home Construction

To feed something important phraseological unit. Phraseologisms. Phraseological dictionaries. Medical and other professional expressions with explanation

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. The Russian language is not in vain considered “great and powerful”.

It contains not only words with which you can describe the reality of what is happening, but also, the meaning of which does not correspond to the words used in them.

Such phrases (these are phraseological units) cannot be understood “on the forehead” (literally), because the words used in them sometimes create a completely ridiculous picture. For example, “make an elephant out of a fly”, “sit in a puddle”, “lead by the nose”, “like water off a duck's back”, etc. They are used only in a figurative sense and this.

What is it (examples)

Phraseologisms are set expressions(everyday used in this form), one of the features of which is that it is almost impossible to translate them into . And if you do it verbatim, you get a real abracadabra.

For example, how do you translate phrases to a foreigner:

WITH gulkin's nose
Where do the eyes look?
Shot sparrow.

And at the same time, we, as native speakers of the Russian language, will immediately understand what is at stake.

"With a gulkin's nose" - a little, just a little bit.
"Where the eyes look" - directly, without a specific goal.
"Shot sparrow" - experienced in some matters.

This is one of the examples of phraseological units. And here is the definition given to this concept in textbooks:

“Phraseologism is an expression that is well-established in structure and composition, which used in a figurative sense and consists of two or more words.

Signs of phraseological units

Phraseologism is quite easy to recognize. These phrases have their own distinctive features:

They include two or more words;
Have stable compound;
Have portable meaning;
Have historical roots;
Are unified member of the proposal.

And now let's take a closer look at each of these distinctive criteria of phraseological units.

These are several words that are one member of the sentence

There are no phraseological units in one word at all. Most often they consist of exactly two words, but there are many examples of longer phrases.

Here examples of such phrases with an explanation of their meaning:

"I ate the dog" - experienced, has been doing something more than once.
“You won’t spill it with water” - very friendly.
“Wait for the weather by the sea” - do nothing and hope that everything will be decided by itself.
"Seven Fridays in a week" - constantly change your plans or decisions.
“To fight like a fish on ice” - you do something, but it does not give a result.
“Well, you made a mess” - he did something that provoked a whole chain of events.

When parsing a sentence, phraseological units are not divided into parts. For example, the phrase “worked up a sweat” is a single predicate. Just like "counting the crows" or "wash your hands".

Phraseological units are stable phrases in a figurative sense

Such phrases cannot be distorted adding or removing individual words from them. AND cannot be replaced one word to another. In this way, they resemble a "house of cards" that will fall apart if one card is pulled out of it.

By the way, "House of cards" is also an example of a phraseological unit, it is used when they want to say that "something broke very easily or is about to break".

For example:

“Between heaven and earth” means to be in limbo, not knowing what to do.

And in this phrase it is impossible to replace "sky", for example, with "clouds", or "earth" with "field". The result is a completely non-colorful expression that others people won't understand.

More examples of stable phraseological units with an explanation of their meaning:

“Turn up the waters” means to come up with something strange, it’s not good to influence others.
"Slippery" - to do something poorly.
"Roll up your sleeves" - work well and quickly.
"Count the crows" - be distracted, be inattentive.
"Stay with the nose" means to be deceived.
"Getting to grips" - change your behavior or attitude towards something.

These phrases always have a figurative meaning.

As you may have noticed, all phraseological units have figurative meaning. That is why they simply cannot be translated into another language.

For example, try to translate into English the phrase "disservice". It will sound like “bear service”, and any foreigner will literally understand that “a particular bear provides some kind of service”, and will rather decide that it is a trained bear.

But we understand perfectly well this phraseological unit, which means "Help so that it gets worse".

The same can be said about other expressions:

“Grated kalach” is a wise person who cannot be deceived.
“On the topic of the day” is something relevant that currently attracts a lot of attention.
“Sat in a galosh” - did something awkward, made a mistake.
"Losing your head" - doing unreasonable things.
"Wash the bones" - to discuss someone behind his back.

The history of the origin of phraseological units

Some philologists argue that all phraseological units have some historical roots. It's just that not everything managed to survive before us. But there are phrases about which it is known exactly where they came from.

For example, the expression "beat the buckets", which means "To do nothing". Buckwheat in the old days was called small wooden bars, from which spoons were most often made. Making blanks was very easy, it was trusted to the most inept apprentices. And everyone around thought that they did not really work.

Or phraseological unit "like water off a duck's back", meaning that "everything is forgiven a person." This phrase was born by nature itself. Not only the goose, but also any bird, the water really quickly escapes, since their feathers have a thin layer of fat.

And here is the expression "Trishkin caftan" not so widely known, although it means "an unsuccessful attempt to solve some problem, which only leads to new problems." The phrase appeared thanks to Krylov's fable:

Trishka's caftan was torn on his elbows.
What's the point of thinking here? He took up the needle:
Cut off the sleeves in quarters
And he paid elbows. The caftan is ready again;
Only a quarter of the bare hands became.
What about this sadness?

And here is the phraseology "Monomakh's hat", which means "too much responsibility", gave us Pushkin in his drama Boris Godunov.

Examples of phraseological units and their meaning

And this is not the only example when common expressions appear in the Russian language thanks to literature. For example, a lot came to us from ancient myths and epics, and even from the Bible.

"Apple of discord" Cause of quarrel between people. Initially, the apple was meant, because of which the ancient Greek goddesses Athena, Aphrodite and Hera quarreled, since it was written “the most beautiful” on it.
"Trojan horse"- a hidden trap. The wooden horse in which the Greeks hid to conquer Troy.
"Gordian knot"— a confusing, complicated situation. In memory of the real knot that King Gordius tied, and that Alexander the Great cut with his sword.
"Augean stables"- a big mess. One of the labors of Heracles when he was ordered to clear the huge stables of King Augeas.
- looming threat. Another story from Ancient Greece when the courtier Damocles envied King Dionysius and wanted to take his place. And he agreed, but hung a sword on a horsehair over his head.
"Procrustean bed"- the desire to fit something into the existing framework, while sacrificing something important. The robber Procrustes lured travelers to him and laid them on his bed. To whom she was small, he stretched out his legs. And to whom it is large, he cut them off.
"Two-faced Janus"— and deceit. In ancient Roman mythology, there was such a God with two faces, who was in charge of all doors, entrances and exits.
"Achilles' heel"- weakness. In honor of the ancient Greek warrior Achilles, who was dipped into the water of immortality as a child. And the only unprotected place he had left was the heel, since they held it when they lowered him into the bath.
"Manna from Heaven" something necessary and saving. Roots must be sought in the Bible, in history, how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt. At some point, they ran out of all the food, and God sent them "manna from heaven."
"Sisyphean Labor"- a useless exercise that will definitely not bring benefits. The ancient Greek king Sisyphus for his dissolute life was condemned to eternal torment - to roll a huge stone up the mountain, which then immediately rolled down.
« » - a topic or person that is constantly discussed. One of the punishments in the Old Testament for apostates is “you will be a parable, a horror and a laughingstock among all peoples.” And “languages” are “peoples” in Church Slavonic.
"Ared's eyelids"- a very long time. An extremely rare phraseological unit, which also came from the Bible, which mentions the patriarch Ared, who lived in the world in 962.
"Homeric Laughter"- Loud laughter over some stupidity. This is how the Gods laughed in Homer's Odyssey and Iliad.
"smoking incense"- Praise beyond measure. Another rare phraseological unit that appeared thanks to the incense of the same name, which was burned in Jerusalem temples to propitiate God.
"Pyrrhic victory"- a victory for which one had to pay too high a price. The ancient Greek king Pyrrhus defeated the Romans, but lost too many soldiers. Even his phrase is known - "Another such victory, and we will perish."
"Sink into the air"- be forgotten. Summer - in ancient Greek, the river in the kingdom of the dead, which was ruled by the god Hades.
"Pandora's Box" is the source of misfortune and misfortune. In the Myths of Ancient Greece, Zeus sent a woman named Pandora to earth. And he gave her a casket, which contained all human misfortunes. She couldn't resist and opened it.
- disorder, disorganization, turning into real chaos. In the Old Testament, people decided to build a tower that would reach up to heaven.
But the Lord was angry - he destroyed the tower and mixed languages so that people could no longer understand each other.

Brief Summary

In conclusion, I will say that phraseological units are found in any language of the world. But such a number of winged phrases, as in Russian, nowhere else.

Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site

"The game is not worth the candle" and other popular expressions

Augean stables

Rake first these Augean stables, and then you will go for a walk.

Meaning. A cluttered, polluted place where everything is in complete disarray.

Origin. He lived in ancient Elis, according to an ancient Greek legend, King Augius, 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 the service of Avgius, to whom the king instructed 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 through the gates of the stables, and a stormy stream washed out all the dirt from there in a day.

The Greeks sang this feat along with the other eleven, and the expression "Augean stables" began to apply to everything neglected, polluted to the last limit, and in general to denote a great mess.

Arshin swallow

It stands as if the arshin swallowed.

Meaning. Stay unnaturally straight.

Origin. The Turkish word "arshin", meaning a measure of length of one cubit, has long become Russian. Until the revolution, Russian merchants and artisans constantly used arshins - wooden and metal rulers seventy-one centimeters long. Imagine how a person who swallowed such a ruler should look like, and you will understand why this expression is used in relation to stiff and arrogant people.

henbane overeat

In Pushkin's "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" an old man, indignant

with the shameless greed of his old woman, angrily says to her:

“What are you, woman, overeating with henbane?”

Meaning. Act absurdly, viciously, like crazy.

Origin. In the countryside, in the backyards and dumps, you can find tall bushes with dirty yellowish, purple-veined flowers and an unpleasant smell. This is henbane - a very poisonous plant. Its seeds resemble poppies, but the one who eats them becomes like a madman: he raves, rages, and often dies.

Buridan's donkey

He rushes about, cannot decide on anything, like Buridan's donkey.

Meaning. An extremely indecisive person, hesitating in the choice between equivalent decisions.

Origin. Philosophers late Middle Ages put forward a theory according to which the actions of living beings do not depend 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. Let's take a hungry donkey and put it on both sides from his muzzle, at equal distances, are two identical bundles of hay. The donkey will have no reason to prefer one of them over the other: they are exactly alike. He will not be able to reach out either to the right or to the left, and in the end he will die of hunger.

Back to our sheep

However, enough about this, let's get back to our sheep.

Meaning. A call to the speaker not to digress from the main topic; a statement that his digression from the topic of conversation is over.

Origin. Let's return to our rams - tracing paper from the French revenons a nos moutons from the farce "Lawyer Pierre Patlin" (c. 1470). With these words, the judge interrupts the rich clothier's speech. Having initiated a case against the shepherd who stole the sheep from him, the clothier, forgetting about his lawsuit, showers reproaches on the shepherd's defender, Patlen's lawyer, who did not pay him for six cubits of cloth.

Versta Kolomna

At such a verst of Kolomna as you, everyone will immediately pay attention.

Meaning. So they call a person of very tall stature, a tall man.

Origin. In the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow, there was a summer residence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The road there was busy, wide and was considered the main one in the state. And when they put up huge milestones, the likes of which have never happened in Russia, the glory of this road increased even more. The savvy people did not fail to take advantage of the novelty and dubbed the lanky man the Kolomna verst. That's what they still say.

lead by the nose

The smartest man, more than once or twice led the enemy by the nose.

Meaning. To deceive, mislead, promise and not fulfill the promise.

Origin. The expression was associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies took bears to the show for a ring threaded through their noses. And they forced them, poor fellows, to do various tricks, deceiving them with the promise of handouts.

Hair on end

Horror seized him: his eyes popped out, his hair stood on end.

Meaning. So they say when a person is very scared.

Origin. “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.

That's where the dog is buried!

Ah, that's it! Now it is 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 campaigns and battles with his beloved dog. Once, while traveling in the Netherlands, the dog even saved his 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 be found by tourists only 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", "got to the bottom of the matter."

But there is an older and no less likely source of the proverb 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 the dog that belonged to Xanthippus, the father of Pericles, did not want to part with his master, jumped into the sea and swam, following the ship, reached Salamis. Exhausted from fatigue, she immediately died.

According to the historian of antiquity Plutarch, this dog was placed on the seashore with a kinosema - a canine 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 the evil spirit that allegedly guarded every treasure, did not dare to directly mention the purpose of their search and conditionally began to talk about a black dog, meaning the trait and the treasure.

Thus, according to this version, the expression "this is where the dog is buried" meant: "this is where the treasure is buried."

Pour in the first number

For such deeds, of course, they should be poured on the first number!

Meaning. Severely punish, scold someone

Origin. Something, but this expression is familiar to you ... And where did it just fall on your unfortunate head! Believe it or not, 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 was enough for a long time, until the first day of the next month.

rub glasses

Do not believe it, they rub glasses on you!

Meaning. To deceive someone by presenting the matter in a distorted, incorrect, but favorable 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. Ever since there were cards, there have been dishonest players, cheaters in the world. They, in order to deceive a partner, indulged in all sorts of tricks. By the way, they were able to quietly “rub glasses” - turn a seven into a six or a four into a five, on the go, during the game, gluing a “point” or covering it with a special white powder. It is clear that “rubbing glasses” began to mean “cheating”, hence the special words were born: “fraud”, “fraudster” - a trickster who knows how to embellish his work, pass off bad as very good.

Voice in the wilderness

Wasted labor, you won't convince them, your words are the voice of one crying in the wilderness.

Meaning. Denotes vain persuasion, calls that no one heeds.

Origin. As biblical legends convey, one of the 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 go down, the valleys to be filled, and the curvature and unevenness to straighten. However, the calls of the prophet-hermit remained "a voice 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 will say a kind word to me? After all, I'm an orphan. 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 old military wall-beating weapon. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast-iron ingot, mounted on chains. Nothing extra!

Naked truth

This is the state of affairs, the naked truth without embellishment.

Meaning. Truth as it is, no bluff.

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 the truth (truth) in the form of a naked woman, which was supposed to symbolize the true state of affairs without silence or embellishment.

Woe onion

Do you know how to cook soup, onion woe.

Meaning. Idiot, unlucky person.

Origin. The caustic volatile substances contained in the onion in abundance irritate the eyes, and the hostess, while she crushes the onion for her cooking, sheds tears, although there is not the slightest grief. It is curious that tears caused by the action of irritating substances chemical composition different from sincere tears. There is more protein in fake tears (this is not surprising, because such tears are designed to neutralize caustic substances that have entered 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 transitory nuisance. Most often, half-jokingly, half-sorrowful, they turn to a child who has again done something wrong.

Two-faced Janus

She is deceitful, quirky 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, everything, now you can sleep peacefully: it's in the bag.

Meaning. It's all right, 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 get into a folk saying at the same time.

There is another explanation: _, much later, clerks and clerks, sorting out court cases, used their hats to receive bribes.

If only you could help me, - the plaintiff says to the deacu in a caustic poem. A. K. Tolstoy, - I would have poured those, she-she, ten rubles into a hat. Joke? "Rash now," said the deacon, holding up his cap. - Come on!

It is very possible that the question: “Well, how am I doing?” - the clerks often answered with a sly wink: "It's in the bag." This is where the proverb could come from.

Money doesn't smell

He took this money and did not wince, the money does not 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 held the money to his son's nose and asked if it smelled. He answered in the negative. Then the emperor said: “But they are from urine ...” On the basis of 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 a lazy man in a black body

And don't take the reins off her!

Meaning. to be harsh, to be strict with someone, making you work hard; oppress someone.

Origin. The expression comes from the Turkic expressions associated with horse breeding, meaning - moderately nourish, undernourish (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 came "keep in a black body."

Bring to white heat

Vile type, brings me to white heat.

Meaning. To piss off to the limit, to bring to madness.

Origin. When the metal is heated during forging, it glows differently depending on the temperature: first red, then yellow, and finally dazzling white. With more high temperature the metal will melt and boil. An expression from the speech of blacksmiths.

smoke rocker

In the tavern, smoke stood like a yoke: songs, dances, screams, fights.

Meaning. Noise, noise, confusion, turmoil.

Origin. In old Rus', the huts were often heated in black: the smoke did not escape through the chimney, 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.

Egyptian executions

What kind of punishment is this, just Egyptian executions!

Meaning. Calamities that bring torment, heavy punishment

Origin. It goes back to the biblical story about 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, other reservoirs and containers turned into red, but remained transparent to the Jews. Execution by frogs. As Pharaoh was promised: “They will go out and enter into your house, and into your bedroom, and onto your bed, and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneaders. Frogs filled the whole land of Egypt.

Midge invasion. As a third punishment, hordes of midges fell upon Egypt, which attacked the Egyptians, stuck around them, climbed into their eyes, nose, ears.

Dog flies. The country was flooded with dog flies, from which all animals, including domestic ones, began to throw themselves at the Egyptians.

Sea of cattle. All the Egyptians lost their livestock, the attack did not affect only the Jews. Ulcers and boils. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to take a handful of furnace black and throw it up in front of Pharaoh. And the bodies of the Egyptians and animals were covered with their terrible sores and boils. Thunder, lightning and fiery hail. A storm began, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and fiery hail 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 in Egypt (with the exception of the Jews) died in one night, the pharaoh surrendered and allowed the Jews to leave Egypt. Thus began the Exodus.

Iron curtain

We live like behind an iron curtain, no one comes to us, and we don't visit anyone.

Meaning. Barriers, obstacles, complete political isolation of the country.

Origin. At the end of the XVIII century. an iron curtain was lowered onto the theater stage to protect the audience in the event of a fire on it. 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? Do not trust the yellow press.

Meaning. Base, deceitful, greedy for cheap sensations press.

Origin. In 1895, the New York World newspaper began to publish a series of comic strips called "The Yellow Kid" on a regular basis. Its main character, a boy in a toe-length yellow shirt, made funny comments on various events. In early 1896, another newspaper, the New York Morning Journal, poached the creator of the comic book, artist Richard Outcolt. Both publications thrived on the publication of scandalous material. A dispute flared up between competitors over the copyright to the "Yellow Baby". In the spring of 1896, the editor of the New York Press, Erwin Wardman, commenting on this lawsuit, contemptuously called both newspapers "yellow press."

Alive Smoking Room

A. S. Pushkin wrote an epigram to the critic M. Kachenovsky, which began with the words:

"How! Is Kurilka a journalist still alive? It ended with wise advice:

“... How to put out a smelly splinter? How to kill my Smoking room? Give me advice.

- "Yes ... spit on him."

Meaning. An exclamation at the mention of the ongoing activity of someone, his existence, despite difficult conditions.

Origin. There was an old Russian game: a lit splinter was passed from hand to hand, singing: “The Smoking Room is alive, alive, alive, not dead! ..” The one whose splinter went out, began to smoke, smoke, lost.

Gradually, the words “Kurilka is alive” began to be applied to various figures and to various phenomena that, logically, should have disappeared long ago, but, despite everything, continued to exist.

Behind seven seals

Well, of course, because this is a secret for you with seven seals!

Meaning. Something beyond understanding.

Origin. It goes back to the biblical turnover “a book with seven seals” - a symbol of secret knowledge that is 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 the One sitting on the throne a book written inside and out, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open this book and break its seals?” And no one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth, could open this book and look into it. The Lamb, who “was slain and redeemed us to God with his blood, opened the seals from the book. After the removal 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 told John to eat the book: "... it will be bitter in your womb, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey" in order to tell about the future renewal of the whole world and dispel the fears of believers about the future of Christianity, on which Jews, Gentiles and false teachers are on all sides.

Nick down

And cut it on your nose: you will not be able to deceive me!

Meaning. Remember firmly, firmly, once and for all.

Origin. The word "nose" here does not mean the organ of smell. Oddly enough, it means "commemorative plaque", "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.

Truth in wine

And next to the neighboring tables Sleepy lackeys stick out,

And drunkards with rabbit eyes shout "In vino Veritas".

Meaning. If you want to know exactly what a person thinks, 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 in the sense: what is on the sober mind, then the drunk on the tongue.

It is not worth it

You shouldn't do it. The game is clearly not worth the candle.

Meaning. The effort you put in 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 hat analysis

Well, brother, you came late, to the most hat 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 impossible to go inside in a hat, folded their three-pieces and caps at the very entrance. At the end of the church service, leaving, everyone took them apart. “To the hat analysis” came only those who were clearly in no hurry to go to church.

Like chickens in cabbage soup (get in)

And he got 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 having no idea about its true meaning. Let's start with the word chicken. This word in old Russian means "rooster". And there was no “schey” in this proverb before, and it was pronounced correctly: “I got into a pluck like chickens,” that is, I was plucked, “bad luck.” The word "pluck" was forgotten, and then people willy-nilly changed the expression "pluck" into cabbage soup. When she was born is not entirely clear: some think that even under Dimitry the Pretender, when “to pluck”; hit the Polish conquerors; 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 distribute right and left: caliphs for an hour.

Meaning. About a man who happened to be endowed with power for a short time.

Origin. In the Arabic tale “A dream, or Caliph for an hour” (collection “A Thousand and One Nights”), it is told how the young Baghdadian Abu-Shssan, not knowing that Caliph Grun-al-Rashid is in front of him, shares with him his cherished dream - at least for a day to become caliph. Wanting to have some fun, Haroun al-Rashid puts sleeping pills in Abu-Ghassan'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-1kssan believes that he is a caliph, enjoys luxury and begins to give orders. In the evening, he again drinks wine with sleeping pills and wakes up already at home.

Scapegoat

I fear you will forever be their scapegoat.

Meaning. The defendant for someone else's guilt, for the mistakes of others, because the true culprit cannot be found or wants to evade responsibility.

Origin. The turnover goes back to the text of the Bible, to the description of the Hebrew rite of laying the sins of the people (community) on a live goat. Such a rite was performed in case of desecration by the Jews of the sanctuary where the ark of revelation was located. In atonement 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 clergyman laid his hands on him as a sign that all the sins of the community were transferred to him, after which the goat was expelled into the wilderness. All those present at the ceremony were considered cleansed.

Lazarus sing

Stop singing Lazarus, stop being ashamed.

Meaning. Begging, whining, exaggeratedly complaining about fate, trying to arouse 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 miserable lamentations, alms from passers-by. At the same time, the blind especially often sang the song “About the Rich and Lazarus”, composed according to one gospel story. Lazarus was poor, but his brother was rich. Lazarus ate the remnants of the rich man's 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 conscience those from whom the beggars begged for money. Since not all beggars were actually so unfortunate, their plaintive moans were often feigned.

Climb on the rampage

He promised to be careful, but he deliberately climbs on the rampage!

Meaning. Do something risky, run into trouble, do something dangerous, doomed to failure in advance.

Origin. Rozhon - a pointed stake that was used when hunting a bear. Hunting with a goad, the daredevils put this sharp stake in front of them. The enraged beast climbed on the rampage and died.

Disservice

The incessant praise from your lips is a real disservice.

Meaning. Unsolicited help, a service that does more harm than good.

Origin. The primary source is the fable of I. A. Krylov “The Hermit and the Bear”. It tells how the Bear, wanting to help his friend the Hermit to swat a fly that sat on his forehead, killed the Hermit himself along with it. But this expression is not in the fable: it took shape and entered folklore later.

Cast pearls before swine

In a letter to A. A. Bestuzhev (end of January 1825), A. S. Pushkin writes:

“The first sign of a smart person is to know at a glance who you are dealing with,

and not throw pearls in front of the Repetilovs and the like.

Meaning. Wasting words talking to people who can't understand you.

Origin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ says: “Do not give anything holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample it under their feet and, turning, tear you to pieces” (Gospel of Matthew, 7: b). In the Church Slavonic translation, the word "pearl" sounds like "beads". It was 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 drive up to him even on a crooked goat.

Meaning. He is completely unapproachable, it is not clear how to address him.

Origin. Amusing their high patrons, using both the harp and bells for their fun, dressing up in goat and bear skins, in the plumage of a crane, these “spies” sometimes knew how to do good deeds.

It is possible that their repertoire included riding goats or pigs. Obviously, it was the buffoons who sometimes met with such a bad mood of a high-ranking person that "even a goat did not act on him."

unlucky person

Nothing went right with him, and in general he was a good-for-nothing person.

Meaning. Frivolous, careless, dissolute.

Origin. In the old days in Rus', not only the road was called the way, 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 equestrian path is carriages and horses. The boyars, by hook or by crook, tried to get a way from the prince - a position. And to those who did not succeed, they spoke of those with disdain: an unlucky person.

Shelving

Now put it aside in a long box, and then completely forget.

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, father of Peter I, ordered in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace to install a long box where anyone could put their complaint. Complaints fell, but it was very difficult to wait for a decision: months and years passed. The people renamed this "long" box to "long".

It is possible that the expression, if not born, was fixed in speech later, in “presences” - institutions of the 19th century. The then officials, accepting various petitions, complaints and petitions, undoubtedly sorted them, putting them in different boxes. "Long" could be called the one where the most unhurried things were put off. It is clear that the applicants were afraid of such a box.

Retired goat drummer

I am now out of office - a retired goat drummer.

Meaning. No one needs, no one respected person.

Origin. 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. And if the goat is also “retired”?

Bring under the monastery

What have you done, what am I to do now, led me to the monastery, and nothing more.

Meaning. Put in a difficult, unpleasant situation, bring 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 left for the monastery. According to another version, the expression is connected with the fact that Russian guides brought 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 hard life of women in Tsarist Russia. Only strong relatives could save 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 exiled to the monastery "in humility" for six months or a year.

put a pig

Well, he has a vile character: he planted a pig and is satisfied!

Meaning. Secretly set up some filth, play a dirty trick.

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 imperceptibly put pork meat in his food, then his faith was defiled by this.

Get into a bind

The small one got into such a bind that even the guards shout.

Meaning. Get into 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 an unpleasant business.

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: 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.

Beluga roar

For three days in a row she roared like a beluga.

Meaning. Shout or cry loudly.

Origin. "Mute like a fish" - this has been known for a long time. And suddenly "roar beluga"? It turns out that we are not talking about a beluga here, but about a beluga whale, as the polar dolphin is called. He really roars very loudly.

Breed antimony

All conversation is over. I have no time to raise antimony here with you.

Meaning. To chat, to carry on empty talk. Observe unnecessary ceremonies in a relationship.

Origin. From the Latin name of antimony (antimonium), which was used as a medicinal and cosmetic agent, after grinding it and then dissolving it. Antimony is poorly soluble, so the process was very long and laborious. And while it was dissolving, the pharmacists had endless conversations.

The side of the bake

Why would I go to them? Nobody called me. It's called came - on the side of the bake!

Meaning. Everything accidental, extraneous, adhering to something from the outside; superfluous, unnecessary

Origin. This expression is often distorted by pronouncing "side-baked". In fact, it could also be conveyed by the words: “side baking”. Baking, or baking, bakers have 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. So 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. 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.

Grated roll

As a grated kalach, I can give you good advice.

Meaning. This is the name of an experienced person who is difficult to deceive.

Origin. There used to be such a kind of bread - “grated kalach”. The dough for it was kneaded, kneaded, “rubbed” for a very long time, which made the kalach unusually lush. 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.

Pip on your tongue

What are you saying, pip on your tongue!

Meaning. An expression of dissatisfaction with what was said, an unkind wish to someone who says something that is not what should be said.

Origin. It is clear that this is a wish, and not a very friendly one at that. But what is its meaning? A pip is a small, horny bump on the tip of a bird's tongue that helps them peck at food. The growth of such a tubercle can be a sign of illness. Hard pimples on the tongue of a person are called pips by analogy with these bird tubercles. According to superstitious ideas, a pip usually appears in deceitful people. Hence the unkind wish, designed to punish liars and deceivers. From these observations and superstitions, the incantation formula was born: “Pip on your tongue!” Its main meaning was: "You are a liar: let a pip appear on your tongue!" Now the meaning of this spell has changed somewhat. "Pip on your tongue!" - an ironic wish to someone who expressed an unkind thought, predicted an unpleasant one.

Sharpen laces

Why are you sitting idle and whetting your hair?

Meaning. To idle talk, engage in useless chatter, gossip.

Origin. 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. And the craftsmen to conduct such a conversation by our time became less and less. So this expression began to denote empty chatter. Another version raises the expression to the meaning of the Russian word balyas - stories, Ukrainian balyas - noise, which go directly to the common Slavic "tell".

pull the gimp

Now they are gone, he will pull the rigmarole until we give up this idea ourselves.

Meaning. To procrastinate, to drag out any business, to speak monotonously and tediously.

Origin. Gimp - the thinnest gold, silver or copper thread, which was used to embroider galloons, aiguillettes and other decorations of officer uniforms, as well as chasubles of priests and simply rich costumes. It was made in a handicraft way, heating the metal and carefully pulling out a thin wire with tongs. 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 the face in the dirt

You don’t let me down, don’t lose face in front of the guests.

Meaning. Embarrass, shame.

Origin. To hit the face in the dirt originally meant "to fall on the dirty ground." Such a fall was considered by the people to be especially shameful in fisticuffs - competitions of wrestlers, when a weak opponent was knocked over prone to the ground.

In the middle of nowhere

What, go to him? Yes, this is in the middle of nowhere.

Meaning. Very far, somewhere in the wilderness.

Origin. Kulichiki is a distorted Finnish word "kuligi", "kulizhki", which has long been included in Russian speech. So in the north were called forest clearings, meadows, swamps. Here, in the wooded part of the country, the settlers of the distant past were always cutting down “kulizhki” in the forest - areas for plowing and mowing. In old letters, 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 "sandbags", developed worse than the neighbors, where, according to the then ideas, goblin, and devils, and all kinds of forest evil spirits were found in swamps and windbreaks. So ordinary words got their second, figurative meaning: very far, at the end of the world.

fig leaf

She is a terrible pretender and lazy, 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, knew shame and girded themselves with fig tree (fig tree) leaves: “And their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves belts » (Genesis, 3:7). From XVI to late XVIII centuries, European artists and sculptors had to cover up the most explicit parts in their works human body fig leaf. This convention was a concession to the Christian church, which considered the depiction of naked flesh sinful and obscene.

Filkin's letter

What kind of filkin's letter is this, can't you really state your thoughts?

Meaning. 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 the oprichnina, which terrified everyone.

Metropolitan Philip could not come to terms with the revelry of the guardsmen. In his numerous letters to the tsar - letters - he sought to convince Grozny to abandon his policy of terror, to dissolve the oprichnina. The disobedient Metropolitan Tsyuzny contemptuously called Filka, and his letters - Filkin's letters.

For the bold denunciations of Grozny and his guardsmen, Metropolitan Philip was imprisoned in the Tver Monastery, where Malyuta Skuratov strangled him.

Grab the stars from the sky

He is a man not without abilities, but there are not enough stars from heaven.

Meaning. Do not differ in talents and outstanding abilities.

Origin. Phraseological expression, apparently associated by association with the award stars of the military and officials as insignia.

Enough kondrashka

He was a heroic health, and suddenly kondrashka was enough.

Meaning. Someone suddenly died, was suddenly paralyzed.

Origin. According to the assumption of the historian S. M. Solovyov, the expression is associated with the name of the leader of the Bulavinsky uprising on the Don in 1707, ataman Kondraty Afanasyevich Bulavin (Kondrashka), who exterminated the entire royal detachment led by the voivode Prince Dolgoruky with a sudden raid.

Apple of discord

This trip is a real bone of contention, can't you give in, let him go.

Meaning. That which gives rise to conflict, serious contradictions.

Origin. Peleus and Thetis, the parents of Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War, forgot to invite the goddess of discord, Eris, to their wedding. Eris was very offended and secretly threw a golden apple on the table, at which the gods and mortals were feasting; on it was written: "To the most beautiful." A dispute arose between the three goddesses: the wife of Zeus Hera, Athena - the maiden, the 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 forced the wife of King Menelaus, the beautiful Helen, to fall in love with the young man. Leaving her husband, Elena 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. All that can serve as a source of disaster if not careful.

Origin. When the great titan Prometheus stole the fire of the gods from Olympus and gave people the fire of the gods, Zeus terribly punished the daredevil, but it was too late. Possessing the divine flame, people ceased to obey the celestials, learned various sciences, and got out of their miserable state. A little more - and they would have won complete happiness for themselves.

Then Zeus decided to send punishment on them. The blacksmith god Hephaestus fashioned the beautiful woman Pandora from earth and water. The rest of the gods gave her: who is cunning, who is courage, who is extraordinary beauty. Then, handing her a mysterious box, Zeus sent her to earth, forbidding her to open the box. Curious Pandora, barely having come into the world, slightly opened the lid. Immediately all human disasters flew out from there and scattered throughout the universe. Pandora, in fear, tried to close the lid again, but in the box of all misfortunes, only a deceptive hope remained. published . If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to specialists and readers of our project .

This page contains phraseological units of various kinds, otherwise they are called phraseological units. These are phrases that, in terms of the composition of their words, do not correspond to true words, but at the same time are solidary in meaning. Proverbs and sayings do not count :-)

As you have already noticed, sorted into groups. The most popular of them concern water, body parts (nose, tongue, etc.) and bread. And also about animals and food. So let's go.

Phraseologisms with the word "water" and related to it

Storm in a teacup- strong excitement or irritability over trifles.
It is written with a pitchfork on the water- purely theoretical; that is, it is not known what will happen next.
Carry water in a sieve- to waste time in vain, to idle.
Get water in your mouth- to be silent, as if in fact the mouth is full of water.
Bring to clean water- reveal the truth, expose, find out the true face.
Come out dry from water- go unpunished, without consequences.
ride the wave- provoke aggression, raise unnecessary noise.
Money is like water- they disappear very quickly, and it is not so easy to return them.
To stay afloat- to continue to develop in spite of difficulties, to successfully conduct business.
Wait by the sea for the weather- expect pleasant events that are unlikely to wait.
Life abounds- when life is full of bright events, it does not stand still.
How to look into the water- predicted, as if he knew in advance. By analogy with divination by water.
How to sink into the water disappeared, disappeared without a trace.
Down in the mouth- about sadness, sadness.
Like water through your fingers- about what goes quickly and imperceptibly. Usually in pursuit.
As two drops of water- very similar.
How to drink to give- very simple; exactly, no doubt.
Like water off a duck's back- all for nothing. Similar to phraseologism - Come out dry from water.
Like snow on your head- about an impending event. Suddenly, suddenly, out of nowhere.
Sink into oblivion- to disappear forever, to indulge in oblivion.
Bathe in gold about very rich people.
The ice has broken- about the beginning of any business.
Pour water- to show negativity, to provoke.
A lot of water has flowed- a lot of time has passed.
Reckless- about a brave man who cares nothing.
Darker than clouds- Excessive anger.
muddy the waters- confuse, bewilder.
At the top of the wave- to be in favorable conditions.
Do not spill water- about a strong, inseparable friendship.
Pour from empty to empty
To go with the flow- act passively, obeying the prevailing circumstances.
Underwater rocks- about any hidden danger, trick, obstacle.
After the rain on Thursday Never, or not at all soon.
Last straw- about an event in which a person's patience is running out.
Pass fire, water and copper pipes- go through difficult trials, difficult situations.
a dime a dozen- a lot, a lot.
Don't drink water from your face- love a person not for appearance, but for internal qualities.
Get from the bottom of the sea- solve any problem without looking at any difficulties.
Hide the ends in the water- hide the traces of the crime.
Quieter than water, lower than grass- about quiet, modest behavior.
Pound water in a mortar- do something useless.
Wash your hands- to evade participation or responsibility in any business.
pure water- about something obvious, not having any doubts.

Phraseological units with the word "nose" and other parts of the body

grumble under your breath- to grumble, to speak indistinctly.
hang your nose- to be discouraged, upset.
lead by the nose- to deceive, to lie.
Chin up!- a command not to lose heart, not to be upset.
Turn up one's nose- to put oneself above others, to put on airs, to think of oneself as the main one.
Nick down- to remember completely.
nod off- doze with your head down.
Wrinkle your nose- think about a difficult task.
On the nose- about an event that should happen in the near future.
Can't see beyond your nose- limit yourself, do not notice what is happening around.
Nose to nose or Face to face- very close, on the contrary, very close.
Keep your nose to the wind- be aware of all events, make the right decision.
Stay with your nose or Get away with your nose- do without what you expected.
Right under your nose- Very close.
With a goofy nose- about a dove that has a small nose, that is, very little.
Poke your nose into other people's business- about excessive curiosity.
Poke your nose- that is, until you poke your nose, you yourself will not see.
Wipe your nose- to prove one's superiority, to win over someone.
bury your nose- Get completely immersed in something.

speak through teeth- that is, to speak indistinctly, barely opening your mouth.
speak teeth- divert attention from the essence of the conversation.
Know by heart- that is, to know firmly, firmly.
Bare teeth or Show teeth- snarl, get angry; mock.
Too tough- not under force.
Not in the tooth with a foot- to do nothing, to know nothing.
Put your teeth on the shelf- starve, annoy, lacking in something.
Grit your teeth- go into battle without despair. Restrain yourself without showing your weakness.

Keep your mouth shut- be silent, do not say a word.
Long tongue- about a person who likes to talk a lot.
bite your tongue- refrain from words.
Dissolve language- to say too much without refraining.
Tongue swallow- be silent, not having the desire to speak.

Be careful- be careful to avoid an emergency.
Keep ears up- be careful, careful, do not trust anyone.
For eyes and ears- about giving time with a surplus to complete any business.
Can't see your ears- about an item that will never get.
Blush up to your ears- to be very ashamed, embarrassed.
hang your ears- listen with excessive enthusiasm, trust everything.

Eyes popped out- about sincere surprise, amazement.
Eyes lit up- longing for something.
shoot with eyes- expressively, coquettishly look at someone.
Like an eyesore- to bother someone, to annoy.
Pull the wool over someone's eyes- create a false, overly pleasant impression of yourself. Boast.
From point of view- about someone's opinion, judgment on a particular topic.
See through your fingers- look inattentively at the problem, do not be picky.
Ogle- to attract attention, to suck up.

You won't take it in your mouth- about food cooked tastelessly.
Lip no fool- about a person who knows how to choose something to taste.
pout lips- to make a displeased face, to be offended.
Roll your lip- wanting a lot with minimal opportunities.
With an open mouth- listen attentively; be surprised.

Flew out of my head- about forgetfulness, inattention.
Have a head on your shoulders- to be smart, quick-witted.
Puzzle over- to think hard, hard, trying to understand something.
fool your head- to deceive, fool, confuse.
From head to toes- completely, in full growth.
Put upside down- to give the opposite meaning to something, to distort.
Breaking my head- very fast.
Hit your face in the dirt- disgrace, disgrace before someone.

be at hand- about something accessible, close.
Keep yourself in hand- to maintain self-control, to be restrained.
How it was removed by hand- about the quickly passed pain, illness.
Bite your elbows- regret what you have done, with the inability to return back.
Hands down- Do the work diligently, without interruptions.
Hand in hand- about a joint, agreed deal or friendship.
At hand- about an object that is nearby, very close.
Grab with both hands- to take pleasure in any business.
Skillful fingers- about a talented person who skillfully copes with any work.

Get up on the wrong foot- Wake up feeling down.
Wipe your feet (about someone)- to harm, to get on your nerves, to annoy.
making feet- go, move.
Step on your heels- to catch up with someone or pursue, hanging on it.
Legs to hands- Do something immediately.
The devil himself will break his leg- about disorder, chaos in business or anywhere.
Get off your feet- very tired in any business or path.

Phraseologisms with the word "bread"

There is a gift of bread- do no good.
And that bread- about the estate of at least something, than nothing at all.
On your bread- live on your salary, without the possibility of anyone.
Not by bread alone- about a person who lives not only materially, but also spiritually.
Beat bread- to deprive the opportunity to earn money by selecting a job.
Survive from bread to kvass (to water)- to live in poverty, starve.
Sit down on bread and water- eat the cheapest food, save on food.
Daily bread- about the necessary for human life, its existence.
Bread and salt- an expensive greeting to guests, an invitation to the table.
Meal'n'Real!– an exclamation about the filing of vital priorities.
Don't feed bread- about a very busy or rich, not hungry person.

Phraseologisms on the topic of cuisine and food

free cheese- bait, luring into a trap.
stew in own juice - live your life. Or help yourself without the help of others.
Not worth a damn- about what is insignificant and not worth any cost.
donut hole- about something empty, not having any content.
For seven miles of jelly slurp- go somewhere unnecessarily.
brew porridge- to create a problem, they say, he brewed it himself - and disentangle it yourself.
And you can’t lure with a roll- about someone who can't be forced to change his mind.
Like chickens in cabbage soup- about getting into unexpected trouble. Kur - in old Russian "rooster".
Like clockwork- very simple, no problem.
Live like a lord- about a profitable, comfortable life.
You can't cook porridge- about joint action with someone with whom there will be no sense.
Milk rivers, kissel banks- about a fabulous, fully provided life.
Not at ease- feel uncomfortable. In an awkward situation.
Not salty slurping- not getting what you expected. To no avail.
For no rugs- an analogue of a phraseological unit And you can’t lure with a roll.
Neither fish nor fowl- about an ordinary person who does not have anything bright, expressive.
cut off hunk- about a person living independently, independent of others.
Professor of sour cabbage soup- about a person who talks about things that he himself does not really know.
Easier than a steamed turnip- nowhere is easier, or very simple.
To fix the mess- Solving complex, advanced problems.
Side of the bake- about someone or something unnecessary, optional, secondary.
Seventh water on jelly- about distant relatives, which are difficult to determine.
dog eat- about any business with a rich amount of experience.
Grated roll- about a person with rich life experience, not lost in difficult situations.
Radish horseradish is not sweeter- about an insignificant exchange for something that is not better.
Worse than bitter radish- about something completely unbearable, unbearable.
Nonsense on vegetable oil- that does not deserve any attention. Absurdity.
An hour later, a teaspoon- about inactive, unproductive work.

Phraseologisms with animals

Chasing two rabbits Trying to do two things at the same time.
To make mountains out of molehills- greatly exaggerate.
tease the geese- to annoy someone, to provoke anger.
No brainer (Goat understandable)- about something very clear, obvious.
And the wolves are full, and the sheep are safe- about a situation in which both here and there are good.
Like a cat with a dog – living together with constant cursing.
Like a chicken paw- to do something carelessly, carelessly, crookedly.
Like a chicken and an egg- about any subject that is difficult to part with.
Like a mouse to groats- to pout, to express dissatisfaction, resentment.
When cancer on the mountain whistles Never, or not at all.
Cats scratch at heart- about a sad, difficult condition or mood.
crocodile tears- crying for no reason, compassion for a non-existent sign.
Chickens for laughter- stupid, absurd, absurd, ridiculous.
Chickens don't peck- O in large numbers some person's money.
Lion's share- a big advantage in the direction of something. The biggest part.
Martyshkin labor- a useless process of work, vain efforts.
bear stepped on ear- about a person without a musical ear.
bear corner- a remote, isolated place. Far from civilization.
Disservice- help that brings more evil than good.
Cast pearls before swine- to conduct intelligent conversations in front of little understanding fools.
You can't ride on a crooked goat- about any person to whom it is difficult to find an approach.
On a bird's eye- not to have any legal grounds, provisions.
Not in horse food (oats)- about efforts that do not give the expected results.
Don't sew the mare's tail- completely unnecessary, out of place.
I'll show you where the crayfish hibernate- a prediction of revenge, an undesirable position.
Bury your head in the sand- try to get away from the problem without solving it.
Release the red rooster- arson, start a fire
Bird's-eye- from a great height, giving an overview of a large space.
Put a pig- to mischief, to do something unpleasant.
Watch like a ram on a new gate- to look at something with a stupid expression.
dog cold- severe cold, causing inconvenience.
Count the crows- to yawn, to be inattentive to something.
A dark horse- an obscure, little-known person.
Pull the cat's tail- to delay the case, to work very slowly.
Kill two birds with one stone solve two problems at the same time.
Though the wolf howl- about any situation without the possibility of changing it for the better.
The black cat ran- to break off friendly relations, to quarrel.

Phraseological units with objects, other phraseological units

dead hour- for a long time.
Beat the thumbs- to do simple, not so important business.
Throw to the mercy of fate- to leave somewhere without helping and without being interested.
Green light for you!- free access to any business, act.
Put a spoke in wheel to intervene, intentionally interfere with someone.
go around the mountain- do something great.
Keep in line- treat someone strictly, for the good of one's will.
Keep your pocket wider- about too high and unrealizable hopes, expectations.
live happily ever after- to live in pleasure, happily, with prosperity.
From dirt to Kings- suddenly and abruptly achieve amazing success.
out of the ordinary- different from the usual, special.
Reinvent the wheel- try to do something from an already proven, reliable means.
From time immemorial- a long, long time ago.
The stone fell from the soul (from the heart)- a feeling of relief when getting rid of something oppressive.
oil painting- Everything is well and beautifully converged.
Roll a barrel- act aggressively towards someone.
Mom don't worry- about something extraordinary, beyond the ordinary understanding of things.
Change the awl for soap It's pointless to change one useless thing for another.
Cover yourself with a copper basin- suddenly and abruptly disappear, deteriorate; perish.
Found a scythe on a stone- Faced with an irreconcilable contradiction of opinions and interests.
Does not burn- not so important, not urgent.
Not far away- nearby, not too far away in time or space.
Not a bastard- not simple, not stupid.
It is too expensive- about the inconsistency with someone's income, financial capabilities.
From our table to yours- the transfer of any property to another person.
Shelving- leave something for an indefinite period of time.
Go too far- to be overzealous in something.
The song is sung- someone or something has come to an end.
Shoulder- about the ability to cope with something.
Essentially- Naturally, of course.
Add fuel to the fire- deliberately aggravate the conflict, provoke.
The train left- lost time to do something.
One, two - and miscalculated- about something in a small amount that is easy to count.
Born in a shirt- about a very lucky person who miraculously escaped tragedy.
Make ends meet- Difficulty coping with financial difficulties.
move a mountain- a lot to do.
Sitting on pins and needles- to be impatient, waiting, if you want to achieve something.
At least henna- about the indifference of a person who does not care about someone else's misfortune.

Winged 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.

1 sly

Initially, this expression meant to secretly dig a mine or a secret tunnel. The word "zappa" (translated from Italian) means "digging shovel".
Borrowed in French, the word turned into the French "sap" and got the meaning of "earthworks, trenches and undermining works", 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 on the sly drags all the food from the kitchen!”).

2 Can't see anything

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”)

3 dance from the stove

The expression "to dance from the stove" first appeared in the novel by the 19th-century Russian writer Vasily Sleptsov " Good man". The book was published in 1871. There is an episode where 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.

Vasily Alekseevich Sleptsov. 1870

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").

4 shabby look

During the time of Tsar Peter I, Ivan Zatrapeznikov lived - 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")

5 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).

6 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, a German named von Sievers-Mehring, served in one of the regiments of the Russian army. 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.

7 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.

8 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, "The Dark and Bright Sides of Russian Life")

9 Biryuk live

Mikhail Golubovich in the movie Biryuk. 1977

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 Flows the Don)

10 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 had become 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")

11 Pies with kittens

In Rus', 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, in last turn cats and cats were walking.

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”.

12 Leave unsalted slurping

In Rus' 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 "Lights")

"The fox missed the live and went away slurping unsalted." (Alexey Tolstoy "The Fox and the Rooster")

13 Shemyakin Court

Illustration for the fairy tale "Shemyakin Court". Copper engraving, first half of the 18th century. Reproduction.

The expression "shemyakin court" is used when they want to emphasize the unfairness of any opinion, judgment or assessment. Shemyaka is a real historical person, the Galician prince Dimitri Shemyaka, famous for his cruelty, deceit and unrighteous deeds. He became famous for his tireless, stubborn struggle with the Grand Duke 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.

According to aif.ru

Phraseologisms are idioms without an author. Authorship doesn't matter. These "highlights" have firmly entered our language, and are perceived as a natural element of speech coming from the people, from time immemorial.

Phraseological units are an ornament of speech. Imagery, which is easily perceived in native speech, becomes a stumbling block in someone else's, foreign language. We absorb our language model with mother's milk.

For example, when you say, “a storehouse of knowledge,” you don’t think about the fact that a storehouse is a well! Because when you say this, you don’t mean a well at all, but a smart person, from whom, like from a well, you can draw useful information.

Phraseologisms and their meanings Examples

The meaning of phraseological units is to give emotional coloring to the expression, to strengthen its meaning.

Since water plays a big role in human life, it is not surprising that there are so many phraseological units associated with it:

Water doesn't bother the mind.
Water does not cry for water.
The water breaks the dam.
Water will find a way.

Below, as examples, phraseological units, one way or another related to water:

beat the key- about a stormy, eventful, fertile life: by analogy with a gushing spring in comparison with calmly flowing sources of water.

Beat like a fish on ice- persistent, but vain efforts, fruitless activities

Storm in a teacup- great excitement for an insignificant reason.

It is written with a pitchfork on the water- it is not yet known how it will be, the outcome is not clear, by analogy: “grandmother said in two”

Do not spill water- strong friendship

Carry water in a sieve- wasting time, doing useless business Analogously: crushing water in a mortar

Got water in my mouth- silent and does not want to answer

carry water(on someone) - to burden with hard work, taking advantage of his complaisant nature

Still waters run deep- about someone who is quiet, humble only in appearance

Come out dry from water- without bad consequences, go unpunished

Bring to light- to expose, to expose in a lie

ride the wave- carry gossip, provoke scandals

Ninth shaft- crucible (high wave)

Money is like water — refers to the ease with which they are spent

To stay afloat — to be able to cope with circumstances, to conduct business successfully

Blow on the water, getting burned in milk- being overly cautious, remembering past mistakes

Wait by the sea for the weather- wait for favorable conditions that are unlikely to develop

From empty to empty (pour)- engage in empty, meaningless reasoning

As two drops of water- similar, indistinguishable

How to look into the water- foresaw, accurately predicted events, as if he knew in advance

How to sink into the water- disappeared without a trace

Down in the mouth- sad, sad

Rain like a bucket- heavy rain

Like water through your fingers- one who easily escapes persecution

How do you not know the ford , then don't go into the water- warning not to take hasty action

How to drink to give- accurately, undoubtedly, easily, quickly; as easy as giving a traveler a drink

Like a fish in water- very good at navigating, well versed in something, feel confident

Like water off a duck's back- no one cares

Like snow on your head- suddenly, all of a sudden

A drop sharpens a stone — 0b perseverance and perseverance

Sink into oblivion— To be consigned to oblivion, to disappear without a trace and forever

crocodile tears- insincere compassion

Bathe in gold- to be very rich

The ice has broken- business started

Fish in troubled waters- benefit for yourself without advertising it

A lot of water has flowed(since then) - a lot of time has passed

Reckless- about a decisive, brave, courageous person

Sea of tears- cry a lot

Darker than clouds- very angry

muddy the waters- deliberately confuse any matter, confuse or confuse

On the wave of success- seize the opportunity

On the crest of a wave- is in favorable conditions

At the bottom- low (including in a figurative sense)

blow up the atmosphere- exaggerate the gravity of the situation

You cannot enter the same river (water) twice- you can enter the stream of water again, but it will no longer be the same, so in life you can’t repeat some moments, relive them twice

Not by washing, so by skating- not in one way, but in another way, by any means (to achieve something, to annoy someone). The expression comes from the speech of village laundresses.

Not salty slurping- return without profit

Survive from bread to water- to be poor, starve

To pour (water) from empty to empty- engage in repetitive, meaningless activities

Wash the bones- to slander, gossip, gossip about someone

Fill up the cup- make nervous

To go with the flow- obey the influence of circumstances, the course of events

After the rain on Thursday- never. Phraseologism is associated with the veneration by the ancient Slavs of the god Perun (the god of thunder and lightning). Thursday was dedicated to him. In Christian times, the expression began to express complete distrust

Last straw- after which the turn of events occurs

Pass fire, water and copper pipes- survive life's trials, difficult situations

a dime a dozen- a large number of

Flog a dead horse- useless business Similarly:

Pound water in a mortar- to engage in useless, empty business

Seventh water on jelly- distant family

Seven feet under the keel- a successful unobstructed road

Don't drink water from your face- they persuade a person to fall in love not for external data, but for internal qualities or other less visible virtues.

Hide the ends in the water- hide the traces of the crime.

Quieter than water, lower than grass- behave modestly, inconspicuously

Wash your hands- to step aside from something, to relieve oneself of responsibility for something. In some ancient peoples, judges and accusers, as a sign of their impartiality, performed a symbolic ceremony: they washed their hands. The expression became widespread thanks to the gospel legend, according to which Pilate, forced to agree to the execution of Jesus, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said: "I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One."