear had very long sleeves with gaps for the arms. It was inconvenient to work in it, therefore, in order to do something, the sleeves were rolled up.

10. Monkey labor

"Monkey labor" means meaningless work. The author of this phraseological unit is the fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov. In his work "Monkey", he tells about an animal that diligently shifts from place to place a large block of wood:

The monkey's mouth is full of trouble:

She will carry the block, Now and then he will embrace him, It will shake, then it will roll;

Sweat is pouring down from the poor thing;

And, finally, she, puffing, breathes forcibly:

And he doesn't hear any praise from anyone.

11. Spin around like a squirrel in a wheel

The expression defines a person who is constantly busy with something. The source of the phrase is Krylov's fable "Belka". In it, the animal runs in a wheel, setting it in motion, but remains in place:

And the Squirrel in the wheel began to run again.

“Yes,” Drozd said as he flew away, “it’s clear to me, That you are running - and everything is at the same window."

12. Put your teeth on the shelf

The figurative expression means "drag out a hungry, poor existence." It originated from the peasant life: many of the tools at hand - a saw, a rake, a pitchfork - have teeth, and if there was work for this equipment, then there was bread in the house. But when the tool is put on the shelf, it means that there is no work, and therefore no food. There is also a version that we still mean human teeth, which are "not needed" when there is nothing.

13. Lead by the nose

Phraseologism means "to deceive, mislead." It is associated with the method of controlling animals: bulls and trained bears were led by a rope tied to a ring threaded through the animal's nostrils. Other European languages have similar expressions, such as the English idiom lead (someone) by the nose.

14. Topsy-turvy

The expression means "inside out" or "vice versa." Today it seems neutral, but in the days of Muscovy it was shameful. At that time the boyar collar was called "Shyvorot", which indicated the special status of the owner. However, if the nobleman fell into the disfavor of the sovereign, he was put on a skinny horse with his back forward, wearing his clothes inside out. So he was taken around the city for the amusement of the crowd.

15. Light wedge (not) converged

The winged expression means something that is most necessary, important for a person, because of which he ceases to notice the world around him. If they say “the light did not converge like a wedge,” then they mean that someone or something can be replaced.

A wedge in Russia was called a small piece of land of a poor peasant - something without which he could not survive and that was more important to him than the rest of the world (or the world).

16. Hat acquaintance

The phrase means superficial acquaintance. It happened like this: in the old days, when all men wore hats, they raised their hat to greet their acquaintances, while with friends and family they shook hands or hugged.

17. To wash the bones

The expression denotes backbiting, gossip. This phrase comes from the rite of reburial of the dead. The deceased, who, according to the oracles, was cursed, could return in the form of a ghoul and harm the living. To avoid this, the bones of the deceased were dug up and washed under running water. This ceremony was accompanied by an assessment of the person's character and past life.

18. Sharashkin's office

The expression denotes an undignified, untrustworthy enterprise, company. Phraseologism appeared in the Soviet Union to designate dubious organizations. The word "sharashka" itself came from the dialectal "sharan", which meant "deception" or "crooks".