The meaning of phraseology is the greatest. What do you know about phraseological units? Phraseologisms are stable phrases in a figurative sense

Examples of phraseological turns are often given when a speaker wants to emphasize the richness of the Russian language. The history of many stable verbal constructions goes back centuries. They are easily used in conversation by native speakers, but cause difficulties for foreigners. What do the most popular combinations mean?

Examples of phraseological units with the word “nose”

Combinations in which this word is present are in most cases not related to the organ of smell. Vivid examples of phraseological turns “with a nose” prove this.

"Lead by the nose." This verbal construction, meaning “to deceive,” was added to the Russian language thanks to the inhabitants of Central Asia. Foreigners did not understand why little guys were able to control camels. Children lead these animals along with a rope without encountering resistance. The submissiveness of camels is due to the fact that the rope that is used to control them passes through a ring located in the nose. They did the same with bulls to pacify them.

"Hang your nose." Examples of phraseological units can be continued with this original construction, implying despondency, sadness. The meaning of the phrase will become clearer if we add to it the lost end “on a fifth”. Violinists assigned this name to the highest pitched string of their musical instrument. The nose practically touches it while playing, since the violin is supported by the chin. At the same time, the musician’s head bows, his shoulders drop, creating the illusion of sadness.

Phrases containing the word "language"

More than one phraseological phrase is associated with the name of this organ of the human body. Examples of such constructions can be given for a long time; among the most famous phrases is “tongue without bones.” This characteristic is used to describe a person who talks a lot without thinking about the consequences. The phrase was coined at a time when people were convinced that the tongue was devoid of bones. Consequently, the organ is capable of taking various directions, including unnecessary ones.

Continuing with examples of phraseological turns, we can recall the expression “swallowed the tongue.” This construction implies that the person speaking suddenly falls silent. The history of the phrase has not been established precisely, but it is assumed to be connected with one of the military tricks. Soldiers, when captured, literally swallowed their tongues so as not to reveal important secrets to their opponents under torture. The method was also considered as a means of suicide.

Expressions with the word "tooth"

This word contains many phraseological units of the Russian language. You can start giving examples with the popular phrase “tit for tat.” This statement means that a person who decides to commit a crime should expect appropriate punishment. For example, a knocked out tooth gives the victim the right to do the same with his own offender. The phrases “to have a tooth”, “to sharpen a tooth” have a similar meaning, which indicate deferred revenge, hidden hostility.

There are also more peaceful “dental” phraseological units. Examples and their meaning can be considered based on the expression “to know by heart.” This is what people say who are confident in their knowledge and who are fluent in the topic. The phrase found its way into the Russian language thanks to the tradition of testing coins to their teeth to avoid counterfeiting. They did the same with jewelry.

“Show teeth” is a construction whose meaning is an open threat, a demonstration of hostility. The turnover appeared thanks to the animal world; predators warn in this way about an imminent attack.

Phrases containing the word "money"

Money often becomes the main word with the help of which phraseological turns are built. Examples of such expressions should start with the famous one that “money doesn’t smell.” This truth became known to people thanks to Vespasian, a ruler who reigned in Rome in ancient times. The emperor ordered his son to smell the coins, who was indignant about the new tax on latrines. The king's descendant was forced to admit that money actually has no smell.

Even the absence of the word “money” does not prevent us from associating a phraseological turn with it. Examples of sentences: “goal like a falcon”, “nothing to spare”. Ancient people believed that the soul was located in the human body, occupying a place in the collarbone area. It was near this site that it was previously customary to keep a wallet with money. Consequently, they say “nothing at heart”, wanting to emphasize the lack of financial resources.

Elemental Expressions

Fire, water, air - thanks to the mention of the elements, more than one bright phraseological turn of phrase was born, ingrained in the language. When people use "fire and sword" they describe a ruthless method of violence. The origin of the phrase stems from times when wars were fought with bladed weapons and arson. Often the lands of enemies were set on fire, completely destroyed.

“Wind in the head” is a description applied to a frivolous person living one day at a time. Ancient people believed that the head of a rational individual is a vessel that contains thoughts, while the head of a fool is empty, with only wind inside it.

The characteristic “will not muddy the waters” goes to a person who is credited with decency and modesty. Once upon a time, women washed clothes using river water. Benevolent housewives upstream made efforts not to pollute the river, without interfering with the work of those below. Selfish ladies dipped their dirty hands into the water without worrying about their neighbors.

Phrases about work

A person’s attitude towards work also often made it possible to invent apt phraseological turns. It’s easy to give examples with explanations; just remember the expression “working carelessly.” This is what people say about those who are careless about their work. The history of the phrase goes back to the times when peasants in Rus' wore shirts with long sleeves. Before work, they had to be rolled up so as not to interfere.

When talking about a task that is constantly postponed, it is customary to mention the “long box”. The Russian language owes this phraseology to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who had a box for petitions from the people. The petitions were studied by the boyars, who often detained them and lost them.

“Shabby looking” is a saying that characterizes a person who wears dirty, wrinkled clothes. It appeared thanks to Peter the Great, who entrusted the management of the weaving factory to Ivan Zatrapeznikov. The products produced by the factory were inexpensive coarse fabric.

“Orphan of Kazan” is an expression that arose during the time of Ivan the Terrible. Having captured Kazan, the ruler paid generous compensation to individual residents. However, they often abused benefits, portrayed the poor, and persistently asked for rewards. As a result, the phrase began to be used in relation to those who pretend to be beggars.

Knowing the origin of phraseological units helps to better understand the history of the country.

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 etc.);
high style ( cornerstone, rest in God 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 etc.);
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 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 etc.);
accepted in everyday life stable names, which do not belong to any terminological system ( Indian summer, goat leg etc.);
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; All ages are submissive to love; 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/pat against the grain etc. A significant number of verbal phraseological units have nevertheless become 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 the shoulder blades, in all the 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 has 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 pouring like crazy. In the same case, the British say It’s raining cats and dogs). And, for example, Estonians will say about heavy rain that it’s 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.

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.
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).

Violation of lexical compatibility. He never had his own opinion - he always repeated after everyone and sang to someone else's tune(in fact, there are phraseological units dance to someone else's tune And sing from someone else's voice).

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 twentieth 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”, the editor of which 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 shot– 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 hardy man 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 quickly.

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 the 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, they often dug under the walls of enemy fortresses in this way, 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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Stable combinations have existed in the history of language for a long time. Already in the eighteenth century, examples of phraseological units with explanations could be found in collections of idioms, catchphrases, aphorisms, and proverbs, although the lexical composition of the language had not yet been studied so closely. And only with the arrival of V.V. Vinogradov in science, a basis for the comprehensive study of set phrases appeared. It was he who laid the foundation for the development of phraseology and called it a linguistic discipline.

The famous linguist N.M. Shansky presented phraseological units as a fixed unit of language, reproduced in finished form and having two or more stressed components of a verbal nature. In addition to lexical indivisibility, phraseological units also have a lexical meaning and are often synonyms of words. As an example: “the right hand is a helper”, “bite your tongue - shut up”.

The use of phraseological units in Russian, examples with explanation

We use various phraseological units in our native speech unnoticed by ourselves, due to the fact that they have become familiar since childhood. The most famous ones came to us from fairy tales, epics, folk legends, and some from foreign languages. Original Russians include unique combinations that are found only in our native language and reflect Russian life, traditions and culture. Let's try to understand the meaning with the following example and explanation. Bread was considered the main product in Rus' - it managed to become a symbol of prosperity and good earnings. Therefore, phraseological units: “to take bread from someone” or “to eat bread for nothing” are understandable only to Russian people.

Metamorphicity and imagery are the main criteria of Russian phraseological units. It is the nationality inherent in the native language that allows you to understand stable phrases not at the level of speech, but at the level of the language model that you absorb with your mother’s milk. Even outdated phrases, the meaning of which has been forgotten, become understandable and close to us thanks to their imagery. Below we will look at common examples of phraseological units with explanations and their meaning.

Book and literary

The scope of use of literary speech is much narrower than that of colloquial or interstyle speech. Book phraseological units are used mainly in written sources and add a certain shade of solemnity, elation, and formality to the action. Examples, explanations and meaning of book phraseological units are below:

- do not allow the matter to proceed; postpone it for an indefinite period. Cloth refers to the woolen fabric that used to cover a desk. If any paper or folder went under the cloth, it means it remained unsigned and did not go into work.
"Raise on shield"- that is, to show honor, to speak with praise about someone. As an example, in the old days, winners were literally lifted onto a shield and carried high so that everyone could see and thank them.
“Write - it’s gone.” This is what they say about something that is obviously impossible to do due to the lack of certain conditions. In the nineteenth century, officials wrote down items in the expense book about the receipt and consumption of goods. The embezzlers usually ordered their clerk to make a note about the loss of goods with the words “Write - it’s gone.” At the same time, they took credit for the loss itself.
“Was there a boy?”- in this way extreme doubt about something is now expressed. The phraseological unit came from M. Gorky’s novel “The Life of Klim Smagin,” which describes the scene of children skating. When the guys fall under the water, Klim is the first to save the girl. Then he throws his belt to the boy, but, fearing that he himself might drown, he lets him go. While searching for a drowned child, Klim hears a voice saying the phrase: “Was there a boy, maybe there wasn’t a boy?”
"The Muslin Young Lady"- this is how they speak disparagingly about a pampered girl who is absolutely not adapted to life. The passage is taken from N. G. Pomyalovsky’s story “Pittish Happiness.”
"Bear Corner"- remote settlement, outback. The expression was first used by P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky in his novel of the same name about one of the distant towns of Russia.
"Hit a nerve"- another book phraseological unit, the history of which goes back to the times when slaves were branded. Cauterization caused extreme pain, especially when touching the healing wound. This turn of phrase becomes relevant when the conversation touches on topics that cause mental anguish in the interlocutor.
"Scapegoat"- the one on whom responsibility for someone else’s guilt is shifted. The phrase refers to literary phraseological units and has ancient origins. The biblical tradition speaks of the rite of absolution. The priest laid his hand on an ordinary goat, as if transferring sins from a person to an animal, which was later expelled into the desert.
"Like water off a duck's back"- it doesn’t matter. The goose's plumage is covered with a special lubricant that prevents the bird from getting wet. Water does not wet a goose's wings. Thanks to this fat, it remains dry.

Examples of colloquial and borrowed phraseological units

Colloquial phraseological units are firmly entrenched in our speech. They are convenient to convey a thought to the interlocutor, especially when ordinary words are not enough to convey the emotional coloring of the phrase. Borrowed phraseological units are calques and semi-calques taken from other languages by literal translation of sayings. There are phraseological units that simply correlate in meaning with set expressions in other languages. Their examples: “white crow” sounds like “rare bird” in English, and the expression “hanging by a thread” is replaced by the combination “hanging by a thread.” Other examples of phraseological units with explanations and meaning:

"First among equals"- that is, the best or leading. Borrowed from the Latin “Primus inter pare”, which is literally translated. Emperor Augustus held this title even before accepting his high title. In this way his prestige was maintained.
“A good (cheerful) face for a bad game”- that is, hide your experiences and failures behind an external calm appearance. Moreover, “mine” is literally translated from the old Breton language as “facial expression”.
“What is allowed to Jupiter is not allowed to the bull.” The phrase was first uttered by Publius Terence Afr. It is used when it is necessary to stop unfounded claims by indicating to the disputant his inferior place.
"Eat a peck of salt"- a common colloquial phraseological unit. This is an example of a long life together. In the system of measures, a pound is equivalent to 16 kg. To consume such an amount of salt, you need to live together for a huge period of time, during which people learn almost everything about each other.
“There is nothing behind the soul”- this is how it is customary to talk about a poor person. According to popular belief, the human soul was located in the dimple in the neck. In the old days, it was customary to store money and jewelry there. If there was nothing to hide in the dimple, then it was believed that there was nothing “behind the soul.”
- that is, have a light snack. The expression is a tracing-paper from the French “tuer le ver”, which has a literal translation - “drink a glass of alcohol on an empty stomach.” It was assumed that alcohol, taken with a minimal snack, destroyed helminths in the body.
“The reins have fallen by the wayside”- a colloquial phraseological unit denoting the reckless actions of someone. The expression was once used in the literal sense, and not figuratively, in relation to horses, in which the rein that fell under the tail caused pain and forced them to perform thoughtless actions.
"Hack on the nose"- remember once and for all. In former times, illiterate people carried tablets with them everywhere, on which they wrote notes for memory with notches. The “nose” in this case is not an organ of smell, but a wearable thing.

Medical and other professional expressions with explanation

Some phraseological units are taken from the oral speech of people of various professions. These include the following sentences with phraseological units:

"The Shoemaker's Breast"- a medical term that has its own meaning and explanation. This is what is called a funnel-shaped chest. Due to their professional activities, the lower part of the sternum of shoemakers is pressed inward, due to which the volume of the chest is significantly reduced.
- this is what they say about unproductive work. As an example: in the old days, the pharmacist wrote exactly this recipe directly on the bottles of medicine. This meant that treatment should be carried out slowly in order to respond in time to the appearance of allergic manifestations. If for a patient this approach is completely justified, then for a working person it is an indicator of laziness and indecisiveness.
"Spell your teeth"- distract from the pressing problem with extraneous conversations. Unlike dentists, healers can use spells to temporarily eliminate pain. However, they do not treat the teeth themselves and the problem remains unresolved.
"Sit in the liver"- get bored, poison life. In Ancient Rus', the liver was considered the reservoir of human vitality. It was believed that a person who interferes with life takes away free energy, which means he sits in the liver and directly draws other people’s strength from there.
"With bated breath"- that is, carefully, not missing even the little things. In medicine, to clear the chest for a correct diagnosis, you need to hold your breath for several minutes. It is believed that a person who holds his breath will get the highest quality result.
"Rolling up my sleeves"- act diligently and energetically, without sparing your own strength. If you remember, in the old days it was customary to wear clothes with long sleeves - for some the length reached 95 cm. It was impossible to work in such clothes. To do anything useful, you first had to roll up your sleeves, after which things progressed much faster.
"Through the Sleeves"- lazy, slow, without proper enthusiasm. This phraseological unit exists in contrast to the previous one and has a similar explanation. That is, the lowered long sleeves did not allow the work to be done properly.
“Wait by the sea for weather”- do nothing, expect the situation to resolve itself. This term comes from the speech of sailors who, before going out to fish, always monitored the weather and waited for a favorable period so as not to get caught in a storm.

Stable and neutral phrases and their meaning

In contrast to colloquial expressions, which are more figurative, phrases that do not have an emotional connotation are considered neutral. Examples of such phraseological units with explanations and their meaning:

“He can’t find a place for himself”- that is, he is worried. This is what they say about a person who is in a state of strong concern about someone.
"Without straightening your back"- means working hard and persistently. This is what they said about the plowmen who worked in the fields from morning to night.
- torment you with requests and conversations about the same thing.
"Losing spirit"- completely lose faith in your own abilities.
"Looking at the night"- that is, before dark, when public transport no longer runs and the risk of becoming a victim of bad circumstances increases. In addition, there are many examples that a person will not have time to do anything significant late in the evening, since the body’s daytime resources have been exhausted.
"Stay with your nose" or fail. Examples of using the expression: when someone allows themselves to be fooled and does not get what they expected. In the old days, the word “nose” meant a bow with an offering. “Nose” - that is, “brought.” The rich usually came to the officials with money, the poor brought a pig, chicken, and eggs. In exchange for offerings, clerks made decisions in favor of the one bringing the gifts. A bad sign was that an official would not accept his “nose” if he was too modest. At the same time, the person asking remained with his gift, that is, “without his nose” and did not receive what he wanted.
"Wash the Bones"- that is, to gossip, slander, analyze the actions of another person. It was once believed that a sinner under a curse could emerge from the grave as a ghoul. To free him from the spell, it was necessary to dig up the grave and wash the bones with clean water.

In the examples given above, we see that the appropriate use of phraseological units saturates our speech and allows us to make communication emotionally rich and interesting. Sentences with phraseological units add “zest” to the conversation and are perceived by everyone as a completely natural element of speech, enhancing its meaning.

Phraseology is a branch of the science of language that studies stable combinations of words. Phraseologism is a stable combination of words, or a stable expression. Used to name objects, signs, actions. It is an expression that arose once, became popular and became entrenched in people's speech. The expression is endowed with imagery and may have a figurative meaning. Over time, an expression can take on a broad meaning in everyday life, partially including the original meaning or completely excluding it.

The phraseological unit as a whole has lexical meaning. The words included in a phraseological unit individually do not convey the meaning of the entire expression. Phraseologisms can be synonymous (at the end of the world, where the raven did not bring bones) and antonymous (raise to heaven - trample into the dirt). A phraseological unit in a sentence is one member of the sentence. Phraseologisms reflect a person and his activities: work (golden hands, playing the fool), relationships in society (bosom friend, putting a spoke in the wheels), personal qualities (turning up your nose, sour face), etc. Phraseologisms make a statement expressive and create imagery. Set expressions are used in works of art, journalism, and everyday speech. Set expressions are also called idioms. There are many idioms in other languages - English, Japanese, Chinese, French.

To clearly see the use of phraseological units, refer to their list or on the page below.

The Russian language is one of the most beautiful and rich languages in the world. Over the long history of its formation, it has undergone many transformations, changes and has been imbued with various vocabulary expressions that help make the conversation clearer and understandable, or figurative and tortuous, and sentences more elegant.

One of these vocabulary phrases in sentences of the Russian language is rightfully considered to be considered in the article. These are proverbs and sayings, carefully collected over the centuries by our ancestors. They make the dialogue between people more rich, beautiful, and similar to literary language.

It is incredibly interesting to find the meanings of certain types of phraseological units. You can spend your whole life studying this direction in the Russian language. Let's try to answer the question of how and when it is appropriate to use phraseological units in a conversation.

What is a phraseological unit

A phraseological unit is a stable phrase, which in most cases has its own meaning in a sentence only in an established, generally accepted form, and nothing more. For example, “to run away with your heels sparkling” cannot be pronounced as “to run away with your heels sparkling”, or you can’t say “to take care of it like the pupil of your eye,” instead of “to take care of it like the apple of your eye.”

But there are exceptions, when changing the order of words in some types of phraseological units is often considered normal. That is, a number of phrases do not change their meaning when words are rearranged. Thus, “to beat the thumbs” and “to beat the thumbs” or “to carry water in a sieve” and “to carry water in a sieve” are phraseological units that do not change due to the rearrangement of words in them.

The history of the birth of proverbs

Many words in the Russian language have long been outdated and have lost their true meaning, but they are still present in stable expressions.

Consider an example like "Hack on the nose"(remember something very well). If you think about the meaning of this phrase, it seems quite cruel, but in fact the history of this expression is hidden in the centuries. Many centuries ago, illiterate people carried tablets with them, on which they made notches in order to remember upcoming events or necessary facts. That is, notching on the nose used to be literally a synonym for the word “write down.”

Or phraseological unit "lead by the nose"(deception is very skillful, so that the victim does not notice it at all). Why did they start talking like that? It's simple. Haven't you noticed how huge camels obediently wander behind their owner without even trying to run away or somehow lean on them? The reason for this is far from animal obedience, but a ring threaded through the nose, to which a rope is attached, which is in the hands of the animal’s owner. Therefore, the expression “being led by the nose” acquired its meaning.

And also an interesting story with phraseology "hang your nose". Nowadays the full version of the proverb is rarely used, which sounds like “hang your nose on a fifth.” Strange as it may be, this phrase originates from musical professionalism, or rather, from violinists. When a person plays the violin, he clamps his head on the instrument so that his nose almost touches the top string, which is called the fifth.

General meaning of set phrases

Most groups of phraseological units in the Russian language have something in common with each other. Therefore, if you look closely, you can notice a pattern in the use, for example, of one or another part of the human body in phraseological usage. Let's try to understand this issue in more detail and understand the meaning of some proverbs. So.

Nose in phraseological units

On the human face, the nose serves as the organ of smell, that is, the perception of smells. In stable phrases called phraseological units, this part of the body is a symbol of something nearby, located at a very short distance from a person. Here are some variations use of nose meanings in proverbs:

Interesting fact. The nose is considered a symbol of something very close, not only in proverbs. Let's take, for example, the fairy tale about Kolobok. How did the cunning fox force her prey to come dangerously close? That's right, she asked Kolobok to come closer and sit on her nose.

Perhaps such meanings are due to the fact that on the human face the nose comes forward most of all, but at the same time it is still close to the rest of the face.

Mouth and lips

Mostly mouth in proverbs has the same functions as on the human face - talking and eating. Lips, in turn, often express emotions and desires, which is quite natural, because, from the point of view of psychology, it is this part of the human face that is most involved in human facial expressions. By the way, there are not so many groups of stable expressions in which lips are used.

Take water into your mouth and suddenly shut up;
To pout your lips is to be offended;
Lip is not a fool - a person knows how to choose the best or has inflated desires;
There is porridge in the mouth - the person speaks indistinctly;
Do not take it into your mouth - very tasteless, unpleasant food;
There was no poppy dew in the mouth - the person was hungry;
The mouth is full of trouble - there is a lot to do, the person is very busy;
To open your mouth is to be very surprised.

Ears

Ears appear in proverbs as organs of hearing, but also they have one feature- they are quite difficult to see without using foreign objects with a mirror surface, and, naturally, this meaning of the symbol could not be ignored.

Teeth in proverbs

Teeth are mostly used in set phrases as protection against something. And also in proverbs, teeth symbolize smile and laughter.

Armed to the teeth - a dangerous opponent, who is very difficult to defeat due to his good preparation;
To give a tooth - to laugh or mock someone;
To bare your teeth means it is unpleasant to laugh, to mock;
Give it a try - get to know it better, study it well;
Show teeth - show readiness for hostility and hostility;
To sharpen/to have a tooth - to dislike, to have hostility towards someone.

Thus, we can conclude that phraseological units are phrases that make conversation more rich and varied. They decorate our speech and help to express and define the emotions that flow like a waterfall within us. So do we have the right, having such linguistic wealth, to use slang words that make our speech less pleasant and our souls more callous? One can only hope that everyone can find the answer to this question for themselves.