Many people have heard this expression "and you are a Brutus", usually pronounced with a joking intonation. However, the true meaning is rooted in distant history. This phrase expresses unexpected disappointment, rebuking your close friend, whom you know literally from the cradle.
The history of this phrase is connected with the insidious murder of the great emperor of Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar. Researchers believe that the murder was forced, because the emperor decided to concentrate the fullness of all power in his own hands. The conspirators did not even take into account Caesar's merits to the people of Rome. Many high-ranking Roman officials and part of the senators felt a direct threat to their well-being, and maybe even their lives. The nobility of Rome was furious, because they wanted to move them away from the feeder.
However, to kill such a high-ranking person is not an easy task. It could only be done with the tacit consent of people close to him and his guards. Although Cassius was the initiator of the murder, the most decisive person among the conspirators was Junius Brutus, whom Caesar expressed great confidence in. a detail in this story is the fact that Brutus' sister, as well as his mother, were in love with the great commander Caesar. Perhaps this can partially explain the trust with which Julius Caesar treated his future assassin.
Since morning 15
Martha 44
year, Caesar had a disgusting mood, he seemed to have a premonition of evil and trouble was not long in coming. In the Senate building, Julius Caesar received 23
stab wounds from people he knew well. Such a number of stab wounds is explained by the fact that each of the conspirators had to inflict at least one blow. Before his death, Caesar suddenly saw Junius Brutus and was literally amazed by this. After that, he uttered this phrase, which later became a catch phrase - "and you are Brutus".
However, historians tend to believe that the dictator uttered a completely different phrase - "and you are my child." However, after so many years, it is impossible to say with certainty how things really were.
Some researchers believe that the appearance of the expression "and you are Brutus" is associated with a play about the great commander written by Shakespeare himself. It was after the manuscript was published that this phraseological unit gained immense popularity.
In the Soviet Union, this phrase became popular thanks to a completely different work, namely the Golden Calf by Ilf and Petrov, and sounded like a reproach to a traitor.
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12 catchphrases, the meaning of which is not known to everyone
Editorial responseWinged expressions help to express thoughts more accurately, give speech a more emotional coloring. They allow in a few short but precise words to express more emotions and convey a personal attitude to what is happening.
AiF.ru recalls the meanings of some Russian phraseological units.
quiet glanders
Initially, this expression meant to secretly dig a mine or a secret tunnel. The word "zappa" (translated from Italian) means earthwork shovel.Borrowed into French, the word turned into the French "sap" and received the meaning of "earthworks, trenches and undermining", the word "sapper" also arose from this word.
In Russian, the word "sapa" and the expression "quiet glanders" meant work that is carried out with extreme caution, without noise, in order to get close to the enemy unnoticed, in complete secrecy.
After widespread use, the expression acquired the meaning: carefully, in deep secrecy and slowly (for example, “So he drags all the food from the kitchen on the sly!”).
Nothing is visible
According to one version, the word "zga" comes from the name of a part of the horse harness - a ring in the upper part of the arc, into which a rein was inserted so as not to dangle. When the coachman needed to unharness the horse, and it was so dark that this little ring (zgi) could not be seen, they said that "you can't see it at all."
According to another version, the word "zga" comes from the Old Russian "sytga" - "road, path, path." In this case, the meaning of the expression is interpreted - "so dark that you can not even see the road, the path." Today, the expression “nothing is visible”, “nothing can be seen” means “nothing is visible”, “impenetrable darkness”.
A blind man leads a blind man, but both of them cannot see. (last)
"Darkness hangs over the earth: you can't see it..." ( Anton Chekhov,"Mirror")
dance from the stove
Vasily Alekseevich Sleptsov. 1870 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Published in St Petersburg, 1903
The expression "to dance from the stove" first appeared in the novel of the 19th century Russian writer Vasily Sleptsov"Good man". The book was published in 1871. There is an episode in it when the main character Seryozha Terebenev recalls how he was taught to dance, but the “pas” required from the dance teacher did not work out for him. There is a phrase in the book:
- Oh, what are you, brother! - Father says reproachfully. - Well, go back to the stove, start over.
In Russian, this expression began to be used, speaking of people whose habit of acting according to a hardened scenario replaces knowledge. A person can perform certain actions only “from the stove”, from the very beginning, from the most simple and familiar action:
“When he (the architect) was ordered to plan, he usually drew the hall and the hotel first; just as in the old days, college girls could only dance from the stove, so his artistic idea could only come and develop from the hall to the living room. ( Anton Chekhov,"My life").
shabby look
At times Tsar Peter I lived Ivan Zatrapeznikov- an entrepreneur who received the Yaroslavl textile manufactory from the emperor. The factory produced a cloth called “striped”, or “striped”, popularly called “mess”, “mess” - a coarse and low-quality cloth made from hemp (hemp fiber).Clothes were sewn from shabby clothes mainly by poor people who could not buy something better for themselves. And the appearance of such poor people was appropriate. Since then, if a person is dressed sloppily, they say about him that he has a shabby appearance:
“The hay girls were poorly fed, dressed in shabby clothes and given little sleep, exhausting them with almost continuous work.” ( Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, "Poshekhonskaya antiquity")
Sharpen laces
To sharpen folly means to idle talk, to engage in useless chatter. Lassy (balusters) are chiseled curly columns of railings at the porch.
At first, “sharpening balusters” meant having an elegant, whimsical, ornate (like balusters) conversation. However, there were few craftsmen to conduct such a conversation, and over time, the expression began to mean empty chatter:
“They used to sit in a circle, some on a bench, some simply on the ground, each with some business, a spinning wheel, a comb or bobbins, and they would go and go to sharpen their laces and babble about a different, experienced time.” ( Dmitry Grigorovich, "Village").
Lying like a gray gelding
To lie like a gray gelding means to speak fables without being embarrassed at all. In the 19th century, an officer served in one of the regiments of the Russian army, a German named von Sivers-Mehring. He liked to tell the officers funny stories and fables. The expression "lies like Sievers-Mering" was understandable only to his colleagues. However, they began to use it throughout Russia, completely forgetting about the origins. Sayings appeared among the people: “lazy as a gray gelding”, “stupid as a gray gelding”, although the horse breed has nothing to do with this.
Bullshit
According to one version, the expression "bullshit" comes from "lying like a gray gelding" (in fact, these two phrases are synonymous)There is also a version that the expression "bullshit" came from the name of one scientist - Brad Steve Cobile, who once wrote a very stupid article. His name, consonant with the words "bullshit" correlated with scientific nonsense.
According to another version, "bullshit" is an expression denoting a stupid statement or thought; appeared due to the beliefs of the Slavs that the gray horse (gray with an admixture of a different color) was the most stupid animal. There was a sign according to which if a gray mare is dreamed, then in reality the dreamer will be deceived.
Androns ride
"Androns are coming" means nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, complete nonsense.
In Russian, this phrase is used in response to someone who tells a lie, inappropriately puts on airs and boasts about himself. In the 1840s, on the territory of almost all of Russia, andretz (andron) meant a wagon, various kinds of carts.
“And you don’t have to scold my house! “Do I scold you?.. Cross yourself, Petrovnushka, the androns are coming!” ( Pavel Zarubin, "Dark and bright sides of Russian life")
Biryuk live
The expression "to live with a biryuk" means to be a hermit and a closed person. In the southern regions of Russia, a wolf is called a biryuk. The wolf has long been considered a predatory animal dangerous for the economy. The peasants perfectly studied his habits and habits and often remembered them when speaking about a person. “Oh, and you have grown old, little brother! Dunyashka said regretfully. “Some kind of gray has become like a biryuk.” ( Mikhail Sholokhov, Quiet Don)
Mikhail Golubovich in the movie Biryuk. 1977
to play with spillikins
Spillikins are various small household items that were used during the ancient game. Its meaning was to pull out one toy after another from a pile of toys with fingers or a special hook, without touching or scattering the rest. The one who moved the adjacent spillikin passes the move to the next player. The game continues until the whole pile is taken apart. By the beginning of the 20th century, spillikins became one of the most popular games in the country and were very common not only among children, but also among adults.
In a figurative sense, the expression "playing spillikins" means to engage in trifles, nonsense, leaving aside the main and important:
“After all, I came to the workshop to work, and not to sit back and play spillikins.” ( Mikhail Novorussky"Notes of the Schlisselburger")
Pies with kittens
In Russia, they never ate cats, except in severe famine. During long sieges of cities, their inhabitants, having exhausted all food supplies, people used domestic animals for food, and cats and cats were the last to go.
Thus, this expression means a catastrophic state of affairs. Usually the proverb is shortened and they say: “These are the pies”, in other words, “these are the things”.
Leave unsalted slurping
Illustration for the fairy tale "Shemyakin Court". Copper engraving, first half of the 18th century. Reproduction. Photo: RIA Novosti / Balabanov
In Russia in the old days, salt was an expensive product. It had to be transported from afar off-road, taxes on salt were very high. When visiting, the host salted the food himself, with his own hand. Sometimes, expressing his respect for especially dear guests, he even added salt to the food, and sometimes those who sat at the far end of the table did not get salt at all. Hence the expression - "to leave without salty slurping":
“And the more she spoke, and the more sincerely she smiled, the stronger the confidence became in me that I would leave her without salty slurping.” ( Anton Chekhov"The lights")
"The fox missed the live and went away slurping unsalted." ( Alexey Tolstoy"The Fox and the Rooster"
Shemyakin Court
The expression "shemyakin court" is used when they want to emphasize the unfairness of any opinion, judgment or assessment. Shemyaka - a real historical person, Galician Prince Dimitri Shemyaka, famous for its cruelty, deceit and unrighteous deeds. He became famous for his tireless, stubborn struggle with the great Prince Vasily the Dark, his cousin, for the Moscow throne. Today, when they want to point out the partiality, unfairness of some judgment, they say: “Is this criticism? Shemyakin court of some kind.
To reach the handle, bosom friend, to leave in English, and a no brainer - we use many expressions forgetting the original meaning and their origin.
We often “beat the buckets”, “rub glasses”, “lead by the nose” and look for a “scapegoat”. Such stable expressions are usually called "winged". Catch phrases most often fall into the vocabulary from historical (legends and events of the past) or literary sources. Due to their figurativeness and expressiveness, they are widely used and become sustainable. These can be quotations or figurative expressions that appeared on their basis. Many catchphrases have long lost a direct connection with the source, having adapted to the present. Therefore, having learned the origin and original meaning of this or that winged expression, one can be very surprised.
1. Reach the handle
In ancient Russia, kalachi was baked in the shape of a castle with a round bow. Citizens often bought kalachi and ate them right on the street, holding this bow, or handle. For reasons of hygiene, the pen itself was not used for food, but was given to the poor or thrown to be eaten by dogs. According to one version, they said about those who did not disdain to eat it: it reached the handle. And today the expression “to reach the handle” means to completely sink, to lose human appearance.
2. Bosom friend
The old expression "pour over the Adam's apple" meant "get drunk", "drink alcohol." Hence the phraseological unit “bosom friend” was formed, which today is used to refer to a very close friend.
3. Pour in the first number
In the old days, schoolchildren were often flogged, often without any fault of the punished. If the mentor showed particular zeal, and the student got hit especially hard, he could be released from further vices in the current month, up to the first day of the next month. This is how the expression "pour on the first number" arose.
4. Get into trouble
Prosak used to be a special machine for weaving ropes and ropes. It had a complex structure and twisted strands so strongly that getting clothes, hair, beard into it could cost a person life. It was from such cases that the expression “get into a mess” came about, which today means to be in an awkward position.
5. The latest Chinese warning
In the 1950s and 1960s, American aircraft often violated Chinese airspace for the purpose of reconnaissance. The Chinese authorities recorded every violation and each time sent a "warning" to the United States through diplomatic channels, although no real action followed, and such warnings were counted by the hundreds. This policy has given rise to the expression "the last Chinese warning", meaning threats without consequences.
6. Hang dogs
When a person is blamed, accused of something, you can hear the expression: "They hang dogs on him." At first glance, this phrase is absolutely illogical. However, it is not associated with an animal at all, but with another meaning of the word "dog" - burdock, thorn - now almost unused.
7. Silent glanders
The word sape means "hoe" in French. In the 16th-19th centuries, the term "sapa" meant a way to open a trench, ditch or tunnel to approach the fortifications. Gunpowder bombs were sometimes planted in the tunnels to the castle walls, and the specialists trained to do this were called sappers. And from the covert digging of tunnels came the expression "quiet glanders", which today is used to denote cautious and inconspicuous actions.
8. Big bump
The most experienced and strong hauler, walking in the strap first, was called a bump. This has evolved into the expression "big shot" to refer to an important person.
9. The case burned out
Previously, if a court case disappeared, then a person could not be legally charged. Cases often burned down: either from a fire in the wooden buildings of the courts, or from deliberate arson for a bribe. In such cases, the defendants said: "The case burned out." Today, this expression is used when we talk about the successful completion of a major undertaking.
10. 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, but it sounded like “to take French leave” (“leave in French”). It appeared during the Seven Years' War in the 18th century as a mockery of French soldiers who arbitrarily left the location of the unit. Then the French copied this expression, but in relation to the British, and in this form it was fixed in the Russian language.
11. Blue blood
The Spanish royal family and nobility prided themselves on the fact 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". Hence, this expression for the designation of the aristocracy penetrated into many European languages, including Russian.
12. No brainer
The source of the expression “And it’s clear to a hedgehog” is Mayakovsky’s poem (“It’s clear even to a hedgehog - / This Petya was a bourgeois”). It became widespread first in the Strugatsky story "The Land of Crimson Clouds", and then in Soviet boarding schools for gifted children. They recruited teenagers who had two years left to study (grades A, B, C, D, E) or one year (grades E, F, I). The students of the one-year stream were called “hedgehogs”. When they came to the boarding school, two-year students were already ahead of them in a non-standard program, so at the beginning of the school year, the expression "no brainer" was very relevant.
13. Wash the bones
The Orthodox Greeks, as well as some Slavic peoples, had 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 his lifetime this person was a sinner and a curse lies on him - to come out of the grave at night in the form of a ghoul, vampire, ghoul and destroy people. Thus, the rite of washing the bones was needed to make sure that there was no such spell.
14. The highlight of the program
The opening of the Eiffel Tower, which looked like a nail, was timed to coincide with the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris, which caused a sensation. Since then, the expression "highlight of the program" has entered the language.
15. Not by washing, so by skating
In the old days, village women, after washing, “rolled” the laundry with the help of a special rolling pin. Well-rolled linen turned out to be wrung out, ironed and clean, even if the washing was not of very high quality.
For the most part, men are very simple creatures. In the sense that if they say something, that's what it means, without any subtext and the need to think it out. This is called "linear thinking". But due to the fact that women communicate in a completely different, more emotional way, they cannot understand men's words directly and constantly invent something.
Already published, and now here are some tips for men's phrases:
- "I'll call you" - translation: I'm not going to call you. Well, maybe, of course, but most likely not.
- "I don't care" - translation: I see that this is definitely important to you, but it doesn't matter to me. Since in the end everything will still be the way you want, I don’t even want to discuss and argue. If it really matters to me, I will definitely tell you. I don't test you, I really don't care. So, for the love of all saints, just tell me where you want to have dinner tonight.
- "She's just a friend" - translation: I'm glad you're jealous, but I swear I didn't have sex with her. If we were, we probably wouldn't be friends.
- "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" - translation: we've been arguing about this for about an hour, and I'm already tired. Congratulations, you won. Can we have sex now?
- "Can we talk about this later?" translation: could you finally shut up?
- "My ex was crazy" - translation: we are doing well, and I like you very much, but if you are also crazy, then please show it quickly. I won't be able to experience this again.
- “I was joking” - translation: oh, hell, I was just joking, and you found some kind of mockery in it. It kills all desire.
- “Striptease in clubs sucks” - translation: it sucks, but I enjoy watching it. I like the naked female body, but much, MUCH more I like women that I can have sex with. That is you.
- "I don't watch porn" - translation: I watch a lot of porn. But my ex looked at the history of my visits to sites and made a scandal. Because this time I'd rather lie. Forgive me.
- "You look great in that dress" - translation: can we go now?
- "That's not what I meant at all!" translation: oh shit, you took that too much to heart.
- “It's purely masculine. You don't understand" - translation: if you don't understand it, I won't explain. There's nothing wrong with that, it's probably some kind of stupidity. Let's just go.
- "I like girls without makeup" - translation: I don't know what I'm talking about. Just don't dress like a clown. It takes a long time, it smells strange, and if I kiss you, then everything will remain on me. But that doesn't mean I don't want you to look your best.
- "Let's go to the gym together" - translation: you start to get fat.
- "I'm not angry" - translation: I'm really not angry. Well, maybe just a little, but it's okay. Let's not make a big deal out of molehills.
- "I'm fine" - translation: I may not be completely fine, but I want to deal with it myself. Stop asking me if I'm ok, because the more you ask, the less I'm ok.
- "How do you know him?" translation: did you sleep with him? I need to know how to treat him.
- "I love you" - translation: it really is. You drive me crazy and I don't want to date anyone else. (Only if it was not said during sex).
Description of some catchphrases
Often we use the so-called catchphrases without even knowing about their origin. Of course, everyone knows: “And Vaska listens and eats” - this is from Krylov’s fable, “gifts of the Danaans” and “Trojan horse” - from Greek legends about the Trojan War ... But many words have become so close and familiar that we don’t even think may come who said them first.
Scapegoat
The history of this expression is as follows: the ancient Jews had a rite of absolution. The priest laid both hands on the head of a live goat, thereby, as it were, shifting the sins of the whole people onto him. After that, the goat was driven out into the wilderness. Many, many years have passed, and the rite no longer exists, but the expression lives on ...
Tryn-grass
The mysterious "tryn-grass" is not at all some kind of herbal medicine that is drunk so as not to worry. At first it was called “tyn-grass”, and tyn is a fence. The result was “fence grass”, that is, a weed that no one needed, indifferent to everyone.
Sour soup master
Sour cabbage soup is a simple peasant food: some water and sauerkraut. It wasn't hard to prepare them. And if someone was called a master of sour cabbage soup, it meant that he was not good for anything worthwhile. Balzac Age
The expression arose after the publication of the novel by the French writer Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) The Thirty-Year-Old Woman (1831); used as a characteristic of women aged 30-40 years.
White crow
This expression, as a designation of a rare person, sharply different from the rest, is given in the 7th satire of the Roman poet Juvenal (mid-1st century - after 127 AD):
Fate gives kingdoms to slaves, delivers triumphs to captives.
However, such a lucky man is less likely to be a white crow.
put a pig
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 imperceptibly put pork meat in his food, then his faith was defiled by this.
Throw a stone
The expression "to throw a stone" at someone in the sense of "accusing" arose from the Gospel (John, 8, 7); Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, who, tempting him, brought to him a woman convicted of adultery: “He that is without sin among you, first cast a stone at her” (in ancient Judea, there was a penalty - to stone).
Paper endures everything (Paper does not blush)
The expression goes back to the Roman writer and orator Cicero (106 - 43 BC); in his letters “To Friends” there is an expression: “Epistola non erubescit” - “The letter does not blush”, that is, in writing you can express such thoughts that are embarrassed to express orally.
To be or not to be, that is the question
The beginning of Hamlet's monologue in Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, translated by N.A. Field (1837).
Wolf in sheep's clothing
The expression originated from the Gospel: "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves."
In borrowed plumes
It arose from the fable of I.A. Krylov "Crow" (1825).
Pour in the first number
Believe it or not, but... from the old school, where students were flogged every week, regardless of who was right or wrong. And if the mentor overdoes it, then such a spanking was enough for a long time, until the first day of the next month.
Register Izhitsa
Izhitsa is the name of the last letter of the Church Slavonic alphabet. Traces of flogging in known places of negligent students strongly looked like this letter. So to prescribe Izhitsu - teach a lesson, punish, it's easier to flog. And you still scold the modern school!
I carry everything with me
The expression originated from ancient Greek tradition. When the Persian king Cyrus occupied the city of Priene in Ionia, the inhabitants left it, taking with them the most valuable of their property. Only Biant, one of the "seven wise men", a native of Priene, left empty-handed. In response to the bewildered questions of his fellow citizens, he answered, referring to spiritual values: "I carry everything that is mine with me." This expression is often used in Cicero's Latin formulation: Omnia mea mecum porto.
Everything flows, everything changes
This expression, which defines the constant variability of all things, expounds the essence of the teachings of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 530-470 BC)
Goal like a falcon
Terribly poor, beggar. Usually they think that we are talking about a bird. But the falcon has nothing to do with it. In fact, the “falcon” is an old military wall-beating weapon. It was a completely smooth ("bare") cast-iron blank, fixed on chains. Nothing extra!
Orphan Kazan
So they say about a person who pretends to be unhappy, offended, helpless in order to pity someone. But why is the orphan "Kazan"? It turns out that this phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. Mirzas (Tatar princes), being subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg him for all sorts of indulgences, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.
unlucky person
In the old days in Russia, "the way" was called not only the road, but also various positions at the prince's court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the trapping path is dog hunting, the equerry's path is carriages and horses. The boyars, by hook or by crook, tried to get a way from the prince - a position. And those who did not succeed, spoke of those with disdain: an unlucky person.
Was it a boy?
In one of the episodes of M. Gorky's novel "The Life of Klim Samgin" tells about the boy Klim skating with other children. Boris Varavka and Varya Somova fall into a hole. Klim gives Boris the end of his gymnasium belt, but, feeling that he is being pulled into the water, he releases the belt from his hands. Children are drowning. When the search for the drowned begins, Klima is struck by “someone’s serious incredulous question: “Was there a boy, maybe there wasn’t a boy.” The last phrase has become winged as a figurative expression of extreme doubt about anything.
twenty two misfortunes
So in the play by A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard" (1903) they call the clerk Epikhodov, with whom some kind of comic trouble happens every day. The expression is applied to people with whom some kind of misfortune constantly happens.
Money doesn't smell
The expression arose from the words of the Roman emperor (69 - 79 AD) Vespasian, said by him, as Suetonius reports in his biography, on the following occasion. When Vespasian's son Titus reproached his father for imposing a tax on public latrines, Vespasian brought the first money received from this tax to his nose and asked if they smelled. To the negative answer of Titus, Vespasian said: "And yet they are from urine."
Draconian measures
This is the name given to exorbitantly harsh laws named after the Dragon, the first legislator of the Athenian Republic (VII century BC). Among the punishments determined by its laws, a prominent place was allegedly occupied by the death penalty, which punished, for example, such an offense as stealing vegetables. There was a legend that these laws were written in blood (Plutarch, Solon). In literary speech, the expression "draconian laws", "draconian measures, punishments" became stronger in the meaning of harsh, cruel laws.
Inside out
Now it seems to be quite a harmless expression. And once it was associated with a shameful punishment. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, a guilty boyar was put back to front on a horse in clothes turned inside out and in this form, disgraced, was driven around the city to the whistle and ridicule of the street crowd.
Retired goat drummer
In the old days, trained bears were taken to fairs. They were accompanied by a dancer boy dressed up as a goat, and a drummer accompanying his dance. This was the goat drummer. He was perceived as a worthless, frivolous person.
Yellow press
In 1895, the American graphic artist Richard Outcault placed a series of frivolous drawings with humorous text in a number of issues of the New York newspaper The World; among the drawings was a child in a yellow shirt, to whom various amusing statements were attributed. Soon another newspaper, the New York Journal, began printing a series of similar drawings. A dispute arose between the two papers over the title to the "yellow boy". In 1896, Erwin Wardman, editor of the New York Press, published an article in his magazine in which he contemptuously called the two competing newspapers "yellow press." Since then, the expression has become catchy.
finest hour
An expression by Stefan Zweig (1881-1942) from the preface to his collection of historical short stories The Starry Clock of Mankind (1927). Zweig explains that he called historical moments the finest hours "because, like eternal stars, they invariably shine in the nights of oblivion and decay."
Golden mean
An expression from the 2nd book of the odes of the Roman poet Horace: "aurea mediocritas".
Choose the lesser of two evils
An expression found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle "Nicomachean Ethics" in the form: "The lesser of evils must be chosen." Cicero (in his essay “On Duties”) says: “One should not only choose the least of the evils, but also extract from them what can be good in them.”
To make mountains out of molehills
The expression is ancient. It is cited by the Greek writer Lucian (3rd century AD), who ends his satirical "Praise of the Fly" as follows: "But I interrupt my word - although there is much more I could say - so that no one would think that I , according to the proverb, I make an elephant out of a fly.
Zest
The expression is used in the meaning: something that gives a special taste, attractiveness to something (dish, story, person, etc.). It arose from a folk proverb: “Kvass is not expensive, zest in kvass is expensive”; became popular after the appearance of Leo Tolstoy's drama The Living Corpse (1912). The hero of the drama Protasov, talking about his family life, says: “My wife was an ideal woman ... But what can I say? There was no raisin - you know, is there a raisin in kvass? - there was no game in our life. And I had to forget. And without the game you will not forget ... "
lead by the nose
It can be seen that trained bears were very popular, because this expression was associated with fairground entertainment. The gypsies led the bears by wearing a nose ring. And they forced them, the poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of handouts.
Sharpen laces
Lasy (balusters) are chiseled curly posts of railings at the porch. Only a real master could make such beauty. Probably, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant having an elegant, bizarre, ornate (like balusters) conversation. But craftsmen to conduct such a conversation by our time became less and less. So this expression began to denote empty chatter.
a swan song
The expression is used in the meaning: the last manifestation of talent. Based on the belief that swans sing before death, it arose in antiquity. Evidence of this is found in one of Aesop's fables (6th century BC): "They say that swans sing before they die."
Flying Dutchman
Dutch legend has preserved the story of a sailor who swore in a strong storm to go around the cape that blocked his path, even if it took him an eternity. For his pride, he was doomed to forever rush on a ship on a raging sea, never touching the shore. This legend, obviously, arose in the age of great discoveries. It is possible that its historical basis was the expedition of Vasco da Gama (1469-1524), who rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1497. In the 17th century this legend was dated to several Dutch captains, which is reflected in its name.
seize the moment
The expression, apparently, goes back to Horace ("carpe diem" - "seize the day", "take advantage of the day").
Lion's share
The expression goes back to the fable of the ancient Greek fabulist Aesop "The Lion, the Fox and the Donkey", the plot of which - the division of prey among the animals - was later used by Phaedrus, La Fontaine and other fabulists.
The moor has done his job, the moor can go
Quote from the drama by F. Schiller (1759 - 1805) "The Fiesco Conspiracy in Genoa" (1783). This phrase (d.3, yavl.4) is spoken by the Moor, who turned out to be unnecessary after he helped Count Fisco organize an uprising of the Republicans against the tyrant of Genoa, Doge Doria. This phrase has become a saying that characterizes a cynical attitude towards a person whose services are no longer needed.
Manna from heaven
According to the Bible, manna is the food that God sent to the Jews every morning from heaven, when they went through the desert to the promised land (Exodus, 16, 14-16 and 31).
Disservice
The expression arose from the fable of I. A. Krylov "The Hermit and the Bear" (1808).
Honeymoon
The idea that the happiness of the first stage of marriage is quickly replaced by the bitterness of disappointment, figuratively expressed in Eastern folklore, was used by Voltaire for his philosophical novel Zadig, or Fate (1747), in the 3rd chapter of which he writes: the first month of marriage, as described in the book of Zend, is the honeymoon, and the second is the wormwood month.
We have a road for young people everywhere
Quote from "Song of the Motherland" in the film "Circus" (1936), text by V.I. Lebedev-Kumach, music by I.O. Dunaevsky.
Silent means consent
The expression of the Pope (1294-1303) Boniface VIII in one of his messages included in canon law (a set of decrees of church authority). This expression goes back to Sophocles (496-406 BC), in whose tragedy “The Trachinian Women” it is said: “Don’t you understand that by silence you agree with the accuser?”
Flour Tantalum
In Greek mythology, Tantalus, the king of Phrygia (also called the king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, who often invited him to their feasts. But, proud of his position, he offended the gods, for which he was severely punished. According to Homer ("Odyssey"), his punishment was that, thrown into Tartarus (hell), he always experiences unbearable pangs of thirst and hunger; he stands up to his neck in water, but the water recedes from him as soon as he bows his head to drink; branches with luxurious fruits hang over him, but as soon as he stretches out his hands to them, the branches deviate. Hence the expression "Tantal's torment" arose, which means: unbearable torment due to the inability to achieve the desired goal, despite its proximity.
On the seventh sky
The expression, meaning the highest degree of joy, happiness, goes back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), who in the essay “On the Sky” explains the structure of the heavenly vault. He believed that the sky consists of seven motionless crystal spheres, on which the stars and planets are fixed. The seven heavens are mentioned in various places in the Qur'an: for example, it is said that the Qur'an itself was brought by an angel from the seventh heaven.
I don't want to study, I want to get married
Mitrofanushka's words from D. I. Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" (1783), d.3, yavl. 7.
New is well forgotten old
In 1824, the memoirs of the milliner Marie Antoinette, Mademoiselle Bertin, were published in France, in which she said these words about the queen's old dress she had renovated (in fact, her memoirs are fake - their author is Jacques Pesche). This thought was perceived as new, too, only because it was well forgotten. Already Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) said that "there is no new custom that is not old." This quote from Chaucer was popularized by Walter Scott's The Folk Songs of Southern Scotland.
Nick down
In this expression, the word "nose" has nothing to do with the organ of smell. "Nose" was called a commemorative plaque, or a tag for records. In the distant past, illiterate people always carried with them such boards and sticks, with the help of which all kinds of notes or notches were made as a keepsake.
Break a leg
This expression arose among hunters and was based on the superstitious idea that with a direct wish (both down and feather), the results of the hunt can be jinxed. Feather in the language of hunters means a bird, fluff means animals. In ancient times, a hunter going fishing received this parting word, the “translation” of which looks something like this: “Let your arrows fly past the target, let the snares and traps you set remain empty, just like the hunting pit!” To which the miner, in order not to jinx it, also replied: “To hell!”. And both were sure that the evil spirits, invisibly present at this dialogue, would be satisfied and leave behind, would not plot during the hunt.
Beat the thumbs
What are "backcloths", who and when "beats" them? For a long time handicraftsmen have been making spoons, cups and other utensils from wood. To cut a spoon, it was necessary to chip off a chock - a baklusha - from a log. Apprentices were entrusted with preparing buckwheat: it was an easy, trifling matter that did not require special skills. Cooking such chocks was called “beating bucks”. From here, from the ridicule of the masters over the auxiliary workers - "bottlenecks", our saying went.
About dead or good or nothing
An expression frequently quoted in Latin, "De mortuis nil nisi bene" or "De mortuis aut bene aut nihil," seems to come from Diogenes Laertes (3rd century AD): "Life, Doctrine, and Opinions famous philosophers”, which contains the saying of one of the “seven wise men” - Chilo (VI century BC): “Do not slander the dead”.
O holy simplicity!
This expression is attributed to the leader of the Czech national movement Jan Hus (1369-1415). Sentenced by a church council as a heretic to be burned, he allegedly uttered these words at the stake when he saw that some old woman (according to another version - a peasant woman) in ingenuous religious zeal threw the brushwood she brought into the fire of the fire. However, Hus's biographers, based on eyewitness accounts of his death, deny the fact that he uttered this phrase. The ecclesiastical writer Turanius Rufinus (c. 345-410), in his continuation of Eusebius' History of the Church, reports that the expression "holy simplicity" was uttered at the First Council of Nicaea (325) by one of the theologians. This expression is often used in Latin: "O sancta simplicitas!".
An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth
An expression from the Bible, the formula of the law of retribution: “A fracture for a fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: as he did damage to the human body, so it must be done to him” (Leviticus, 24, 20; about the same - Exodus, 21, 24; Deuteronomy 19:21).
From great to funny one step
This phrase was often repeated by Napoleon during his flight from Russia in December 1812 to his ambassador in Warsaw de Pradt, who told about it in the book "History of the Embassy to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw" (1816). Its primary source is the expression of the French writer Jean-Francois Marmontel (1723-1799) in the fifth volume of his works (1787): "In general, the funny comes into contact with the great."
Language will bring to Kyiv
In 999, a certain Kievan Nikita Shchekomyaka got lost in the boundless, then Russian, steppe and ended up among the Polovtsians. When the Polovtsy asked him: Where are you from, Nikita? He answered that he was from the rich and beautiful city of Kyiv, and he described the wealth and beauty of his native city to the nomads in such a way that the Polovtsian Khan Nunchak attached Nikita by the tongue to the tail of his horse, and the Polovtsians went to fight and rob Kyiv. So Nikita Shchekomyaka got home with the help of his tongue.
Balloons
1812. When the French burned Moscow and were left without food in Russia, they came to Russian villages and asked for Sherami food, like give me. So the Russians began to call them that. (one of the hypotheses).
bastard
This is an idiomatic word. There is such a river Voloch, when the fishermen sailed with their catch, they said ours from Volochi came. There are several more tomological meanings of this word. To drag - to collect, drag. It is from them that the word originated. But it has become abusive not long ago. This is the merit of 70 years in the CPSU.
Know all the ins and outs
The expression is associated with an old torture, in which the accused were driven under the nails with needles or nails, seeking a confession.
Oh, you are heavy, Monomakh's hat!
A quote from A. S. Pushkin's tragedy "Boris Godunov", the scene "The Tsar's Chambers" (1831), Boris's monologue (Monomakh in Greek is a wrestler; a nickname that was attached to the names of some Byzantine emperors. In ancient Russia, this nickname was assigned to Grand Duke Vladimir (beginning of the 12th century), from which the Moscow tsars originated. Monomakh's cap is the crown with which the Moscow tsars were crowned to the kingdom, a symbol of royal power). The above quotation characterizes some difficult situation.
Plato is my friend but the truth is dearer
The Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BC) in his work "Phaedo" attributes to Socrates the words "Following me, think less about Socrates, and more about the truth." Aristotle in his work "Nicomachean Ethics", arguing with Plato and referring to him, writes: "Let friends and truth be dear to me, but duty commands me to give preference to truth." Luther (1483-1546) says: “Plato is my friend, Socrates is my friend, but the truth should be preferred” (“On the Enslaved Will”, 1525). The expression "Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas" - "Plato is my friend, but the truth is dearer", formulated by Cervantes in the 2nd part, ch. 51 Don Quixote novels (1615).
Dancing to someone else's tune
The expression is used in the sense: to act not according to one's own will, but according to the arbitrariness of another. It goes back to the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC), who in the 1st book of his “History” tells: when the Persian king Cyrus conquered the Medes, the Greeks of Asia Minor, whom he had previously tried in vain to win over to his side, expressed their readiness obey him, but under certain conditions. Then Cyrus told them the following fable: “One flutist, seeing fish in the sea, began to play the flute, expecting that they would come out to him on land. Deceived in hope, he took the net, threw it over and pulled out a lot of fish. Seeing the fish fighting in the nets, he said to them: “Stop dancing; when I played the flute, you didn't want to come out and dance." This fable is attributed to Aesop (VI century BC).
After the rain on Thursday
Rusichi - the most ancient ancestors of Russians - honored among their gods the main god - the god of thunder and lightning Perun. One of the days of the week, Thursday, was dedicated to him (it is interesting that among the ancient Romans, Thursday was also dedicated to the Latin Perun - Jupiter). Perun offered prayers for rain in a drought. It was believed that he should be especially willing to fulfill requests on "his day" - Thursday. And since these prayers often remained in vain, the saying “After the rain on Thursday” began to apply to everything that is not known when it will be fulfilled.
Get into a loop
In dialects, binding is a fish trap woven from branches. And, as in any trap, being in it is an unpleasant business. Beluga roar
Beluga roar
Mute like a fish - you have known this for a long time. And suddenly roar beluga? It turns out that we are not talking about a beluga here, but a beluga whale, as the polar dolphin is called. Here he is really roaring very loudly.
Success is never blamed
These words are attributed to Catherine II, who allegedly put it this way when A.V. Suvorov was brought to court martial for the assault on Turtukai in 1773, undertaken by him contrary to the orders of Field Marshal Rumyantsev. However, the story about Suvorov's arbitrary actions and about bringing him to trial is refuted by serious researchers.
Know yourself
According to the legend reported by Plato in the Protagoras dialogue, the seven wise men of ancient Greece (Thales, Pittacus, Byant, Solon, Cleobulus, Mison and Chilo), having come together in the temple of Apollo at Delphi, wrote: "Know thyself." The idea of self-knowledge was explained and spread by Socrates. This expression is often used in the Latin form: nosce te ipsum.
rare bird
This expression (lat. rara avis) in the meaning of “rare creature” is first found in the satires of Roman poets, for example, in Juvenal (mid. I century - after 127 AD): “A rare bird on earth, sort of like black Swan".
Born to crawl cannot fly
Quote from the "Song of the Falcon" by M. Gorky.
smoke rocker
In old Russia, the huts were often heated in black: the smoke did not escape through the chimney (it did not exist at all), but through a special window or door. And the shape of the smoke predicted the weather. There is a column of smoke - it will be clear, dragged - to fog, rain, rocker - to the wind, bad weather, and even a storm.
Out of court
This is a very old sign: both in the house and in the courtyard (in the yard), only the animal that the brownie likes will live. And if you don’t like it, you will get sick, get sick or run away. What to do - not to the court!
Hair on end
But what kind of rack is this? It turns out that to stand on end is to stand at attention, on your fingertips. That is, when a person is frightened, his hair stands on tiptoe on his head.
Throw on the rampage
Rozhon is a sharp pole. And in some Russian provinces, the four-pronged pitchfork was called that. Indeed, you don’t really trample on them!
From ship to ball
An expression from "Eugene Onegin" by A. S. Pushkin, chapter 8, stanza 13 (1832):
And travel to him
Like everything in the world, tired,
He returned and got
Like Chatsky, from the ship to the ball.
This expression is characterized by an unexpected, abrupt change in position, circumstances.
Combine pleasant with useful
An expression from the "Art of Poetry" by Horace, who says about the poet: "The one who combines the pleasant with the useful is worthy of all approval."
Wash your hands
Used in the meaning: to be removed from responsibility for something. Arising from the Gospel: Pilate washed his hands in front of the crowd, handing over Jesus to them for execution, and said: “I am not guilty of the blood of this righteous man” (Mat. 27:24). The ritual washing of hands, which serves as evidence of the non-participation of the person washing to something, is described in the Bible (Deuteronomy, 21, 6-7).
Vulnerable point
It arose from the myth about the only vulnerable spot on the hero's body: Achilles' heel, a spot on Siegfried's back, etc. Used in the meaning: the weak side of a person, deeds.
Fortune. Wheel of Fortune
Fortune - in Roman mythology, the goddess of blind chance, happiness and misfortune. Depicted with a blindfold, standing on a ball or wheel (emphasizing her constant variability), and holding a steering wheel in one hand, and a cornucopia in the other. The steering wheel indicated that fortune controls the fate of a person.
upside down
Tormashit - in many Russian provinces this word meant to walk. So, upside down - it's just walkers upside down, upside down.
Grated roll
By the way, in fact there was such a kind of bread - grated kalach. The dough for him was kneaded, kneaded, rubbed for a very long time, which is why the kalach turned out to be unusually magnificent. And there was also a proverb - do not grate, do not mint, there will be no kalach. That is, a person is taught by trials and tribulations. The expression came from a proverb, and not from the name of bread.
Bring to light
Once they said to bring the fish to clean water. And if the fish, then everything is clear: in the thickets of reeds or where snags drown in the silt, a fish caught on a hook can easily cut off the line and leave. And in clear water, above a clean bottom - let him try. So is an exposed swindler: if all the circumstances are clear, he cannot escape retribution.
And there is a hole in the old woman
And what kind of hole (mistake, oversight by Ozhegov and Efremova) is this, a hole (i.e. flaw, defect) or what? The meaning, therefore, is this: And a wise person can make mistakes. Interpretation from the lips of a connoisseur of ancient Russian literature: And the old woman is in trouble Poruha (Ukrainian f. colloquial-decreased 1 - Harm, destruction, damage; 2 - Trouble). In a specific sense, porukha (other Russian) is rape. Those. everything is possible.
He who laughs last laughs best
The expression belongs to the French writer Jean-Pierre Florian (1755-1794), who used it in the fable "Two Peasants and a Cloud".
End justifies the means
The idea of this expression, which is the basis of the morality of the Jesuits, was borrowed by them from the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679).
Man to man wolf
An expression from the "Donkey Comedy" by the ancient Roman writer Plautus (c. 254-184 BC).
What does the expression mean
Eshkin cat
What does the expression...
If I had known the buyback, I would have lived in Sochi
There is a card game. It's called PREFERENCE. In Soviet and perestroika times, it was very popular among the intellectuals. Naturally, they preferred to play it for money. In this game, a deck of 32 cards is dealt to three players. Each player is dealt 10 cards, and two cards are set aside. They are called buyback. After the cards are dealt, the players evaluate their ability to take more tricks (how to beat the cards of opponents and, in accordance with their conclusions, they are traded. The one who declares the largest possible game takes these two cards (takes the buyback. Then he re-evaluates his cards and chooses two, the most unnecessary and discards them. They are called DEMOLITION. So it turns out that the result of the game for everyone strongly depends on what was in the BUY. This is especially important when trading correctly. BUY in PREFERENCE has a role, in fair play, - uncontrolled risk ( Forgive me such a daring statement, professionals.) If for some reason one of the players knows for sure that he is in the draw, he gets about the same advantage over his opponents as if he had his eyes open in a fight, and his opponents would have been blindfolded.As a rule, knowledge of the buyback is always associated with cheating.
PREFERENCE in Soviet times had, as it were, four types of rules: ROSTOV, SOCHI, LENINGRAD and CLASSICS. In SOCHI it was expensive to live in grand style, and so the party nomenclature and swindlers and thieves usually lived there. It was a very prestigious and expensive resort in the USSR. The game of PREFERENCE also flourished there, including the general swindling of vacationers, who foolishly sat down to play PREFERENCE with professionals and swindlers.
Literally, the expression: “If I knew the buy-in, I would live in Sochi” means that if a person always knew what cards were in the buy-in and constantly played for money, then he could afford to live, and it’s not bad to live from a material point of view - in the city of SOCHI.
Andrey Yatsunsky
There is a category of card games where there are several cards that can affect the outcome of the game, they are not known until some point, but their knowledge increases the chances of winning at times. These cards are called buyback.
Well, Sochi. It's warm and sea.
What does the expression "On the topic of the day" mean?
The expression "on the topic of the day" became widely known from the speeches of journalists and publicists who used such a phrase about what worries the reading public now, attracts everyone's attention and worries the public.
This expression has biblical roots. There are lines in the gospel:
which can be deciphered as "enough of your worries for this day."
The word "malice" in this context has the original meaning of "care".
This phrase "spite of the day" began to be used in their speech by experts in the Church Slavonic language in which the Gospel is written, at first in a joking sense. And then this expression acquired its modern meaning: on the topic of the day, it is about what worries everyone and is interesting to everyone at the moment, today.
Dianadasha
I understand the expression "on the topic of the day" as something that is relevant, interesting today, now. This expression is often used among journalists. It is very important for them to publish articles "in spite of" that is, what is interesting to readers today, what is now popular and in demand, the latest news and events.
jennyfer
This expression has its roots in ancient church expressions - then the word "malice" meant "care". The phrase could literally be translated as taking care of today. Now this stable phrase means "topical", that is, relevant, meeting the needs of the current situation.
Leona-100
Phraseologism "on the topic of the day" means some current news that has caused a wide public outcry. They also use an abbreviated version of this expression, the word "topical", which means relevant, interesting, popular, what everyone is talking about.
your nlo
Well, to put it briefly in one word, the expression "on the topic of the day" means - actual.
It was taken from the gospel.
It is widely used to this day, becoming a catch phrase. Not everyone really knows where it came from, but the meaning, in general, is easily traced.
Ludwigo
Thus, malice is an urgent matter, a problem that worries people at the moment. Journalists publish articles, create reports on what is important and relevant now, what people want to know about now, what kind of news they are living at the moment.
Strymbrym
One day. This expression is often used by journalists and politicians in relation to news that attracts the most attention of readers and viewers and has the greatest resonance in society. More often it concerns the latest news.
Stanivik
The expression "On the topic of the day" is very simply deciphered. It means the topical issue of the day, that is, the most interesting, the most important. This is an important event of the current day. Anger is translated as something that excites and interests at the moment.