The most popular phraseological units in the Russian language. The most interesting phraseological units

Each person, usually without knowing it, uses several phraseological units in his speech every day. Some of them have existed in the Russian language for several centuries.

What are phraseological units, what are their distinctive features and why are they needed? We will try to answer all these questions.

Phraseologisms are stable phrases that are used to make speech expressive, dynamic, better convey emotions, etc. Phraseologisms can be found in oral speech, in fiction, they are widely used in journalism and politics. Perhaps to the least extent they are found only in official documents and specialized literature.

In the Russian language, phraseological units are widespread. They are necessary so that the speaker can express his attitude to what he is expressing, show his temperament and alertness of mind. From the point of view of vocabulary, the main meaning of a phrase, which is a phraseological unit, can be conveyed in one word, but without emotional connotation.

Phraseologisms surprise with their stability: it is impossible to make changes to them without destroying their meaning. Even a simple word form destroys a phraseological unit. At the same time, the process of formation of new phraseological units is constantly taking place in the language, and obsolete ones are gradually being phased out.

The main task of these phrases is to influence the imagination of the interlocutor or reader in order to make what is said more prominent, make him empathize, and feel certain emotions.

Phraseologisms become known to native speakers from early childhood. We often perceive them under other names - sayings, catchphrases, idiomatic expressions, etc. They were first described by M.V. Lomonosov when drawing up a plan for a dictionary of the Russian language. However, serious study of Russian phraseological units began only in the middle of the twentieth century.

Most phraseological units used today have distinct historical roots. Thus, the expression “give the go-ahead” goes back to the signals of the Russian Navy. In the pre-revolutionary alphabet, the letter D was called “good”. The “go-go” signal, transmitted using the naval signal system, meant agreement, permission. Hence the meaning of the expression “give the go-ahead” - to allow, to agree.

A considerable part of phraseological units is based on the transfer of the properties of one object to another. The expression “the pot is cooking,” denoting a smart person, is based on the comparison of the head with a pot: cooking means thinking.

Often the basis of a phraseological unit is part of a well-known proverb or a stable professional term.


Philologists divide phraseological units into their own, which arose in the Russian language, and borrowed, which came through translations of foreign literature.

In the Russian language, phraseological units are found literally at every step. Examples of popular phraseological units:

- like two peas in a pod - about the striking similarity;

- just a stone's throw away - very close;

- one foot here, the other there - quickly run off on some business;

- carelessly - do the work somehow;

- to reach the handle - to lose your human appearance, to descend.

Each of us can remember many similar expressions and phrases in a few minutes - these are phraseological units.

Many phraseological units have been preserved in the Russian language since ancient times. It often happens that the reason for the formation of a phrase has long been forgotten, but the phrase itself lives on in popular speech.

Examples:

- Bosom friend - the expression was formed from the ancient phraseological unit “pour in the Adam’s apple”, i.e. drink alcohol, get drunk and denotes a person with whom you can “drink by the Adam’s apple” without fear of trouble.

- Notch on the nose - in the old days, “nose” was the name given to a wooden plate on which a worker was marked for each day he worked. Notch it on the nose - remember it firmly.

- To be lazy is to be idle. Baklushi were the name given to wooden chocks that were prepared for carving spoons by splitting them off from a birch log. This activity was considered an easy task, practically idleness.

— Chasing a long ruble means striving for easy money. In the ancient Russian state, the main monetary unit was the hryvnia - a silver ingot, which was cut into pieces - rubles. The largest of these pieces was called a long ruble, and getting it meant earning more without making any effort.

- Neither two, nor one and a half - about something vague, without a clear characteristic.

— A double-edged sword is a matter or event that can have good or bad consequences.

- Seven Fridays in a week - about a capricious, eccentric, fickle person.


- The seventh water on jelly is a very distant relationship.

- Twenty-five again - about something boring, invariably repeated.

The time comes when schoolchildren begin to learn what phraseological units are. Their study has become an integral part of the school curriculum. Knowledge of what phraseological units are and how they are used will be useful not only in Russian language and literature lessons, but also in life. Figurative speech is a sign of at least a well-read person.

What is a phraseological unit?

A phraseological unit is an expression with a certain content of words, which in a given combination have a different meaning than when these words are used separately. That is, a phraseological unit can be called a stable expression.

Phraseological phrases in the Russian language are widely used. The linguist Vinogradov studied phraseological units, and it was largely thanks to him that they began to be widely used. Foreign languages ​​also have phraseological units, but they are called idioms. Linguists are still arguing whether there is a difference between a phraseological unit and an idiom, but have not yet found an exact answer.

The most popular are colloquial phraseological units. Examples of their use can be found below.

Signs of phraseological units

Phraseological units have several important features and characteristics:

1. A phraseological unit is a ready-made linguistic unit. This means that a person who uses it in his speech or writing retrieves this expression from memory, and does not invent it on the fly.
2. They have a permanent structure.
3. You can always choose a synonymous word for a phraseological unit (sometimes an antonym).
4. A phraseological unit is an expression that cannot consist of less than two words.
5. Almost all phraseological units are expressive and encourage the interlocutor or reader to show vivid emotions.

Functions of phraseological units in Russian

Each phraseological unit has one main function - to give speech brightness, liveliness, expressiveness and, of course, to express the author’s attitude to something. In order to imagine how much brighter speech becomes when using phraseological units, imagine how a comedian or writer makes fun of someone using phraseological units. The speech becomes more interesting.

Phraseological styles

The classification of phraseological units by style is a very important feature of them. In total, there are 4 main styles of set expressions: interstyle, bookish, colloquial and colloquial. Each phraseological unit belongs to one of these groups, depending on its meaning.

Colloquial phraseological units are the largest group of expressions. Some believe that interstyle and colloquial phraseological units should be included in the same group with colloquial ones. Then only two groups of set expressions are distinguished: colloquial and bookish.

Differences between book and colloquial phraseological units

Each style of phraseological units is different from each other, and the most striking difference is demonstrated by book and colloquial phraseological units. Examples: not worth a penny And a fool is a fool. The first stable expression is bookish, because it can be used in any work of art, in a scientific journalistic article, in an official business conversation, etc. While the expression " fool by fool" widely used in conversations, but not in books.

Book phraseological units

Book phraseological units are set expressions that are much more often used in writing than in conversations. They are not characterized by pronounced aggression and negativity. Book phraseological units are widely used in journalism, scientific articles, and fiction.

1. During it- means something that happened a long time ago. The expression is Old Slavonic and is often used in literary works.
2. Pull the gimp- the meaning of a long process. In the old days, a long metal thread was called a gimp; it was pulled out with metal wire tongs. They embroidered on velvet with gimp; it was a long and very painstaking job. So, pull the gimp- This is a long and extremely boring job.
3. Play with fire- doing something extremely dangerous, “being on the cutting edge.”
4. Stay with your nose- to be left without something that you really wanted.
5. Kazan orphan- this is a phraseological unit about a person who pretends to be a beggar or a sick person, while having the goal of getting a benefit.
6. You can't ride a goat- this is what they said a long time ago about girls whom jesters and buffoons could not cheer up on holidays.
7. Bring to clean water- to expose someone for committing something unpleasant.

There are a lot of book phraseological units.

Interstyle phraseological units

Inter-style phraseological units are sometimes called neutral colloquial phrases, because they are neutral both from a stylistic and emotional point of view. Neutral colloquial and book phraseological units are confused, because inter-style ones are also not particularly emotionally charged. An important feature of interstyle phrases is that they do not express human emotions.

1. Not a bit- means the complete absence of something.
2. Play a role- somehow influence this or that event, become the cause of something.

There are not very many interstyle phraseological units in the Russian language, but they are used in speech more often than others.

Conversational phraseological units

The most popular expressions are colloquial phraseological units. Examples of their use can be very diverse, from expressing emotions to describing a person. Conversational phraseological units are perhaps the most expressive of all. There are so many of them that one can give endless examples. Colloquial phraseological units (examples) are listed below. Some of them may sound different, but at the same time have a similar meaning (that is, they are synonyms). And other expressions, on the contrary, contain the same word, but are clear antonyms.

Synonymous colloquial phraseological units, examples:

1. Without exception, the meaning of generalization is: all as one; both old and young; from small to large.
2. Very quickly: in an instant; I didn’t have time to look back; in a moment; I didn’t have time to blink an eye.
3. Work hard and diligently: tirelessly; until the seventh sweat; rolling up your sleeves; in the sweat of his brow.
4. Proximity value: two steps away; be nearby; at hand.
5. Run fast: headlong; that there is strength; at full speed; what to eat; in all shoulder blades; with all my might; only his heels sparkle.
6. Similarity value: all as one; everything is as if chosen; one to one; Well done to well done.

Antonymous colloquial phraseological units, examples:

1. The cat cried(few) - Chickens don't peck(a lot of).
2. Can't see anything(dark, hard to see) - At least collect needles(light, clearly visible).
3. Lose your head(not thinking well) - Head on your shoulders(a reasonable person).
4. Like a cat and a dog(warring people) - Don't spill the water, Siamese twins; soul to soul(close, very friendly or similar people).
5. Two steps away(near) - Far away(far).
6. Head in the clouds(brooding, daydreaming and unfocused person) - Keep your eyes open, keep your ears open(attentive person).
7. scratch your tongue(talk, spread gossip) - Swallow tongue(be silent).
8. Uma ward(clever man) - Without a king in your head, live in someone else's mind(stupid or reckless person).

Colloquial phraseological units, examples with explanation:

1. American uncle- a person who very unexpectedly helps out of a financially difficult situation.
2. Fight like a fish on ice- do unnecessary, useless actions that do not lead to any result.
3. Beat your head- mess around.
4. Throw down the gauntlet- enter into an argument with someone, challenge.

You've probably heard more than once that some phrases are called phraseological units. And, we bet, we have used such phrases ourselves many times. Let's check what you know about them. We guarantee we know more. And we will be happy to share information.

What is a phraseological unit?

Phraseologism- a turnover that is freely reproduced in speech, has a holistic, stable and, often, figurative meaning. From the point of view of structure, it is constructed as a coordinating or subordinating phrase (it is non-predicative or predicative in nature).

In what case does a certain phrase turn into a phraseological unit? When each of its component parts loses its independence as a semantic unit. And together they form a phrase with a new, allegorical meaning and imagery.

Signs of phraseological units:

• sustainability;
• reproducibility;
• integrity of meaning;
• dismemberment of the composition;
• belonging to the nominative dictionary of the language.

Some of these features characterize the internal content of the phraseological unit, and some – the form.

How do phraseological units differ from words?

First of all, with its pronounced stylistic coloring. Most commonly used words in the average person's vocabulary are neutral vocabulary. Phraseologisms are characterized by evaluative meaning, emotional and expressive coloring, without which the realization of the meaning of phraseological units is impossible.

From the point of view of language stylistics, phraseological units can be divided into:

• neutral ( from time to time, little by little and so on.);
• high style ( cornerstone, rest in God and etc.);
• colloquial and vernacular ( good riddance, catch crows etc.).

How do phraseological units differ from phraseological combinations, proverbs and sayings, and popular expressions?

Phraseologisms are capable (and actively do this) in composition to be combined with words of free use (that is, all other words of the language, “non-phraseologisms”).

How phraseological units are divided by origin:

• originally Russian– some free phrases were rethought in speech as metaphors and turned into phraseological units ( reel in fishing rods, fish in troubled waters, knead mud, spread wings, grate kalach and so on.);
• borrowings from Old Church Slavonic (hesitating nothing, like the apple of his eye, not of this world, a proverb, in its time, the holy of holies and etc.);
• stable phrases-terms that have turned into metaphors (bring to a common denominator= call, specific gravity= value, exaggerate= to greatly exaggerate, squaring the circle and etc.);
• accepted in everyday life stable names, which do not belong to any terminological system ( Indian summer, goat leg and so on.);
• catch words and expressions who came to us from Greek and Roman mythology (Achilles' heel, sword of Damocles, tantalum torment, wash your hands etc.);
• popular words and expressions from the Bible and other religious texts ( manna from heaven, abomination of desolation etc.);
• catchphrases originating from literature, which have lost connection with the original source and entered speech as phraseological units ( magician and wizard– comedy by A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin “Krechinsky’s Wedding” (1855), between a rock and a hard place– F. Spielhagen’s novel “Between a Hammer and a Hard Place” (1868), between Scylla and Charybdis– Homer, “Odyssey” (8th century BC);
• tracing phraseological units, that is, a literal translation of set expressions from other languages ​​( smash on your head– German aufs Haupt Schlagen, out of place– fr. ne pas etre dans son assiette, time of the dog and the wolf– fr. l'heure entre chien et loup, literally: the time after sunset when it is difficult to distinguish a dog from a wolf).

Do not apply to phraseological units:

• phraseological combinations like to scorn, to pay attention, to win, to make a decision; voracious appetite, girlish memory, bosom friend, sworn enemy, dog cold and the like. The words that make up these phrases retain the ability to be meaningfully and grammatically connected to another word. Phraseological combinations are classified as specific phrases. But phraseological units themselves are not phrases in the common understanding of this definition (*in fact, this is a rather controversial point of classification and in the future we will look at some of these expressions);
• stable phrases-terms ( exclamation point, brain, chest, spinal column, progressive paralysis) and compound names (such as red corner, wall newspaper);
• designs such as: in the form of, for the sake of appearance, under power, if they cannot be compared with a literal prepositional-case combination of words (compare: On the nose= very soon and On the nose mole);
• catchphrases, proverbs and sayings ( Happy hours are not observed; Love for all ages; Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword; Do not renounce money and prison etc.) - they differ from phraseological units in that in speech they are combined not with words, but with whole sentences (parts of sentences).

Lexico-grammatical classification

Phraseologisms can also be classified from a lexico-grammatical point of view:

• verbal- used in speech in the imperfect and perfect form: take / take the bull by the horns, hang / hang the nose, stroke / stroke against the grain etc. A significant number of verbal phraseological units are still entrenched in the language in the form of only one type: perfect ( wave your hand, tuck it into your belt, kill two birds with one stone) or imperfect ( lead by the nose, smoke the sky, stand like a mountain(for someone)).
• personalized– are realized in noun phrases ( Indian summer, dark forest, Filkina's letter). In a sentence they can play the role of a nominal predicate - they are used in I.p. or sometimes in the like.
• adverbial– are realized in adverbial combinations ( in all shoulder blades, in all eyes, in one word, in a black body, so-so).
• adjectival – are characterized by the fact that their interpretation requires attributive (adjectival) phrases ( skin and bones= very thin wet behind the ears= too young).
• verbal-nominal predicative - built on the model of a sentence and implemented in verbal-nominal phrases (in fact, sentences where the role of the subject (grammatical or logical) is an indefinite pronoun): my eyes are rolling out of my head who, and a flag in your hands to whom.

Phraseologisms and idioms - is there a difference?

Is it necessary to distinguish between phraseological units and idioms? Idioms- these are speech patterns that cannot be divided into component parts without losing the original meaning and the general meaning of which cannot be deduced from the meanings of the individual words that make up them. We can say that phraseological units and idioms are related as genus and species. That is, a phraseological unit is a broader concept, a special case of which is an idiom.

Idioms are curious because when translated literally into another language, their meaning is lost. An idiom gives a description of phenomena that is logical for speakers of a language, but is based on definitions and metaphors that cannot be understood outside of this language without additional interpretation. For example, in Russian we talk about heavy rain it's raining cats and dogs. In the same case, the British say It’s raining cats and dogs). And, for example, Estonians will say about a heavy downpour that it is pouring like from a beanstalk.

We'll talk about something incomprehensible Chinese letter, but for the Danes it’s “ sounds like the name of a Russian city". The German will say: “I only understood “station”, Pole – “Thank you, everyone is healthy at home.”, the Englishman will use “It’s all Greek to me”.

Or let’s take the famous Russian phraseological unit kick your ass(= to idle, to do nonsense) – it cannot be translated into another language word for word. Because the origin of the expression is associated with phenomena of the past that have no analogues in modern times. “Beating the bucks” means splitting logs into logs for turning spoons and wooden utensils.

Phraseologisms, speech stamps and cliches

Do not confuse phraseological units with speech cliches and cliches. Phraseologisms are a product of metaphorization of language. They enrich speech, make it more expressive and varied, and give figurativeness to the statement. On the contrary, clichés and cliches impoverish speech and reduce it to some hackneyed formulas. Although phraseological units have a stable structure and are reproduced, as a rule, in their entirety, without changes or additions, they liberate thinking and give free rein to the imagination. But clichés and cliches make thinking and speech stereotyped, deprive them of individuality and indicate the poverty of the speaker’s imagination.

For example, expressions black gold(= oil), people in white coats(= doctors), light of the soul– have long been no longer metaphors, but real cliches.

Common mistakes in using phraseological units

Incorrect use of phraseological units leads to speech errors, sometimes simply annoying, and sometimes even comical.

1. Using phraseological units with the wrong meaning. For example, with a literal understanding or distortion of the meaning of a phraseological unit - In the forest, I always use repellents, so a mosquito won't hurt your nose. The meaning of this phraseological unit is “you can’t find fault with anything”; in this case, the phrase was taken too literally and therefore used incorrectly.
2. Distortion of the form of phraseological units.

• Grammatical Distortion - It Works later ive sleeves(Right later I sleeves). His stories for me imposed on teeth(Right imposed V teeth). It is also incorrect to replace short forms of adjectives with full forms in phraseological units.
• Lexical distortion – Shut up mine someone's belt(it is impossible to freely introduce new units into a phraseological unit). Live wide(Right live large leg – you cannot throw out words from a phraseological unit).

Modern phraseological units

Like any lexical units, phraseological units are born, exist for some time, and some of them sooner or later go out of active use. If we talk about the relevance of phraseological units, they can be divided into:

• common;
• obsolete;
• outdated.

The system of phraseological units of the Russian language is not once and for all frozen and unchangeable. New phraseological units inevitably arise in response to the phenomena of modern life. Borrowed as cripples from other languages. And they enrich modern speech with new, relevant metaphors.

Here, for example, are several relatively “fresh” phraseological units that relatively recently (mainly in the 20th century) took root in the Russian language:

On a live thread- to do something not too carefully, temporarily, with the expectation of redoing the work properly in the future, to do it without extra effort. The origin of the phraseology is quite clear: when seamstresses sew pieces of a product together, they first baste them with large stitches so that they just hold together. And then the parts are sewn together carefully and firmly.

Cloudless character– a characteristic for a calm and calm person with a friendly and balanced character, a person without any special flaws and not subject to mood swings. It can also be used not only to describe a person, but also to characterize abstract phenomena (relationships between people, for example).

How to send two bytes- a characteristic for any action that is completely easy to perform.

Speak different languages– not finding mutual understanding.

Make lemonade out of lemons- be able to use even the most unfavorable conditions and circumstances to your advantage and achieve success in this.

Why are synonymous phraseological units needed?

By the way, phraseological units can be both synonyms and antonyms. Having understood what connections exist between phraseological units that are different at first glance, you can better understand their meanings. And also diversify the use of these phrases in speech. Sometimes synonymous phraseological units describe different degrees of manifestation of a phenomenon or its different but similar aspects. Look at these examples of phraseological units:

• They also say about a person who means nothing to society and is nothing of himself. small fry, And the last spoke in the chariot, And low flying bird, And lump out of the blue.
• Antonyms for these phraseological units are the following phrases: important bird, high flying bird, big shot.

Interpretation of phraseological units

We bring to your attention the interpretation and even the history of the origin of some phraseological units. They are part of the active stock of the modern Russian language. And, despite the fact that some are not just tens, but even a couple of hundred years old, they remain popular and are widely used in everyday speech and literature.

Augean stables- this is how they burn about a very dirty place, a neglected and untidy room, things scattered in disarray. It also applies to affairs that have become disordered, unorganized and neglected.

Phraseologism comes from ancient Greek myths. One of the labors of Hercules was cleaning the stables of King Augeas of Elis, which had not been cleaned for 30 years.

Ariadne's thread- a wonderful way to find a way out of a difficult situation.

This phrase also came to us from ancient Greek myths. According to legend, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos, Ariadne, helped the Athenian hero Theseus get out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth, giving him a ball of thread so that he could use a thread fixed at the entrance to the labyrinth to return from the tangled corridors. By the way, if you one day become interested in ancient literature, you will find out that later Ariadne probably regretted that she undertook to help Theseus.

Achilles' heel– the weakest and most vulnerable place, secret weakness.

According to ancient Greek mythology, the hero Achilles was miraculously hardened against any danger. And only one heel remained humanly vulnerable. Achilles subsequently died from a wound inflicted by an arrow in the heel.

lamb in a piece of paper- bribe.

It is believed that phraseological units originated in the 18th century. At that time, there was a magazine called “All sorts of things,” whose editor was Empress Catherine II. The monarch sharply criticized bribery, widespread among officials. And she claimed that the officials, hinting at a bribe, demanded that they bring them “a lamb in a piece of paper.” The turn of phrase was popular with the Russian writer M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, who, as you know, often ridiculed the vices of his contemporary society.

without a hitch, without a hitch- flawlessly, without complications or problems, good and smooth.

A snag used to be called roughness, an unevenness on the surface of a smoothly planed board.

sound the alarm- to attract everyone's attention to something of great social or personal significance, to something dangerous and disturbing.

Alarm - in the Middle Ages and earlier periods of history, to notify people of trouble (fire, invasion of enemies, etc.), an alarm signal was given by ringing bells, less often by beating drums.

swear words(shout) – scream very loudly, at the top of your lungs.

Phraseologism has nothing to do with modern swear words, i.e. mat. From Old Russian, good can be translated as strong, and mat as voice. Those. The expression should be taken literally only if you know what each of its parts means separately.

big boss– an important, respected and significant person in society.

In the old days, heavy loads were floated on rivers using the draft power of people (barge haulers). In the strap, the most experienced, physically strong and resilient person walked in front of everyone, who in the jargon accepted in this environment was called a big shot.

shave forehead- send to military service, to become a soldier.

Before the new regulations on conscription were adopted in 1874, recruits were recruited into the army (usually under duress) for a period of 25 years. While the recruitment process lasted, everyone fit for military service had the front half of their head shaved bald.

Babel- confusion and crowding, disorder.

Biblical legends describe the construction of a grandiose tower reaching to the sky (“pillar of creation”), which was started by the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon and in which many people from different lands took part. As a punishment for this insolence, God created many different languages, so that the builders ceased to understand each other and, in the end, were unable to complete the construction.

St. Bartholomew's night– massacre, genocide and extermination.

On the night of August 24, 1572 in Paris, on the eve of St. Bartholomew's Day, Catholics carried out a massacre of Protestant Huguenots. As a result, several thousand people were physically destroyed and injured (according to some estimates, up to 30 thousand).

Versta Kolomenskaya– a characteristic for a very tall person.

In the past, mileposts marked distances on roads. This particular expression was born from a comparison of tall people with milestones on the road between Moscow and the village of Kolomenskoye (the summer residence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was located there).

hang dogs- to accuse someone, to condemn and blame, to slander and to blame someone else.

By “dog” we do not mean an animal, but an outdated name for thorns and thorns.

to the fullest extent- very fast.

This phrase was born to denote the very fast running of a horse when it gallops “with all its front legs.”

free Cossack– definition for a free and independent person.

In the Moscow state of the 15th-17th centuries, this was the name given to free people from the central regions of the country who fled to the periphery to escape enslavement (i.e., becoming serfs).

newspaper duck– unverified, distorted or completely false information in the media.

There are several versions of the origin of this phraseological unit. This is a popular one among journalists: in the past, newspapers used to put the letters NT next to dubious and unverified reports ( non testatum= "not verified" in Latin). But the fact is that the German word for "duck" ( ente) is consonant with this abbreviation. This is how this expression was born.

highlight of the program- the most important part of the performance, the best and most important number, something very important and significant.

The famous Eiffel Tower was built in Paris specifically for the World Exhibition (1889). To contemporaries of those events, the tower resembled a nail. By the way, it was assumed that 20 years after the exhibition the tower would be dismantled. And only the development of radio broadcasting saved it from destruction - the tower began to be used as a tower for placing radio transmitters. And the expression has since taken root to denote something unusual, noticeable and significant.

pillars of Hercules(pillars) – the highest, extreme degree of something.

It was originally used to describe something very distant, almost “on the edge of the world.” This is what in ancient times they called two rocks located on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar. In those days, people believed that the pillar rocks were installed there by the ancient Greek hero Hercules.

goal like a falcon- a characteristic for a very poor person.

Falcon was the name of an ancient battering gun used during a siege. It looked like an absolutely smooth cast iron block attached to chains.

sword of Damocles– constant threat, danger.

In ancient Greek myths there was a story about the tyrant from Syracuse Dionysius the Elder. He taught one of his close associates, Damocles, a lesson for envy of his position. At the feast, Damocles was seated in a place above which a sharp sword was suspended from a horsehair. The sword symbolized the many dangers that constantly haunt a man of such high position as Dionysius.

the case burned out– i.e. something completed successfully, satisfactorily.

The origin of this phraseological unit is associated with the peculiarities of judicial records management in the past. No charges could be brought against a defendant if his court file was destroyed, for example, by fire. Wooden courts, along with all archives, often burned in the past. And there were also frequent cases when court cases were destroyed deliberately, for bribes to court officials.

reach the handle- to reach the extreme degree of humiliation, extreme need, to completely descend and lose self-respect.

When ancient Russian bakers baked kalachi, they gave them the shape of a padlock with a round shackle. This form had a purely utilitarian purpose. It was convenient to hold the roll by the handle while eating. Apparently, they already knew about the diseases of dirty hands even then, so they disdained eating the handle of the roll. But it could be given to the poor or thrown to a hungry dog. It was possible to go so far as to eat the handle of a roll of bread only in the most extreme cases, in extreme need, or simply without caring at all about one’s health and image in the eyes of others.

bosom friend– the closest and most reliable friend, soul mate.

Before the arrival of Christianity in Rus', it was believed that the human soul was in the throat, “behind the Adam’s apple.” After the adoption of Christianity, they began to believe that the soul is located in the chest. But the designation of the most trusted person, to whom you can even entrust your own life and for whom you will regret it, remained as a “sidekick”, i.e. "soul" friend.

for lentil soup- betray your ideals or supporters for selfish reasons.

According to biblical legend, Esau gave up his birthright to his brother Jacob for just a bowl of lentil stew.

golden mean– an intermediate position, behavior aimed at avoiding extremes and making risky decisions.

This is a tracing paper from the Latin saying of the ancient Roman poet Horace “ aurea mediocritas".

history with geography- a state when things took an unexpected turn that no one expected.

The phraseological unit was born from the outdated name of the school discipline - “history with geography.”

and it's a no brainer– something that should be understandable even to the most incomprehensible, self-evident.

There are two versions of the origin of this phraseological unit. It is also possible that they are both valid and one follows from the other. One by one, a turn of phrase went to the people after a poem by V. Mayakovsky, in which there were the following lines: “It’s clear even to a no brainer / This Petya was a bourgeois.” According to another, the expression took root in boarding schools for gifted children that existed during Soviet times. The letters E, Zh and I denoted classes with students of the same year of study. And the students themselves were called “hedgehogs.” In terms of their knowledge, they lagged behind students from classes A, B, C, D, D. Therefore, what was understandable to a “no brainer” should have been even more understandable to more “advanced” students.

don't wash, just ride– to achieve the desired result in more than one way.

This phraseological unit describes the ancient method of washing adopted in villages. The laundry was rinsed by hand, and then, due to the lack of such benefits of civilization as an iron at that time, they were “rolled out” with a special wooden rolling pin. After this, things became wrung out, especially clean and even practically ironed.

latest Chinese warning– empty threats that do not entail any decisive action.

This phraseological unit was born relatively recently. In the 50s and 60s, US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft often violated Chinese airspace. The Chinese authorities responded to any such border violation (and there were several hundred of them) with an official warning to the US leadership. But no decisive action was taken to stop the reconnaissance flights of American pilots.

quietly- do something secretly and gradually, act on the sly.

Sapa (from it. zappa= “hoe”) - a ditch or tunnel, imperceptibly dug towards the enemy’s fortifications in order to take him by surprise. In the past, in this way they often undermined the walls of enemy fortresses, placing charges of gunpowder in the trenches. Exploding, the bombs destroyed the external walls and opened up the opportunity for the attackers to break through. By the way, the word “sapper” is of the same origin - this is the name given to people who left gunpowder charges in saps.

Conclusion

We hope that we were able to open up for you at least a little the diverse and interesting world of phraseological units. If you continue this journey on your own, many more interesting discoveries await you.

Phraseological units change over time, new phenomena in life lead to the emergence of new phraseological units. If you know any interesting new phraseological units, tell us about it in the comments. We will definitely supplement this article with them and will not forget to thank those who send us new phraseological units.

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The Russian language is so mobile and flexible that it allows you to use many special speech techniques: proverbs, sayings, metaphors and much more. Separately, I would like to talk about what a phraseological unit is.

Phraseologisms are phrases whose meaning can embellish speech and give it a special emotional connotation. A phraseological phrase is indivisible in meaning, that is, it has a common meaning of all the words included in it. Each word separately does not carry such an information load. It is better to consider examples with an explanation of phraseological units.

The horse didn't lie

Ordinary speech would be dry and less emotional if there were no special lexical units in it - phraseological units. For example, you could say, “I felt really angry.” Or you can say it this way: “I was as angry as a dog.” The listener has completely different associative images in his mind. The brain perceives the image of an angry dog ​​instantly, at the level of a reflex. Life experience accumulated in the subconscious takes its toll.

Or this example of a phrase: “I have not yet started doing the intended work.” It sounds much better: “I haven’t had a horse lying around yet.” For a foreigner to understand this is a real headache! What kind of horse and why didn’t he lie down? And a Russian person instantly grasps the essence of the speaker’s problem.

Phraseologism “one foot here - the other - there” very often used in speech. It is literally impossible for a person's feet to be in different places at the same time! But it means that the speaker is already on the way and is rushing very quickly and is about to arrive at the right place.

Interesting observation. Phraseological phrases sometimes reduce the severity of perception of a negative action and enhance the positive.

Whose authorship?

Many people think about origin of set expressions. Phraseologisms have no authors. Or so, the authors are the people. In the process of life and accumulation of experience, people apply their knowledge, transforming it into new forms.

The origin of vivid figures of speech is also associated with literary and historical facts. Everyone has an idea about the exploits of Hercules, and in particular, about one of them - how quickly the strong man was able to clear the stables of King Augeas. The hero showed resourcefulness and quickly dealt with an extremely difficult task. He accomplished the seemingly impossible! So it was customary for the people to say: “I’ll go clean up the Augean stables...” Or: “What a great fellow, he cleaned the Augean stables!”

In addition to the “lying horse”, an interesting phrase is about "buried dog". Example: “So this is where the dog is buried!” This means that a solution has finally been found to a problem or issue that has been nagging for a long time. The topic of the origin of popular expressions with this animal is very popular. There are stories of dogs whose graves served as a kind of memory for their owners (they were lost, and then found).

In Russian speech, everyone who deserves punishment is “poured on the first day.” This came from a school where students were caned. The punishment was effective and the student behaved well until the start of the next month of school (until the 1st).

Let's go through phraseological units

Introducing a small list of figures of speech for reference. They are most often used in relation to a specific person:

Phraseologisms in sentences

There is also many other catchphrases. It's interesting to look at examples.

1. It's time to wash your hands of it. This sentence means that the time has come to step away from the problem, to indicate your non-involvement in it.
2. In life, he liked to “go with the flow.” The hero is passive and lived according to the will of circumstances, without resisting them in any way.
3. My worries are a dime a dozen. There is a lot to do.
4. Relatives came to visit - “the seventh water on jelly.” Here the degree of relationship is very blurred, there is no way to figure out who belongs to whom and by whom.
5. I got married according to the principle “don’t drink water off your face.” This is a sad story, here is an attempt to love the inner world of a person, implying that not everything is in order with his appearance.
6. See you “after the rain on Thursday.” This sentence has the meaning: we will never see each other, and it also shows a disdainful attitude towards the person.
7. In his stories he liked to “build up the atmosphere.” Here we are talking about a person who clearly exaggerates the complexity and horror of events in his narratives, heating up the situation.
8. We left home “without a sip.” The meaning of the phraseological unit: I had to return without earnings, profit or any other result previously planned.

The given examples show how vividly, briefly and succinctly phraseological units can characterize some situations. They also add nuances of sound and semantic accents to speech. Origin may not matter. Moreover, the lexical meaning of phraseological units is integral and is perceived as a short signal of an associative series stored in human memory.

About labor

Let's talk about phraseological units that mention job or profession. People have written a lot of sayings, fables and other lexical forms about work. Let us give examples of phraseological units and their meanings.

Phraseologisms for children

Work and acquaintance with phraseological units starts already at school. Children are taught to understand set expressions and be able to explain them. In their native speech lessons, younger schoolchildren practice constructing statements using phraseological units. In this way, they enrich their vocabulary and vocabulary knowledge. Children learn to explain phraseological units with one short word or related phrase.

Phraseologisms are quite simple to understand and memorize, according to the age of primary school children. Let's look at examples:

• shut your mouth (shut up);
• keep your mouth shut (keep a secret);
• not to believe your ears (to be surprised by what you hear);
• nod off (fall asleep);
• lead by the nose (deceive);
• fly headlong (run quickly) and others.

The use of phraseological units in elementary school contributes to their development “feelings of language”, inherent in the Russian person. Forms imaginative thinking, the speed of creating thought forms. Aphorisms are compiled from pictures or work is done with texts.

In Russian language lessons, students complete written assignments in which they replace phraseological units with one word (insert the missing word).

In literary reading lessons, they learn to compare images of fairy-tale characters with phraseological phrases. For example, Emelya – “laying down and not blowing his head”.

When studying mathematics, they analyze stable phrases: “square head”, “two inches from the pot” and others.

Phraseological units are applicable in various fields of activity, areas of knowledge, and life situations. The main thing is to understand their meaning! A true connoisseur of the Russian language will definitely use catchphrases in his speech, both for his own pleasure (he will create a picture) and for “a catchphrase.”

To understand what a phraseological unit is, you should first look at the “Explanatory Dictionary” by author T.F. Efremova.

A brief definition is given there, describing a phraseological unit as a speech pattern in which the words individually do not carry a semantic load, and cannot be literally translated into another language.

Phraseologisms - what are they?

There are a lot of phraseological units, and therefore it is unlikely to be possible to give a clearer definition than is in the dictionary. First of all, you should understand how tightly these set expressions have entered our speech.

For example, when we praise very tasty food, we say: “You'll lick your fingers!” In reality, of course, no one is going to lick their fingers.

It is worth noting: The most interesting thing is that it is impossible to replace a word in a set expression, because then the semantic meaning of the speech pattern is lost.

For example, in the phraseological unit “the blood in the veins is getting cold”, you should change “in the veins” to “in the veins” or “getting cold” to “cooling down” - and that’s it, there is no more phraseological unit, but there is only a phrase, as they say, from the head.

Also, you should not change words in places, because then the expression “does not sound.”

We can draw the following conclusion about what a phraseological unit means - it is a combination of words that is necessarily related in meaning, which, unlike ordinary phrases with similar meanings, is not constructed in the head before the statement, but is presented in a ready-made form.

Signs of phraseological units

Phraseologisms are not compiled during the presentation of thoughts, but, as already written above, are used in speech in prepared form.

The words that make up such a speech pattern do not have their own semantic independence, but only have a holistic meaning.

For example, a person may not know what an inch is, but he may well say about a short person “two inches from the pot.”

Examples of phraseological units with explanation

“Friend of the Sieve” is a good example of a phraseological unit that is rare in our time, for which there is an interesting explanation. It is known that the most delicious bread was obtained by sifting flour through a sieve, so a good friend with whom it is pleasant to spend time is called a sieve friend.

There is a wonderful expression - “even the sun has spots.” It has a scientific basis. The fact is that the Sun, like other stars of a similar type, sometimes releases a particularly large amount of energy due to the action of electromagnetic storms, and on the surface of the star, in places where heat is released, clumps of matter, in other words, sunspots, form.

Previously, it was believed that there were no spots on the Sun, that it was a pure star, but scientific observations have dispelled this misconception. Now, when they want to say that no one is without shortcomings, they say: don’t be upset, there are spots in the sun too.

Phraseologisms are sometimes born thanks to literature. A striking example is Krylov’s fable “The Dragonfly and the Ant”.

The phrase “The Jumping Dragonfly sang the red summer” has become a catchphrase and is now said to those people who first spend time idle, and then become very indignant that not everything is going well for them.

“Written on the water with a pitchfork” - it’s easy to guess that if you write something on the water, the inscription will instantly disappear. Therefore, this expression is appropriate if you need to talk about the unreliability of someone’s assumptions.

When someone constantly pesters you with the same story or conducts a conversation on the same topic, they say that they “started a fairy tale about a white bull.”

Dictionaries of phraseological units of the Russian language and their meaning

There are enough dictionaries of this type. They began to be published back in the seventies of the last century.

Dictionaries of phraseological units are very interesting and useful to read, or at least sometimes open, because sometimes everyone wants to show off a well-aimed and ironic phrase in a conversation.

There are different types of such dictionaries: some are thick books with short definitions of phraseological units, others are children's books - a combination of explanations given in simple words with pictures. Overall, there is something for everyone.

Phraseologisms and their origin

Phraseologisms are born (although more likely, they were born) mainly due to specific features of social life, for example, the phraseological unit “goal like a falcon” appeared due to the comparison of a smooth battering weapon - a falcon - with an impoverished peasant. Indeed, goal is like a falcon.

Classification and types

There are phraseological units that are identical in meaning to a specific word. They are especially characterized by the continuity of words.

For example, the phraseological unit “beat the buck” can be replaced with the word “idle”. Such phrases are called idioms.

Other phraseological units lend themselves better to semantic decomposition. These include some catch phrases, clichés, used not figuratively, but literally.

You can also separately highlight phraseological units that themselves can replace sentences: “The cat cried for money.”

Why are phraseological units needed in Russian?

Most likely, by the time of reading the article at this point, the reader has already developed an understanding of the importance of phraseological units for everyday speech and the Russian language as a whole.

Idioms make conversation livelier and remarks more colorful. With the help of phraseological units, you can convey more to your interlocutor by saying less than if you used ordinary phrases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to note the non-illusory interest in phraseology among the modern reading public, and this is a good sign. The more expressive the speech of a literate person, the more you want to imitate him.