Brief dictionary of phraseological units
Augean stables (singular units not used). Book 1. A very polluted place, a clogged room; extreme disorder in affairs. In figurative speech: smth. littered with papers, books, unnecessary things unnecessary for work.His room looked like an Augean stable, but still, in two hours we put it in order.
IN Greek mythology Augean stables – the vast stables of Augeas, king of Elis, which had not been cleaned for many years. They were cleansed in one day by the hero Hercules (Hercules): he led a stormy river through the stables, the waters of which cleansed them.
Alpha and Omega of what . Book The basis of everything, the most important thing, the beginning and the end. –Energy, said the builder, is the basis, the alpha and omega of people’s life(K. Paustovsky).
The expression arose from the names of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet (alpha and omega).
Annibal's (Annibal's) oath(plural not used). Book A strong determination to fight someone or something. to end.The heroes of this book took the Hannibal oath to fight injustice and evil.
According to ancient historians, the Carthaginian commander Hannibal (or Hannibal, 247-183 BC) said that when he was ten years old, his father made him swear that he would all his life be an implacable enemy of Rome, which turned Carthage to your colony. Hannibal kept his oath.
Achilles' heel whose, whom, what, from whom(plural not used). Book The most vulnerable place, weak side.Mathematics is my Achilles heel, I don’t know it well.
The expression goes back to the Greek myth of Achilles, whose body was invulnerable, with the exception of the heel, by which his mother, the goddess Thetis, held him, plunging him into the miraculous sacred river Styx. It was on this heel that Achilles was mortally wounded by the arrow of Paris.
Ba / bushka (still) on / two skaz / la (plural not used). Razg. It is still unknown whether it will happen or not, whether it will be possible to implement what is planned.
Synonym: vi / lami on (by) water / e pi / sano.
This year he is competing in sports competitions, but whether he will take first place there is something his grandmother said in two.
An expression is part of a more complete expression“Grandma said in two ways: either it will rain or it will snow, either it will happen or it won’t.”
White crow (plural not used). A person who is sharply different from those around him is not like everyone else, not like them.Among our simple working women, she looked like a black sheep in her miniskirt(A.N. Rybakov).
Beat in naba/t . Insistently draw everyone's attention to the imminent danger that causes anxiety and fear.
Synonym: sound the alarm / hoo.
Peace-loving peoples sound the alarm, calling for the preservation of peace.
In ancient Rus', to notify of alarm (due to military danger), a large copper bell, which was called an alarm, was rung.
Burida / novo ose / l (plural not used). Book Iron. An extremely indecisive person, hesitating in the choice between two equivalent desires, two equivalent decisions, etc.There were as many arguments for as against /marriage/; at least these arguments were equal in strength, and Nekhlyudov, laughing at himself, called himself Buridan’s donkey(L.N. Tolstoy).
The expression supposedly arose on behalf of the French scholastic philosopher of the 19th century. Jean Buridan. To prove the lack of free will, he allegedly gave the example of a donkey, which, being at an equal distance between two identical armfuls of hay, with absolute free will, would die of hunger, since it could not prefer either armful of hay.
Vavilo / pandemonium/nie (plural not used). Book Disapproved Complete confusion, extreme disorder, confusion; noise, din, turmoil.Due to bad weather, the airport was closed for several days and there was real Babylonian pandemonium in the terminal building.
According to biblical legend, the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon tried to build a tower that was supposed to reach the sky. When the builders began their work, the angry god “confused their language,” they ceased to understand each other and could not continue the construction (pandemonium - the creation of a pillar, the construction of a tower).
Lead / by the / nose of someone. Razg. Disapproved To mislead, to act in bad faith, to deceive.
Synonyms: rub / rub glasses / to; circle / around / someone’s / face; throw dust in the eyes / of someone.
You've been leading me by the nose for two weeks now: you promised to get me the right book, but she’s still not there.
The expression probably arose from a comparison with bears, which the gypsies paraded around by a ring threaded through their noses and forced them to perform tricks, deceiving them with promises of handouts.
Hercule / sov labor / move / g/ (plural not used). Book The expression is used when talking about something. a task that requires extraordinary effort. The writer worked on a new novel sixteen hours a day: it was, as they say, a real Herculean work.
Hercules /Hercules/ - the hero of Greek myths, gifted with extraordinary physical strength; he performed twelve labors: he killed the monstrous hydra (hydra is a multi-headed snake in Greek mythology, in which new ones grow in place of severed heads), cleaned the stables of Augeas, etc.
Go/rdiev u/zel (plural not used). Book The expression means any complicated matter, a tangle of circumstances; the expression “cut/cut the Gordian knot” means to resolve something. a complex, complicated matter, difficulties in a violent, straightforward way, boldly, decisively, immediately. –And so you broke up with your girlfriend? …–- I broke up... I cried, and she cried... Some kind of Gordian knot got tight - I had to cut it, but it hurt!(I.S. Turgenev).
According to the legend told by ancient historians, the Phrygians, who were ordered by an oracle (an oracle is a person who predicts the future in the ancient world) to elect as king the one who first met them with a cart on the way to the temple of Zeus, met a simple farmer Gordius and proclaimed him king. Gordius placed the cart that changed his fate in the temple of Zeus, tying a very intricate knot on it. According to the oracle, whoever managed to unravel this knot was to become the ruler of all Asia. Alexander the Great cut this knot with a sword. This is where these expressions originated.
Sword of Damocles (plural not used). Book This expression took on the meaning of impending, threatening danger.Throughout the year he did little French, and language exams hung over him like the sword of Damocles.
The expression originated from an ancient Greek legend told by Cicero in his essay “Tusculan Conversations”. Damocles, one of the close associates of the Syracuse tyrant Dionysius the Elder (432-367 BC), began to enviously speak of him as the happiest of people. Dionysius, in order to teach the envious man a lesson, put him in his place. During the feast, Damocles saw a sword hanging above his head from a horsehair. Dionysius explained that this is a symbol of the dangers to which he, as a ruler, is constantly exposed, despite his seemingly happy life.
Gifts / given / ytsev. Book The expression is used to mean: insidious gifts that bring with them death for those who receive them.
Originated from Greek legends about the Trojan War. The Danaans, after a long and unsuccessful siege of Troy, resorted to cunning: they built a huge wooden horse, left it at the walls of Troy, and pretended to sail away from the shore of the Troas. The priest (priest - in ancient religions, a servant of the deity who performs sacrifices) Laocoon, seeing this horse and knowing the tricks of the Danaans, exclaimed: “Whatever it is, I’m afraid of the Danaans, even those who bring gifts!” But the Trojans, not listening to the warnings of Laocoon and the prophetess (a prophetess is a predictor of the future in religious beliefs) Cassandra, dragged the horse into the city. At night, the Danaans, hiding inside the horse, came out, killed the guards, opened the city gates, let in their comrades who had returned on ships, and thus took possession of Troy. This is where the expression “Trojan horse” arose, used to mean: a secret, insidious plan.
Dvuli / cue I / nus. Book The expression “two-faced Janus” or simply “Janus” means: a two-faced person.Our legitimate saying comes from... the two-faced Januses: “If you don’t eat a pound of salt with a person, you won’t recognize him.”(V.I. Dal).
In Roman mythology, Janus - the god of time, as well as every beginning and end, entrances and exits - was depicted with two faces facing in opposite directions: young - forward, to the future, old - back, to the past.
Zhre / bii bro / shen. The final decision has been made; a decisive step has been taken (usually about some business, enterprise, etc.).I thought for a long time about which university to go to study, then I submitted my documents to VEGU: the die was cast.
The exclamation of Julius Caesar when crossing the Rubicon, the river that served as the border between Umbria and Cisalpine Gaul (i.e. Northern Italy). In 49 BC, contrary to the prohibition of the Roman Senate, Julius Caesar with his legions crossed the Rubicon, exclaiming: “The die is cast!” This marked the beginning of a civil war between the Senate and Julius Caesar, as a result of which the latter took possession of Rome.
Notch / t (yourself / ) on your nose / (on your forehead). Simple (more often used in the imperative form: hack...). Sometimes used with the words: necessary, possible, even, etc. Firmly, firmly, firmly, forever remember (said in relation to a person).Notice a rule in life and write it down on your nose: never take second place.(M.M. Prishvin).
Initially, the expression meant “to mark, put a notch, mark on the nose,” where the nose is “what they carried with them, with them” (sticks, tablets on which they marked, put notches in order to keep records of work, debts, goods sold and etc.).
Cali/f for an hour. Book A person who received great power only for a short time, for a short period. ...“I’m ready to do everything for you,” Maslennikov said, touching Nekhlyudov’s knees with both hands, as if wanting to soften his greatness, “this is possible, but, you see, I’m caliph for an hour / Maslennikov is a vice-governor, temporarily replacing the governor /(L.N. Tolstoy).
This expression originated from the Arabic fairy tale “A Waking Dream, or Caliph for an Hour,” included in the collection “A Thousand and One Nights.” In this tale, the young Baghdadian Abu Ghassan invites a stranger to visit him, not suspecting that in front of him is the caliph Harun al-Rashid, observing Baghdad under the guise of a visiting merchant. Abu Hassan expresses to him his cherished dream: by some miracle, at least for one day, to become caliph. Harun al-Rashid, wanting to have fun, pours sleeping powder into Abu-Ghassan's wine, gives the order to transfer him to the palace and instructs his retinue to show him, when he wakes up, the honors befitting a caliph, so that he believes that he really caliph. The joke succeeds. Abu-Ghassan gradually becomes convinced of his greatness, enjoys the luxury of palace life all day long and, having entered into the role of caliph, begins to give various orders. In the evening he again receives wine with a sleeping pill and, drowsy, he is taken home again. The awakening of Abu Ghassan is associated with many comic details.
Ka / less stumbling / nia. Book A hindrance, a difficulty that someone encounters. in some business, occupation, etc.Fables have always remained a stumbling block for me(S.T. Aksakov).
According to the Bible, the stumbling block is a stone laid at the Temple in Jerusalem (Zion). Non-believers stumbled over him.
Ka / me na ka / me without leaving / t / not leaving / vi / not staying / ts / not staying / t /. Destroy, destroy to the last foundation; leave absolutely nothing. The reviewers left no stone unturned in all the evidence in our work.
The expression is taken from the gospel. It is connected with the legend about Christ, who predicted the destruction of Jerusalem: “Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left here upon another; everything will be destroyed."
Ka / into eternity / in Le / tu/. Book Disappear forever, disappear without a trace, be forgotten. The debaters have forgotten that this event they are talking about happened many years ago and has long sunk into oblivion. Lethe – in ancient mythology, the river of oblivion in the underworld; the souls of the dead drank water from it and forgot their entire past life.
Goat / l scape / nia. Mostly ironic. A person who is blamed for someone else, responsible for others; culprit.Why should I and these unfortunate people sit here for everyone, like scapegoats?(A.P. Chekhov).
From a special ritual that existed among the ancient Jews, described in the Bible, according to which the sins of everyone were assigned (transferred) to a living goat.
Edge / linen ka / less than that. Book The basis, the most important, essential part, the main idea.The laws of planetary motion, called Keplerian's laws after him, serve as one of the cornerstones of modern astronomy.(A.I. Herzen).
In Russian villages, before and now, large stones - “cornerstones” - are placed at the corners of the house.
Crocodi / fishing tears / zy (singular not used)
Shedding / shedding / the crocodile / catching tears / tears. Hypocritical, feigned pity, compassion, insincere regret. Now they won’t believe your repentance...Now you at least shed the sources of tears - and then they will say that these are crocodile tears(M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin).
It comes from the belief that a crocodile cries when it eats its prey.
Wings /those words/.
Winged words are one of the means of figurative and expressive literary speech.
This expression goes back to Homer, in whose poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey” it often appears. Homer called “winged” words that quickly fall from the lips (mouth (obsolete) - mouth, lips) of the speaker and fly to the ear of the listener. This Homeric definition became a term of linguistics and stylistics, where it denotes only those current expressions that arose from literary sources or historical documents: apt expressions, aphorisms of writers, scientists, historical figures. For example, the expression “Architecture is frozen music” is attributed to Goethe, “The Golden Mean” - to the Roman poet Horace, “The Golden Age” - to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, “Everything flows, everything changes” - to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus.
Swans / song / song / whose, whom (plural not used). Book The last, usually the most significant, work of someone; the last manifestation of talent, activity, abilities, etc.I won’t mention anything... about that sauce, which is the swan song of the old cook(N.V.Gogol).
Me/waiting for Sci/lloy and Hari/bdoy. Book In a situation where danger or trouble threatens from two sides (to be, to be, to be, etc.).
Synonyms: between / waiting for two fires / th, between / waiting for mo / lot and nakov / flax.
“My hut is on the edge, I don’t know anything” - this is the motto of every Molchalin... With this motto he crawls safely between all kinds of Scylla and Charybdis(M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin).
The expression comes from the name of two mythological monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, who lived on both sides of the narrow Strait of Messina and destroyed everyone who sailed past.
Mu / ki Tanta / la / Tanta / lovy mu / ki / (singular units not used). Book Suffering from the consciousness that the desired goal is close, but it is impossible to achieve it. Loud applause and the pretty voice of Princess Rozhkina were heard behind the door... The secretary’s heart began to flutter. The torment of Tantalus was beyond his strength (A.P. Chekhov).
According to ancient Greek myth, Tantalus, the Phrygian king, was severely punished for insulting the gods: he was forever doomed to experience the pangs of thirst and hunger, although water and luxurious fruits were next to him.
On the seventh / m not / be (to be, feel / be present). Limitlessly, very happy, deeply satisfied (to be, to feel).
Synonym: at the top / of bliss / of life (to be, to feel / to experience oneself /).
Rogozhin himself turned into one motionless gaze. He couldn’t tear himself away from Nastasya Filippovna, he was intoxicated, he was in seventh heaven(F.M. Dostoevsky).
The expression goes back to the words of Aristotle, who argued that the firmament consists of seven spheres, the seventh being the highest. According to believers, heaven, the kingdom of heaven, is located in the seventh heaven.
You can't see the bottom. You can't see anything at all. No zgi – changed no way (stga – obsolete “path”/ ", "path", "path", "road").
Synonym: Pitch darkness, you could prick your eyes out.
Turn on the light quickly: you can’t see anything here, nothing can be found.
Break a leg / . Wishing someone good luck, success in some business.I think you have prepared well for the conservatory exams. All that remains is to wish you the best of luck.
The expression comes from the speech of hunters: the negative form of the wish is explained by the original intention to “deceive” the game ( wild bird), which they went to hunt.
Circle / t/circle / around / around / someone’s face . Razg. Disapproved Cleverly, cunningly; skillfully deceive smb.
Synonyms: lead / by the / nose of someone; rub / rub glasses / on someone; throw dust in the eyes / of someone.
– Now we have figured out your tricks, and you will no longer be able to fool us around your finger,” the audience told the illusionist.
The expression is associated with the way market magicians perform tricks. One of them took an object from one of the spectators and drew it around his finger to avert his eyes. At this time, his comrades were emptying the bags and pockets of unwary spectators.
Reverse / reverse / reverse, friend / I / side / honey / whether. The opposite, always negative, shadow side of something.Agree that every calling has its other side of the coin(L.N. Tolstoy).
Above reverse side Medal minters usually did not work very hard, and it was processed worse than the front one.
Postpone / put / put off / in do / long / in yes / flax / I / box. Put it off for an indefinitely long, long time.He is not used to procrastinating.
The origin of this phrase is explained as follows: Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the father of Peter 1, ordered a long (“long”) box to be attached to the wall of his palace, into which the population could place petitions, complaints, etc. These letters passed through the hands of the boyars (a boyar was a large landowner in ancient and medieval Rus'), who selected them and postponed decisions on them for a long time, i.e. in the long box. Often they had to wait months or years for their consideration.
Pa / lma ne / zeal (plural not used). Book Complete superiority, a clear advantage in something, first place among others due to superiority in something. over everyone else.
Recapture/recapture the palm who.
Give/give away the palm to whom.
He was forced to give the palm to more to an experienced master sports
The expression comes from the ancient Greek custom of rewarding the winner of a competition with a palm branch or a wreath.
Panic / chesky fear (plural not used). Book Used to mean: strong, unaccountable, sudden fear that grips many people.Because of insomnia and as a result of an intense struggle with increasing weakness, something terrible happens to me. In the middle of the lecture, tears suddenly come to my throat... I want to scream that I am poisoned... . And at this time my situation seems so terrible to me that I want my listeners to be horrified, jump up from their seats and, in panic, rush to the exit with a desperate cry(A.P. Chekhov).
This expression originates from the Greek myths of Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to myths, Pan brought sudden and unaccountable terror to people, especially to travelers in remote and secluded places, as well as to troops who fled from this. This is where the word came from panic .
Go / Rubiko / n. Book Make an irrevocable decision, take a decisive step that determines further events, commit a decisive act that has a turning point in life.Then, when you overcome your ancestors, aunts, cross the Rubicon - then life will begin... days, hours, nights will flash past you(I.A. Goncharov).
The expression comes from the name of the Rubicon River, which served as the border between Umbria and Cisalpine Gaul, which, despite the prohibition of the Senate, was crossed in 49 BC. Julius Caesar with his legions. This event marked the beginning of the civil war and led, after Caesar's capture of Rome, to the establishment of his dictatorship.
Dance / t / dance / t / to the song / dku / du / daughter / whose, whom . Mostly unapproved. To act, to behave as someone pleases, to unconditionally obey someone in everything.Only weak-willed people dance to someone else's tune. He is a strong-willed and independent person and will not agree to this.
The expression originated from the plot of Aesop's fable. The fisherman played the pipe to attract fish to him. He failed and caught them in a net. Seeing how the fish, pulled out of the water, were fighting on the ground, the fisherman said: “You fools, when I played, you did not want to dance to my tune, but now you dance, although I no longer play.”
Raise / t / raise / t on the shield of someone, what. Book To praise, extol someone. or something; speak highly of smb. or about smth.
Synonyms: smoke / incense / to whom; sing difira / for someone, for what.
Konstantin Sergeevich /Stanislavsky/ turned to the folk improvisational theater precisely at the time when stylists and modernists of all stripes were raising the principles of the comedy of masks.(A.D. Dikiy).
The expression dates back to the times Ancient Rome, to the custom of raising a military leader on a large shield, whom the soldiers honored.
Get / t (get / get) / get / st (get / get, get / kick) into history. Razg. To be involved in something. reprehensible matter, to be involved in something. unpleasant incident.Having gone to university, I behaved like a schoolboy and soon found myself in history(I.S. Turgenev).
Initially the expression sounded like this: “to get into the chronicle historical events"(with an ironic touch).
Hit / th/ butt / there is a question / to. Razg. Finding yourself in an unpleasant, awkward or disadvantageous position due to your oversight or ignorance.I did not know that this issue had already been resolved, and I got into trouble with my unsuccessful proposal.
Originally they wrote “to get into trouble” (preposition V and noun screw up – a machine for twisting ropes). Those who worked on this machine often got their clothes caught in it, were quickly drawn in, and thus found themselves in an uncomfortable position.
After / days from Mohik / n (after / days from Mohik / not). Last representative of something. – a social group, a generation, a dying social phenomenon.After all, we speak almost the same language, we understand each other from a half-hint, we grew up on the same feelings. After all, there are very few of us left, brother; After all, you and I are the last of the Mohicans!(I.S. Turgenev).
The source of this expression is the novel by Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) “The Last of the Mohicans (1826) (the Mohicans are an extinct tribe of North American Indians).
Pass / (through) this / ny and in / du (and copper / pipes / would). Experience, endure a lot in life, be in various difficult situations; acquire a dubious reputation.
Synonym: type / l (-la) vi / dy.
The soul of society was Yastrebov, as a seasoned and experienced person who had gone through fire, water and copper pipes(D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak).
The expression goes back to judicial trials by fire and water (to determine guilt or innocence), once common in Europe.
Come / come through / through. Book To be the main, main, leading in something, to permeate something through and through.The theme of peace runs through all of this writer’s work.
The expression is associated with the following fact: from the end of the 18th century. A red thread was woven into the ropes of the English navy in factories as an identification mark (to protect them from theft). This thread ran through the entire rope.
Seven miracles / from the world / ta. Eight /e chu/to. Book
This was the name given in ancient times to the following seven remarkable structures that amazed contemporaries with their grandeur and splendor: Egyptian pyramids; the hanging bridges of Babylon; Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; Zeus statue in Olympia; mausoleum in Halicarnassus; The Colossus of Rhodes is a copper statue depicting Helios (the sun god of the ancient Greeks); Alexandrian lighthouse. In figurative speech, one of the “seven wonders of the world” is called something. wonderful, magnificent. Hence the expression “eighth (eighth) wonder of the world,” used in the same meaning and often ironically.
– Having grasped the top of some knowledge, we consider it a humiliation for our own dignity to do some ordinary things that ordinary people do, and we want to create the eighth miracle(A.F. Pisemsky).
Sizi/fov labor (sizi/fova rabo/ta) (plural not used). The book expression is used to mean: hard, endless, often fruitless (meaningless) work.It used to be terribly difficult to talk when we were left alone. It was some kind of Sisyphean work. As soon as you figure out what to say, you say it, again you have to be silent, come up with(L.N. Tolstoy).
Originated from Greek mythology. The Corinthian king Sisyphus was condemned by Zeus to eternal torment for insulting the gods: he had to roll a huge stone up a mountain, which immediately rolled down again. The myth is described in the Odyssey.
Blue bird (plural not used). Book Symbol of happiness.At all times, many volumes, many philosophical works, novels and poems are devoted to one “eternal” problem: happiness and how to achieve it. Happiness is a blue bird. It is elusive, it is given into the hands of only a rare few - it has always been so(F.A. Vigdorova).
From the title of the play by the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949), first staged at the Moscow Art Theater in 1908. The plot of this fairy-tale play is the adventures of a woodcutter's children in search of the Blue Bird, which is a symbol of happiness. If a person finds the Blue Bird, he will know everything.
Reluctantly / with / heart. Razg. Reluctantly, against desire, forcing oneself, with great reluctance (to do something).Reluctantly, he decided to move to Moscow(I.S. Turgenev).
Reluctantly - old form of active participle instead modern form perfect participles – fastening .
Servant / two masters / d . Iron. The expression is used to describe two-faced people. –However, you’re talking the point; You can't serve two masters(I.A. Goncharov).
Title of the comedy by Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793). The hero of the comedy Truffaldino manages to increase his earnings at the same time to serve two masters, hiding it from both.
Sodo/m and homo/rra (plural not used). Disapproved Extreme disorder, turmoil, confusion, loud noise and uproar.That’s when someone gasped... And then it went! Shouts: “Out there...” Whistling with four fingers - Sodom and Gomorrah!(S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky).
It arose from the biblical myth about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Ancient Palestine, which were destroyed by fiery rain and an earthquake for the sins of their inhabitants.
After / sleeves / . Razg. Disapproved Without due attention, diligence, somehow, carelessly do something.The studies went poorly, without competition, without encouragement and approval; without a system and without supervision, I worked carelessly and thought that memory and living thoughts could replace work(A.I. Herzen).
Derived from a literal expressionpull down your sleeves,that is, do not roll them up, do not wrap them up. It is not always convenient to work in this position.
Fight / fight against windmills / flaxes. Iron. Joking. It is useless, unsuccessful and pointless to waste energy and abilities in the fight against imaginary danger, difficulties, and imaginary obstacles.To talk about art and style, looking at books in which there are no traces of art and style, would mean fighting with windmills (V.A. Zhukovsky).
The expression comes from an episode from the novel Don Quixote by Cervantes (1547-1616), which tells how main character fought with windmills, mistaking them for giants.
Put / vit / post / vit (all) that / points (that / chku) above (on) “I”. To achieve complete clarity, to finally clarify, to clarify all the details, to leave nothing unsaid, to bring sth. to its logical conclusion.
Synonym: put / put everything in its / place / hundred.
In the near future, I must dot all the i’s and finally choose my future profession.
Translation of the French expression: mettre les points sur les i/
Turu / sy na kola / sah (singular units not used). Nonsense, nonsense, lies, chatter, absurdity. Speak (speak), weave (weave), spread (dissolve), etc. tours on wheels.“All this is nonsense, tours on wheels,” my uncle told me yesterday(I.S. Turgenev).
Presumably the expression comes from the name of felt houses, tents (“uluses”) among the ancient Tatars; This kind of moving dwellings was associated with the dominance of the Tatars in Rus', with the life of that time, which seemed like some kind of nightmare, something incredible. According to another assumption, the expression comes from the name of the ancient Russian siege tower “Taras on wheels”, the stories about which were considered fantastic.
- Ezo/Povskiy (Ezo/Pov) languages/k. Book Allegorical expression of thoughts.
The expression is associated with the name of the ancient Greek fabulist Aesop, who, according to legend, lived in the 6th century. BC. Aesop, being a slave, was forced to resort to an allegorical form of expressing his thoughts. Hence, any ability to speak or express one’s thoughts, resorting to allegorical form, received the name Aesopian language. This expression in the Russian language was introduced into wide circulation by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.
I / block disdo / ra between whom, between what(plural not used). Book The reason, the reason for a quarrel, disputes, serious disagreements.The novel... introduces us to that turbulent era, which not so long ago served as a bone of contention between thinking Russian people - in the era of Peter’s reforms(N.K. Mikhailovsky).
The expression is associated with an ancient Greek myth. The goddess of discord, Eris, rolled a golden apple with the inscription “To the Fairest” between the guests at the wedding feast. Among the guests were the queen of the gods, the goddess Hera, the goddess of war, wisdom, and the arts, Athena, and the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, who argued about which of them was destined for the apple. Their dispute was resolved by the beautiful young man Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, by awarding the apple to Aphrodite. In gratitude, Aphrodite helped Paris kidnap Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, which started the Trojan War.
Classification of phraseological dictionaries
- monolingual (based on material from one language)
- bilingual (based on two languages)
- multilingual (based on several languages)
Organization of the phraseological dictionary
A bilingual phraseological dictionary provides not only equivalents, but also translations of unambiguous phrases that represent a self-sufficient sentence (for example, proverb, quote, aphorism, etc.).
As a rule, phraseological units are arranged in alphabetical order, but not by the first word, but by the semantically most important words of the phrase.
Famous phraseological dictionaries
- Akhatov G. Kh. Phraseological dictionary of the Tatar language. Kazan, 1982 = Akhatov G.X. Tatar telen phraseologist әitalmalәr suzlege. Kazan, 1982.
- Kunin A.V. Large English-Russian phraseological dictionary. Ed. 4th, revised and expanded. About 20 thousand phraseological units. - M.: “Russian language”, 1984. - 944 p.
- Kunin A.V. Russian-English phraseological dictionary. - Ed. 4th, revised and expanded. About 20 thousand phraseological units. - M.: “Russian language”, 1984. - 942 p.
- Lubensky, Sophia. Random House Russian-English Dictionary of Idioms. - New York: Random House, 1995. - 1017 p. ISBN 0-679-40580-1
- Large Polish-Russian, Russian-Polish phraseological dictionary. Yuri Lukshin. - Warsaw, 1998.
Literature
- Cheburashkin N. D. Technical translation at school: A textbook of technical translation for students in grades IX-X of schools teaching a number of subjects in English / Ed. B. E. Belitsky. - 4th ed. - M.: Education, 1983. - 255 p.
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See what a “Phraseological Dictionary” is in other dictionaries:
Phrasebook- type of philological dictionary, in which phraseological units are collected and explained. There are many F.S., one of the most. complete and authoritative Phraseological. Russian dictionary language edited by A. I. Molotkova (4th ed. M., 1986). In the dictionary of St. 4000 vocabulary items, in... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
See linguistic dictionary...
phrasebook- 1. A systematic inventory of phraseological units with interpretation and/or translation. 2. A dictionary of stable figures of speech and expressions with their translation into another language...
PHRASEBOOK - linguistic dictionary, containing logically indivisible, stable in composition and structure phrases with a holistic meaning and their characteristics. These can be dictionaries of Russian proverbs and sayings, phraseological synonyms, etc... Professional education. Dictionary
dialect (regional) phraseological dictionary- a dictionary containing dialect phraseology and other stable phrases and their explanation... Explanatory translation dictionary
PHRASEOLOGICAL, phraseological, phraseological (ling.). adj. to phraseology in 1 meaning. Phraseological turnover. Phrasebook. Phraseological expression. Phraseological combination. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
A dictionary that explains the meaning and use of words (as opposed to encyclopedic dictionary, providing information about relevant realities objects, phenomena, events). Dialect (regional) dictionary. Dictionary containing... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms
phraseological- oh, oh. phraséologique adj. 1. Rel. to phraseology. Phraseological studies. BAS 1. 2. Rel. to a phraseological unit, which is a phraseological unit. Phraseological indecomposability. Phraseological expression. Phraseological turn of speech. BAS 1. ||… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
A phraseological unit, or phraseological unit, is a phrase that is stable in composition and structure, lexically indivisible and integral in meaning, performing the function of a separate lexeme (dictionary unit). Phraseologism is used as a whole, ... ... Wikipedia
Dictionary- Dictionary 1) vocabulary, vocabulary of a language, dialect, any social group, an individual writer, etc. 2) A reference book that contains words (or morphemes, phrases, idioms, etc.) arranged in a certain order... ... Linguistic encyclopedic dictionary
Books
- Phraseological Dictionary, Tomashevskaya N.V.. The dictionary contains more than 900 set phrases, most often used in the modern Russian language and found in works of literature, in periodicals and in…
Ecology of life: Often, to achieve a certain speech effect, simple words are not enough. Irony, bitterness, love, mockery...
Speech is a way of communication between people. To achieve complete mutual understanding and express your thoughts more clearly and figuratively, many lexical techniques are used, in particular, phraseological units (phraseological unit, idiom) – stable figures of speech that have independent meaning and are characteristic of a particular language.
Often, simple words are not enough to achieve a certain speech effect. Irony, bitterness, love, mockery, your own attitude to what is happening - all this can be expressed much more succinctly, more precisely, more emotionally.
We often use phraseological units in everyday speech, sometimes without even noticing - after all, some of them are simple, familiar, and familiar from childhood. Many of the phraseological units came to us from other languages, eras, fairy tales, and legends.
“The game is not worth the candle” and other popular expressions
Augean stables
First clear out these Augean stables, and then you can go for a walk.
Meaning. A cluttered, polluted place where everything is in complete disarray.
Origin. An ancient Greek legend tells us that King Augeas lived in ancient Elis, a passionate lover of horses: he kept three thousand horses in his stables. However, the stalls in which the horses were kept had not been cleaned for thirty years, and they were overgrown with manure up to the roof.
Hercules was sent to Augeas' service, and the king instructed him to clean the stables, which no one else could do.
Hercules was as cunning as he was powerful. He directed the waters of the river into the gates of the stables, and a stormy stream washed away all the dirt from there within a day.
The Greeks sang this feat along with the other eleven, and the expression “Augean stables” began to be applied to everything neglected, polluted to the last limit, and generally to denote great disorder.
Arshin swallow
It stands as if it had swallowed an arshin.
Meaning. Standing unnaturally straight.
Origin. The Turkish word “arshin”, meaning a measure of length of one cubit, has long become Russian. Before the revolution, Russian merchants and craftsmen constantly used arshins - wooden and metal rulers seventy-one centimeters long. Imagine what a person must look like after swallowing such a ruler, and you will understand why this expression is used in relation to prim and arrogant people.
Overeat henbane
In Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” the old man, indignant
with the shameless greed of his old woman, he angrily tells her:
“Why, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?”
Meaning. Behaving absurdly, viciously, like a madman.
Origin. In the village, in the backyards and landfills, you can find tall bushes with dirty yellowish flowers with lilac veins and unpleasant smell. This is henbane - very poisonous plant. Its seeds resemble poppy seeds, but whoever eats them becomes like a madman: he raves, goes on a rampage, and often dies.
Buridanov's donkey
He rushes about, cannot decide on anything, like Buridan’s donkey.
Meaning. An extremely indecisive person, hesitating between equally valuable decisions.
Origin. Philosophers of the late Middle Ages put forward a theory according to which the actions of living beings depend not on their own will, but solely on external causes. The scientist Buridan (more precisely Buridan), who lived in France in the 14th century, confirmed this idea with such an example. Take a hungry donkey and put on both sides of his muzzle, at equal distances, are two identical armfuls of hay. The donkey will have no reason to prefer one of them to the other: after all, they are exactly alike. He will not be able to reach for either the right or the left and will eventually die from hunger.
Let's go back to our sheep
However, enough about this, let's get back to our sheep.
Meaning. An appeal to the speaker not to be distracted from the main topic; a statement that his digression from the topic of conversation was over.
Origin. Let's return to our sheep - a tracing from the French revenons a nos moutons from the farce “The Lawyer Pierre Patlin” (c. 1470). With these words, the judge interrupts the speech of the rich clothier. Having initiated a case against the shepherd who stole a sheep from him, the clothier, forgetting about his litigation, showers reproaches on the shepherd's defender, lawyer Patlen, who did not pay him for six cubits of cloth.
Versta Kolomenskaya
Everyone will immediately pay attention to a Kolomna mile like you.
Meaning. This is what they call a very tall person, a brute.
Origin. In the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow there was the summer residence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The road there was busy, wide and considered the main one in the state. And when huge milestones were erected, the likes of which had never been seen in Russia, the glory of this road increased even more. The savvy people did not fail to take advantage of the new product and dubbed the lanky man the Kolomna milepost. That's what they still say.
Lead by the nose
The smartest man, he fooled his opponent by the nose more than once or twice.
Meaning. Deceive, mislead, promise and fail to deliver.
Origin. The expression was associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies took bears to show by wearing a nose ring. And they forced them, poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of a handout.
Hair on end
Horror gripped him: his eyes rolled out, his hair stood on end.
Meaning. This is what they say when a person is very scared.
Origin. “Standing on end” means standing at attention, on your fingertips. That is, when a person gets scared, his hair seems to stand on tiptoes on his head.
That's where the dog is buried!
Ah, that's it! Now it’s clear where the dog is buried.
Meaning. That's the thing, that's the real reason.
Origin. There is a story: the Austrian warrior Sigismund Altensteig spent all his campaigns and battles with his beloved dog. Once, during a trip to the Netherlands, a dog even saved its owner from death. The grateful warrior solemnly buried his four-legged friend and erected a monument on his grave, which stood for more than two centuries - until early XIX century.
Later, the dog monument could only be found by tourists with the help of local residents. At that time, the saying “That’s where the dog is buried!” was born, which now has the meaning: “I found what I was looking for,” “I got to the bottom of it.”
But there is a more ancient and no less probable source of the saying that has come down to us. When the Greeks decided to give the Persian king Xerxes a battle at sea, they put old men, women and children on ships in advance and transported them to the island of Salamis.
They say that a dog that belonged to Xanthippus, the father of Pericles, did not want to part with its owner, jumped into the sea and swam after the ship to Salamis. Exhausted from fatigue, she died immediately.
According to the testimony of the ancient historian Plutarch, a cinema sema was erected for this dog on the seashore - a dog monument, which was shown to the curious for a very long time.
Some German linguists believe that this expression was created by treasure hunters who, out of fear of evil spirits, supposedly guarding every treasure, did not dare to directly mention the purpose of their search and tentatively began to talk about a black dog, implying both the devil and the treasure.
Thus, according to this version, the expression “that’s where the dog is buried” meant: “that’s where the treasure is buried.”
Add the first number
For such deeds, of course, they should get paid the first day!
Meaning. Severely punish or scold someone
Origin. Well, what, this expression is familiar to you... And where did it come from on your unfortunate head! You won't believe it, but... from the old school, where students were flogged every week, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. And if the mentor overdoes it, then such a spanking would last for a long time, until the first day of the next month.
Rub glasses
Don't believe it, they're trying to bully you!
Meaning. To deceive someone by presenting the matter in a distorted, incorrect, but beneficial light for the speaker.
Origin. We are not talking about glasses that are used to correct vision. There is another meaning of the word "glasses": red and black marks on playing cards. For as long as there have been cards, there have been dishonest players and cheaters. In order to deceive their partner, they resorted to all sorts of tricks. By the way, they knew how to quietly “rub in points” - turn a seven into a six or a four into a five, on the go, during the game, by gluing in a “point” or covering it with a special white powder. It is clear that “to cheat” began to mean “to cheat”, hence special words were born: “fraud”, “fraud” - a trickster who knows how to embellish his work, pass off the bad as very good.
Voice in the wilderness
Work in vain, you will not convince them, your words are the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
Meaning. Denotes vain persuasion, appeals that no one heeds.
Origin. As the biblical stories tell, one of the ancient Hebrew prophets called out from the desert to the Israelites to prepare the way for God: to lay roads in the desert, to make the mountains lower, the valleys to be filled, and the crookedness and unevenness to be straightened. However, the calls of the hermit prophet remained “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” - they were not heard. The people did not want to serve their fierce and cruel god.
Goal like a falcon
Who should I kind word says? After all, I'm an orphan all around. Goal like a falcon.
Meaning. Very poor, beggar.
Origin. Many people think that we are talking about a bird. But she is neither poor nor rich. In fact, the “falcon” is an ancient military battering gun. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast iron block attached to chains. Nothing extra!
Naked truth
This is the state of affairs, the naked truth without embellishment.
Meaning. The truth is as it is, without mincing words.
Origin. This expression is Latin: Nuda Veritas [nuda veritas]. It is taken from the 24th ode of the Roman poet Horace (65 - 8 BC). Ancient sculptors allegorically depicted truth (truth) in the form of a naked woman, which was supposed to symbolize the true state of affairs without silence or embellishment.
Onion grief
Do you know how to cook soup, dear onion.
Meaning. A klutz, an unlucky person.
Origin. The caustic volatile substances contained in abundance in the onion irritate the eyes, and the housewife, while crushing the onion for her cooking, sheds tears, although there is not the slightest grief. It is curious that tears caused by the action of irritants differ in chemical composition from sincere tears. Fake tears contain more protein (this is not surprising, since such tears are designed to neutralize caustic substances that enter the eye), so fake tears are slightly cloudy. However, every person knows this fact intuitively: there is no faith in muddy tears. And onion grief is not called grief, but a passing nuisance. Most often, they turn half-jokingly, half-sorrowfully to a child who has done something strange again.
Two-Faced Janus
She is deceitful, cunning and hypocritical, a real two-faced Janus.
Meaning. Two-faced, hypocritical person
Origin. In Roman mythology, the god of all beginnings. He was depicted with two faces - a young man and an old man - looking in opposite directions. One face is turned to the future, the other to the past.
In the bag
Well, that's it, now you can sleep peacefully: it's all in the bag.
Meaning. Everything is fine, everything ended well.
Origin. Sometimes the origin of this expression is explained by the fact that in the days of Ivan the Terrible, some court cases were decided by lot, and the lot was drawn from the judge’s hat. However, the word “hat” came to us no earlier than in the days of Boris Godunov, and even then it was applied only to foreign headdresses. It is unlikely that this rare word could have found its way into a popular saying at that time.
There is another explanation: much later, clerks and clerks, when dealing with court cases, used their hats to receive bribes.
If only you could help me,” says the plaintiff to the clerk in a sarcastic poem. A.K. Tolstoy, - I would pour ten rubles into my hat, by the way. Joke? “Rash now,” said the clerk, holding up his cap. - Come on!
It is very possible that the question: “Well, how am I doing?” - clerks often answered with a sly wink: “It’s in the bag.” This is where the saying could have come from.
Money doesn't smell
He took the money and didn’t wince, money doesn’t smell.
Meaning. It is the availability of money that is important, not the source of its origin.
Origin. To urgently replenish the treasury, the Roman Emperor Vespasian introduced a tax on public urinals. However, Titus reproached his father for this. Vespasian brought the money to his son's nose and asked if it smelled. He answered negatively. Then the emperor said: “But they are from urine...” Based on this episode, a catchphrase developed.
Keep in a black body
Don't let her sleep in bed
By the light of the morning star,
Keep the lazy girl in the black body
And don’t take the reins off her!
Meaning. To treat someone harshly, strictly making you work hard; to oppress someone.
Origin. The expression comes from Turkic expressions associated with horse breeding, meaning - to eat in moderation, to be malnourished (kara kesek - meat without fat). The literal translation of these phrases is “black meat” (kara - black, kesek - meat). From the literal meaning of the expression comes “to keep in a black body.”
Bring to white heat
Vile guy, drives me crazy.
Meaning. Make you angry to the limit, drive you crazy.
Origin. When metal is heated during forging, it glows differently depending on the temperature: first red, then yellow and finally blinding white. At a higher temperature, the metal will melt and boil. An expression from the speech of blacksmiths.
Smoke rocker
In the tavern the smoke stood like a yoke: songs, dances, shouting, fighting.
Meaning. Noise, din, disorder, turmoil.
Origin. In old Rus', huts were often heated in a black way: the smoke did not escape through chimney, but through a special window or door. And they predicted the weather by the shape of the smoke. The smoke comes in a column - it will be clear, dragging - towards fog, rain, a rocker - towards the wind, bad weather, or even a storm.
Egyptian executions
What kind of punishment is this, just Egyptian executions!
Meaning. Disasters that bring torment, severe punishment
Origin. Goes back to the biblical story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. For Pharaoh’s refusal to release the Jews from captivity, the Lord subjected Egypt to terrible punishments - ten Egyptian plagues. Blood instead of water. All the water in the Nile and other reservoirs and containers turned into blood, but remained transparent for the Jews. Execution by frogs. As was promised to Pharaoh: “They will go out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and into your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. Toads filled the entire land of Egypt.
Invasion of midges. As a third punishment, hordes of midges fell upon Egypt, attacking the Egyptians, clinging to them, getting into their eyes, noses, and ears.
Dog flies. The country was flooded with dog flies, from which all animals, including domestic ones, began to attack the Egyptians.
Cattle pestilence. All Egyptians' livestock died out; only the Jews were not affected by the attack. Ulcers and boils. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to take a handful of furnace soot and throw it up in front of Pharaoh. And the bodies of the Egyptians and the animals were covered with terrible sores and boils. Thunder, lightning and fiery hail. A storm began, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a hail of fire fell on Egypt. Locust invasion. A strong wind blew, and behind the wind hordes of locusts flew into Egypt, devouring all the greenery down to the last blade of grass on the land of Egypt.
Unusual darkness. The darkness that fell on Egypt was thick and dense, you could even touch it; and candles and torches could not dispel the darkness. Only the Jews had light.
Execution of the firstborn. After all the first-born children in Egypt (except for the Jewish ones) died in one night, Pharaoh gave up and allowed the Jews to leave Egypt. Thus began the Exodus.
Iron curtain
We live as if behind an iron curtain, no one comes to us, and we don’t visit anyone.
Meaning. Obstacles, obstacles, complete political isolation of the country.
Origin. At the end of the 18th century. An iron curtain was lowered onto the theater stage to protect spectators in case of a fire. At that time, open fire was used to illuminate the stage - candles and oil lamps.
This expression acquired political overtones during the First World War. On December 23, 1919, Georges Clemenceau declared in the French Chamber of Deputies: “We want to put an iron curtain around Bolshevism so as not to destroy civilized Europe in the future.”
Yellow press
Where did you read all this? Don't trust the yellow press.
Meaning. A low-quality, deceitful press, greedy for cheap sensations.
Origin. In 1895, the New York World newspaper began regularly publishing a series of comic strips called “The Yellow Kid.” Its main character, a boy in a long yellow shirt, made funny comments about various events. In early 1896, another newspaper, the New York Morning Journal, lured the creator of the comic strip, artist Richard Outcault. Both publications thrived on publishing scandalous materials. A dispute broke out between competitors over the copyright of “Yellow Baby.” In the spring of 1896, the editor of the New York Press, Erwin Wordman, commenting on this litigation, contemptuously called both newspapers “the yellow press.”
Alive Smoking Room
A. S. Pushkin wrote an epigram to the critic M. Kachenovsky, which began with the words:
"How! Is Kurilka the journalist still alive? It ended with wise advice:
“...How to extinguish a stinking splinter? How can I kill my Smoking Room? Give me some advice.”
- “Yes... spit on him.”
Meaning. An exclamation when mentioning someone's continued activity or existence despite difficult conditions.
Origin. There was an old Russian game: a lit splinter was passed from hand to hand, chanting: “The Smoking Room is alive, alive, alive, alive, not dead!..” The one whose sparkle went out, began to smoke, and smoke, lost.
Gradually, the words “the Smoking Room is alive” began to be applied to certain figures and various phenomena that, according to the logic of things, should have disappeared long ago, but, despite everything, continued to exist.
Behind seven seals
Well, of course, because this is a sealed secret for you!
Meaning. Something incomprehensible.
Origin. Goes back to the biblical expression “a book with seven seals” - a symbol of secret knowledge inaccessible to the uninitiated until seven seals are removed from it, III from the prophetic New Testament book “Revelations of St. John the Evangelist." “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open this book and to open its seals?” And no one in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth could open this book and look into it. The Lamb, who “was slain and redeemed us to God with his blood, has opened the seals of the book. After the opening of six seals, the seal of God was placed on the inhabitants of Israel, according to which they were accepted as true followers of the Lord. After the opening of the seventh seal, the Lamb ordered John to eat the book: “... it will be bitter in your belly, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey,” in order to talk about the future renewal of the whole world and dispel the fears of believers about the future of Christianity, which Jews, pagans and false teachers are fighting on all sides.”
Nick down
And get this in your head: you won’t be able to deceive me!
Meaning. Remember it firmly, once and for all.
Origin. The word “nose” here does not mean the organ of smell. Oddly enough, it means “memorable tablet”, “record tag”. In ancient times, illiterate people carried such sticks and tablets with them everywhere and made all kinds of notes and notches on them. These tags were called noses.
The truth is in the wine
And next to the neighboring tables sleepy footmen hang around,
And the rabbit-eyed drunks shout “In vino Veritas.”
Meaning. If you want to find out exactly what a person is thinking, treat him to wine.
Origin. This is the famous Latin expression: In vino Veritas (in wine veritas). It is taken from the work “Natural History” by the Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). where it is used to mean: what is on the sober mind is on the tongue of the drunk.
It is not worth it
You shouldn't do this. The game is clearly not worth the candle.
Meaning. The effort expended is not worth it.
Origin. The phraseological expression is based on a card term, which means that the stakes in the game are so insignificant that even the winnings will be less than the funds spent on candles to illuminate the card table.
To the head analysis
Well, brother, you've come late to the very basic analysis!
Meaning. Be late, show up when it’s all over.
Origin. The saying arose in those days when in our frosty country people, coming to church in warm clothes and knowing that it was forbidden to go inside with a hat, put their three hats and caps at the very entrance. At the end church service When leaving, everyone took them apart. Only those who were clearly in no hurry to go to church came to the “head-by-side analysis.”
How to get chickens into cabbage soup
And he ended up with this case like chickens in cabbage soup.
Meaning. Bad luck, unexpected misfortune.
Origin. A very common saying that we repeat all the time, sometimes without any idea of its true meaning. Let's start with the word "chicken". This word in old Russian means “rooster”. But “cabbage soup” was not in this proverb before, and it was pronounced correctly: “I got caught in the plucking like a chicken,” that is, I was plucked, “unlucky.” The word “plucking” was forgotten, and then people, willy-nilly, changed the expression “to plucking” to “into cabbage soup.” When she was born is not entirely clear: some think that even under Demetrius the Pretender, when she was “plucked”; the Polish conquerors fell; others - what's in Patriotic War 1812, when the Russian people forced Napoleon's hordes to flee.
King for a day
I would not trust their generous promises, which they give out right and left: caliphs for an hour.
Meaning. About a man who accidentally found himself in a position of power for a short time.
Origin. IN Arabian fairy tale“A Waking Dream, or Caliph for an Hour” (collection “A Thousand and One Nights”) tells how the young Baghdadian Abu-Shssan, not knowing that the caliph Grun-al-Rashid is in front of him, shares with him his cherished dream - at least for day to become caliph. Wanting to have fun, Harun al-Rashid pours sleeping pills into Abu Hassan’s wine, orders the servants to take the young man to the palace and treat him like a caliph.
The joke succeeds. Waking up, Abu-1ksan believes that he is the caliph, enjoys luxury and begins to give orders. In the evening, he again drinks wine with sleeping pills and wakes up at home.
Scapegoat
I'm afraid that you will forever be their scapegoat.
Meaning. Responsible for someone else's fault, for the mistakes of others, because the true culprit cannot be found or wants to evade responsibility.
Origin. The phrase goes back to the text of the Bible, to the description of the ancient Hebrew ritual of transferring the sins of the people (community) onto a living goat. This ritual was performed in the event of desecration of the sanctuary where the Ark of the Ark was located by Jews. To atone for sins, a ram was burned and one goat was slaughtered “as a sin offering.” All the sins and iniquities of the Jewish people were transferred to the second goat: the priest laid his hands on it as a sign that all the sins of the community were transferred to him, after which the goat was expelled into the desert. All those present at the ceremony were considered purified.
sing Lazarus
Stop singing Lazarus, stop being poor.
Meaning. Beg, whine, complain exaggeratedly about fate, trying to evoke the sympathy of others.
Origin. In tsarist Russia, crowds of beggars, cripples, blind men with guides gathered everywhere in crowded places, begging, with all sorts of pitiful lamentations, alms from passers-by. The blind people especially often sang the song “About the Rich Man and Lazarus,” composed based on one gospel story. Lazarus was poor and his brother was rich. Lazarus ate the rich man's leftover food along with the dogs, but after death he went to heaven, while the rich man ended up in hell. This song was supposed to frighten and reassure those from whom beggars begged for money. Since not all beggars were actually so unhappy, their plaintive moans were often feigned.
Get into trouble
You promised to be careful, but you deliberately get into trouble!
Meaning. Undertaking something risky, running into trouble, doing something dangerous, doomed to failure.
Origin. Rozhon is a sharpened stake that was used in bear hunting. When hunting with a goad, daredevils held this sharp stake in front of them. The enraged beast got into trouble and died.
Disservice
Constant praise from your lips is a real disservice.
Meaning. Unsolicited help, a service that does more harm than good.
Origin. The primary source is I. A. Krylov’s fable “The Hermit and the Bear.” It tells how the Bear, wanting to help his friend the Hermit smack a fly that had landed on his forehead, killed the Hermit himself along with it. But this expression is not in the fable: it developed and entered folklore later.
Cast pearls before swine
In a letter to A. A. Bestuzhev (late January 1825), A. S. Pushkin writes:
“The first sign of an intelligent person is to know at first glance who you are dealing with,
and don’t throw pearls in front of the Repetilovs and the like.”
Meaning. Wasting words speaking to people who cannot understand you.
Origin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ says: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces” (Gospel of Matthew, 7: b). In the Church Slavonic translation, the word “pearl” sounds like “beads”. It is in this version that this biblical expression entered the Russian language.
You can't ride a goat
He looks down on everyone, you can’t even approach him on a crooked goat.
Meaning. He is completely unapproachable, it is not clear how to contact him.
Origin. Amusing their high patrons, using harps and bells for their amusement, dressing up in goat and bear skins, and in the plumage of a crane, these “spinners” were sometimes able to do some pretty good things.
It is possible that their repertoire also included riding goats or pigs. Obviously, it was the buffoons who sometimes encountered such a bad mood from a high-ranking person that “even a goat had no effect on him.”
Unlucky man
Nothing went well with him, and in general he was a bad person.
Meaning. Frivolous, careless, dissolute.
Origin. In the old days in Rus', not only the road was called a path, but also various positions at the prince’s court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the hunter's path is in charge of hound hunting, the stablemaster's path is in charge of carriages and horses. The boyars tried by hook or by crook to get a position from the prince. And those who did not succeed were spoken of with disdain: a good-for-nothing person.
Shelve
Now you’ll put it on the back burner, and then you’ll forget it completely.
Meaning. Give the case a long delay, delay its decision for a long time.
Origin. Perhaps this expression originated in Muscovite Rus', three hundred years ago. Tsar Alexei, the father of Peter I, ordered a long box to be installed in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace, where anyone could drop their complaint. Complaints were received, but it was very difficult to wait for a solution: months and years passed. The people renamed this “long” box “long”.
It is possible that the expression, if not born, was fixed in speech later, in “presences” - institutions of the 19th century. The officials of that time, accepting various petitions, complaints and petitions, undoubtedly sorted them, putting them in different boxes. “Long” could be called the one where the most leisurely tasks were postponed. It is clear that the petitioners were afraid of such a box.
Retired goat drummer
I am no longer in office - a retired goat drummer.
Meaning. A person not needed by anyone, respected by anyone.
Origin. In the old days, trained bears were brought to fairs. They were accompanied by a dancing boy dressed as a goat, and a drummer accompanying his dance. This was the “goat drummer”. He was perceived as a worthless, frivolous person. What if the goat is also “retired”?
Bring it under the monastery
What have you done, what should I do now, you brought me under the monastery, and that’s all.
Meaning. To put someone in a difficult, unpleasant position, to bring them under punishment.
Origin. There are several versions of the origin of the turnover. Perhaps the turnover arose because people who had big troubles in life usually went to the monastery. According to another version, the expression is related to the fact that Russian guides led enemies under the walls of monasteries, which during the war turned into fortresses (bring a blind man under a monastery). Some believe that the expression is associated with the difficult life of women in Tsarist Russia. Only strong relatives could protect a woman from her husband’s beatings, having achieved protection from the patriarch and the authorities. In this case, the wife “brought her husband to the monastery” - he was sent to the monastery “in humility” for six months or a year.
Plant the pig
Well, he has a nasty character: he planted the pig and is satisfied!
Meaning. Secretly set up some nasty thing, do some mischief.
Origin. In all likelihood, this expression is due to the fact that some peoples do not eat pork for religious reasons. And if such a person was quietly put pork in his food, then his faith was desecrated.
Get into trouble
The guy got into such trouble that even the guard screamed.
Meaning. Find yourself in a difficult, dangerous or unpleasant situation.
Origin. In dialects, BINDING is a fish trap woven from branches. And, as in any trap, being in it is not a pleasant thing.
Professor of sour cabbage soup
He is always teaching everyone. Me too, professor of sour cabbage soup!
Meaning. Unlucky, bad master.
Origin. Sour cabbage soup is a simple peasant food: water and sauerkraut. Preparing them was not particularly difficult. And if someone was called a master of sour cabbage soup, it meant that he was not fit for anything worthwhile.
Beluga roar
For three days in a row she roared like a beluga.
Meaning. Scream or cry loudly.
Origin. “As dumb as a fish” - this has been known for a long time. And suddenly “beluga roar”? It turns out that we are not talking about the beluga, but about the beluga whale, which is the name of the polar dolphin. He really roars very loudly.
Breeding antimonies
That's it, the conversation is over. I have no time to create antimonies with you here.
Meaning. Chat, carry on empty conversations. Observe unnecessary ceremony in relationships.
Origin. From the Latin name for antimony (antimonium), which was used as a medicinal and cosmetic product, having first rubbed it and then dissolved it. Antimony does not dissolve well, so the process was very long and laborious. And while it was dissolving, the pharmacists carried on endless conversations.
On the side of the bake
Why should I go to them? Nobody called me. It's called coming - on the side of the heat!
Meaning. Everything is random, extraneous, attached to something from the outside; superfluous, unnecessary
Origin. This expression is often distorted by saying “on the side.” In fact, it could be expressed with the words: “side bake.” For bakers, baked, or baked, are burnt pieces of dough that stick to the outside of bread products, that is, something unnecessary, superfluous.
Orphan Kazan
Why are you standing, rooted to the threshold like an orphan from Kazan.
Meaning. This is what they say about a person who pretends to be unhappy, offended, helpless in order to pity someone.
Origin. This phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. The Mirzas (Tatar princes), finding themselves subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg all sorts of concessions from him, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.
Grated kalach
Like a grated kalach, I can give you practical advice.
Meaning. This is what they call an experienced person who is difficult to deceive.
Origin. There used to be such a type of bread - “grated kalach”. The dough for it was crumpled, kneaded, “grated” for a very long time, which is why the kalach turned out to be unusually fluffy. And there was also a proverb - “do not grate, do not crush, there will be no kalach.” That is, trials and tribulations teach a person. The expression comes from a proverb, and not from the name of the bread.
Tip on your tongue
What are you saying? Thump your tongue!
Meaning. An expression of dissatisfaction with what was said, an unkind wish to someone who says something that is not meant to be said.
Origin. It is clear that this is a wish, and not a very friendly one. But what is its significance? Pip is a small horny tubercle on the tip of a bird's tongue that helps them peck food. The growth of such a tubercle may be a sign of illness. Hard pimples on the human tongue are called pimples by analogy with these bird bumps. According to superstitious beliefs, pip usually appears in deceitful people. Hence the bad wish, designed to punish liars and deceivers. From these observations and superstitions, an incantatory formula was born: “Tip on your tongue!” Its main meaning was: “You are a liar: let there be a pip on your tongue!” Now the meaning of this spell has changed somewhat. “Tip your tongue!” - an ironic wish to the one who expressed an unkind thought, predicted something unpleasant.
Sharpen the laces
Why are you sitting idle and sharpening your swords?
Meaning. Talking idle talk, engaging in useless chatter, gossiping.
Origin. Lyasy (balusters) are turned figured posts of the railing at the porch; Only a true master could make such beauty. Probably, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant conducting an elegant, fancy, ornate (like balusters) conversation. And by our time, there were fewer and fewer people who could conduct such a conversation. So this expression came to mean empty chatter. Another version elevates the expression to the meaning of the Russian word balyasy - tales, Ukrainian balyas - noise, which go back directly to the common Slavic “tell”.
Pull the gimp
Now they’re gone, he’ll keep dragging his feet until we give up on this idea ourselves.
Meaning. To procrastinate, to delay something, to speak monotonously and tediously.
Origin. Gimp is the finest gold, silver or copper thread, which was used to embroider braids, aiguillettes and other decorations of officer uniforms, as well as priests' vestments and simply rich costumes. It was made in a handicraft way, by heating the metal and carefully pulling out a thin wire with pliers. This process was extremely long, slow and painstaking, so that over time the expression “pull the gimp” began to refer to any protracted and monotonous business or conversation.
Hit face in the dirt
Don't let us down, don't lose face in front of the guests.
Meaning. To make a mistake, to disgrace oneself.
Origin. To hit the dirt with your face originally meant “to fall on the dirty ground.” Such a fall was considered especially shameful by the people in fist fights - wrestling competitions, when a weak opponent was thrown prone to the ground.
In the middle of nowhere
What, should we go see him? Yes, this is in the middle of nowhere.
Meaning. Very far away, somewhere in the wilderness.
Origin. Kulichiki is a distorted Finnish word “kuligi”, “kulizhki”, which has long been included in Russian speech. This is what forest clearings, meadows, and swamps were called in the north. Here, in the wooded part of the country, settlers of the distant past constantly cut down “kulizhki” in the forest - areas for plowing and mowing. In old charters the following formula is constantly found: “And all that land, as long as the ax walked and the scythe walked.” The farmer often had to go to his field in the wilderness, to the farthest “kulizhki”, worse developed than those close to him, where, according to the ideas of that time, goblins, devils, and all sorts of forest evil spirits lived in the swamps and windfalls. So the usual words received their second, figurative meaning: very far away, at the edge of the world.
Fig leaf
She is a terrible pretender and a lazy person, hiding behind her imaginary illness,
like a fig leaf.
Meaning. A plausible cover for unseemly deeds.
Origin. The expression goes back to the Old Testament myth about Adam and Eve, who, after the Fall, experienced shame and girded themselves with fig leaves (fig tree): “And their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed together fig leaves and made girdles for themselves "(Genesis 3:7). From XVI to late XVIII centuries, European artists and sculptors had to cover the most revealing parts of the human body with a fig leaf in their works. This convention was a concession to the Christian church, which considered the depiction of naked flesh sinful and obscene.
Filka's certificate
What kind of filthy letter is this, can’t you really express your thoughts?
Meaning. An ignorant, illiterate document.
Origin. The author of the expression was Ivan the Terrible. To strengthen his power, which was impossible without weakening the princes, boyars and clergy, Ivan the Terrible introduced oprichnina, which terrified everyone.
Metropolitan Philip could not come to terms with the revelry of the guardsmen. In his numerous messages to the tsar - letters - he sought to convince Grozny to abandon his policy of terror and dissolve the oprichnina. Tsyuzny contemptuously called the disobedient Metropolitan Filka, and his letters - Filka letters.
For his bold denunciations of Ivan the Terrible and his guardsmen, Metropolitan Philip was imprisoned in the Tver Monastery, where he was strangled by Malyuta Skuratov.
Grab the stars from the sky
He is a man not without abilities, but there are not enough stars from heaven.
Meaning. Do not be distinguished by talents and outstanding abilities.
Origin. A phraseological expression associated, apparently, by association with the award stars of military and officials as insignia.
That's enough of a prickle
He was in great health, and suddenly he got sick.
Meaning. Someone died suddenly or was suddenly paralyzed.
Origin. According to the historian S. M. Solovyov, the expression is associated with the name of the leader of the Bulavin uprising on the Don in 1707, Ataman Kondraty Afanasyevich Bulavin (Kondrashka), who in a sudden raid destroyed the entire royal detachment led by the governor Prince Dolgoruky.
Apple of discord
This ride is a real bone of contention, can’t you give in, let him go.
Meaning. What gives rise to conflict, serious contradictions.
Origin. Peleus and Thetis, the parents of the Trojan War hero Achilles, forgot to invite the goddess of discord Eris to their wedding. Eris was very offended and secretly threw a golden apple onto the table at which gods and mortals were feasting; on it was written: “To the most beautiful.” A dispute arose between three goddesses: Zeus's wife Hera, Athena the maiden, goddess of wisdom, and the beautiful goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite.
The young man Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, was chosen as a judge between them. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite who bribed him; For this, Aphrodite made the wife of King Menelaus, the beautiful Helen, fall in love with the young man. Leaving her husband, Helen went to Troy, and in order to avenge such an insult, the Greeks began a long-term war with the Trojans. As you can see, the apple of Eris actually led to discord.
Pandora's Box
Well, now hold on, Pandora's box has opened.
Meaning. Everything that can serve as a source of disaster if you are careless.
Origin. When the great titan Prometheus stole the fire of the gods from Olympus and gave it to people, Zeus terribly punished the daredevil, but it was too late. Possessing the divine flame, people stopped obeying the celestials, learned various sciences, and came out of their pitiful state. A little more - and they would have won complete happiness.
Then Zeus decided to send punishment on them. The blacksmith god Hephaestus sculpted the beautiful woman Pandora from earth and water. The rest of the gods gave her: some cunning, some courage, some extraordinary beauty. Then, handing her a mysterious box, Zeus sent her to earth, forbidding her to open the box. Curious Pandora, as soon as she came into the world, opened the lid. Immediately all human disasters flew out of there and scattered throughout the universe. Pandora, in fear, tried to slam the lid again, but in the box of all the misfortunes, only deceptive hope remained. published . If you have any questions about this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project .
Phraseology is a branch of the science of language that studies stable combinations of words. Phraseologism is a stable combination of words, or a stable expression. Used to name objects, signs, actions. It is an expression that arose once, became popular and became entrenched in people's speech. The expression is endowed with imagery and may have a figurative meaning. Over time, an expression can take on a broad meaning in everyday life, partially including the original meaning or completely excluding it.
The phraseological unit as a whole has lexical meaning. The words included in a phraseological unit individually do not convey the meaning of the entire expression. Phraseologisms can be synonymous (at the end of the world, where the raven did not bring bones) and antonymous (raise to heaven - trample into the dirt). A phraseological unit in a sentence is one member of the sentence. Phraseologisms reflect a person and his activities: work (golden hands, playing the fool), relationships in society (bosom friend, putting a spoke in the wheels), personal qualities (turning up his nose, sour face), etc. Phraseologisms make a statement expressive and create imagery. Set expressions are used in works of art, journalism, and everyday speech. Set expressions are also called idioms. There are many idioms in other languages - English, Japanese, Chinese, French.
To clearly see the use of phraseological units, refer to their list or on the page below.
