Our ancestors would not have understood us: What old Russian expressions we distorted, without knowing it ourselves

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The Russian language is very rich in sayings, fixed expressions, proverbs, and we do not skimp on them in everyday life. However, we do not always think about whether we are using certain idioms correctly, but in vain. After all, if you study their history, you can learn very interesting things. It turns out that many of the expressions we were used to in our distant ancestors had a completely different meaning.

Stay with your nose

Now this expression means that the person has been taught a lesson according to what he deserves: they say, he wanted to outwit someone or get something, but nothing came of it. Initially, the meaning of the proverb was not so caustic and the expression did not refer to a cunning person. "Nose" in Ancient Russia was called an offering, or rather, a bribe (from the word "wear").

When solving a long case in court or in an institution, an ordinary person brought a bribe to an influential rank, and if he took it, this, of course, implied a great hope for a successful and quick resolution of the case. If he refused, then this meant that the affairs of the remaining "with a nose" were bad and there was no hope at all.

Work carelessly

Now they say this about a person who cheats or works without trying. In fact, the phraseological unit was born in pre-Petrine Russia and it did not immediately begin to be applied to relatively careless workers. Rich, noble boyars and boyars wore clothes with very long sleeves. The longer the sleeve, the more important the person is.

Naturally, the owners of such sleeves by their status did not do any rough physical work - they had other people for that. And in order to perform some kind of everyday activities, they stick out their arms through special slots in the long sleeves. So the expression "work carelessly" meant that a person shuns physical work and thinks too much of himself.

He ate a dog in this business

For many decades, this expression has lost its tail in the full sense, because initially our ancestors said: "I ate a dog, but choked on its tail." It meant that the person is too arrogant. For example, he thought he could do the job, but it turned out to be too much for him. Or someone decided to outsmart someone, but in the end he himself was a fool. Now the commonplace "ate a dog" means that a person is a real pro and has a lot of experience in this matter.

Out of place

The French expression "n'etre dans son assiette", which can literally be translated as "in someone else's plate," meant that a person is in an unpleasant, unenviable position. The word "plate" people who were not experienced in the intricacies of the French language translated and used literally, and not in a figurative sense. Hence, the meaning of the expression has changed a little and in our time, as you know, it is as follows: if a person is not at ease, it means that he is not at ease, the situation is uncomfortable for him.

The first pancake is lumpy

When we say: "The first pancake is lumpy," it means that in any new business nothing will work the first time, and in principle it is not scary. Now it has not worked out - it means that it will work out later, with experience. It is generally believed that this can be compared with baking pancakes: they say, the first one necessarily turns out to be inferior for the hostess. In fact, over time, one letter has changed in this expression, and it was pronounced like this: "The first pancake is komAm."This proverb even has a long poetic continuation: "The first pancake is for coma, the second for acquaintances, the third for relatives, and the fourth for me."

And our distant Slavic ancestors called bears "comas". During the days of paganism in Russia, this beast generally had many nicknames - for example, "bersek", "roar", "master", and, of course, the "clubfoot" known from fairy tales. And even in pre-Christian times, there was a holiday of Komoeditsa, which was dedicated to spring cattle walking. On this day, it was customary to prepare a dish that was called "lump", but it was a crushed peas. The guests were treated to this thick "porridge". On the holiday, buffoons walked around the courtyards, who often took trained bears with them for amusement. Therefore, the bears were called "comas". Well, it was later decided to give the first pancake to the mummers.

If you chase two hares, you won't catch a single one

Here, too, over time, one word fell out. In fact, in Russia, hunters used to say: "If you chase two hares, you won't catch a single wild boar."

In other words, if now this proverb teaches us to concentrate on one thing, and not tackle two at the same time (they say, you cannot sit on two chairs at once), then initially it meant: “If you have a big and serious goal, do not waste yourself on extraneous trifles.

To a drunken sea knee-deep

The expression "Knee-deep into a drunken sea" for those who love to put it behind the collar does not sound offensive at all, but rather simply warns against excessive arrogance. They say that a strong drink adds courage, but you need to soberly assess your capabilities. However, in its original version, it sounded not so condescending at all, but expressed contempt: "A drunken sea is knee-deep, and a puddle is up to its ears."

Goal - like a falcon

“Naked as a falcon, but sharp as a razor” - this is exactly what our distant ancestors in Russia said. The word "sokOl" was the name given to a heavy log-type ramming weapon used by Russian soldiers to destroy enemy walls. And even earlier this idiomatic expression sounded like this: "As naked as a falcon, but sharp as an ax." Both the one and the other option meant that although the person is poor (bare, like a hewn log), he is cunning and savvy. As an example - a soldier from the famous Russian fairy tale "Porridge from an ax". However, the designation of such a weasel still has a second analogous expression: "The need for invention is cunning."

Business - time, fun - an hour

Now we say this when we want to emphasize the primacy of some kind of work: they say, in order to allow yourself to take a break, you first need to work hard. They loved to rest in Russia, and therefore many, many years ago this saying sounded like this: "It’s time for business and an hour for fun", which acquired, in principle, the opposite meaning: "Remember work, but do not forget about rest and fun."

In order to better understand the ancient Russian culture, it is imperative to read about how court jesters lived in Russia, because they were a mirror of the events that took place in those distant times.