Ancient words that are no longer used. Old Russian words and their meanings. Examples of Old Russian words

Explanatory dictionary of ancient Russian words A Alatyr - Center of Space. Center of Microcosmos (Human). That around which the cycle of Life takes place. Translation options: ala - motley (snow-covered), tyr<тур>- peak, staff or pillar with a pommel, sacred tree, mountain, “towering” Variations: Latyr, Altyr, Zlatyr, Zlatar Constant epithet - “bel combustible (hot, sparkling)” - (bel - “brilliant”). In Russian texts, golden, zlat, smooth, and iron stones are found. Latyr-stone is the center of coordinates of the world and man in Slavic mythology. Alpha and Omega. That from which everything begins and where it returns (locus). More precisely, the meaning and significance of the words are conveyed in epics... Alkonost - from the ancient Russian saying “alkyon is (bird)”, from the Greek alkyon - kingfisher (Greek myth about Alkyon, transformed by the gods into a kingfisher). She is depicted in popular prints as a half-woman, half-bird with large multi-colored feathers and a girl’s head, overshadowed by a crown and a halo. In his hands he holds paradise flowers and an unfolded scroll with a saying about reward in paradise for a righteous life on earth. Unlike the bird Sirin, she was always depicted with hands. Alkonost, like the Sirin bird, captivates people with its singing. The legends speak about the days of alkonost - seven days when Alkonost lays eggs in the depths of the sea and hatches them, sitting on the surface of the water and pacifying storms. Alkonost is perceived as a “manifestation of divine providence” and serves as a designation of the divine word. B Basa - beauty, decoration, panache. Batog is a stick. To babble, to babble - to speak, to say. Pregnancy is a burden, an armful, as much as you can wrap your arms around. Boyars are rich and noble people, close associates of the king. Scolding is a battle; A battlefield is a battlefield. We are brothers and sisters. Armor - clothing made of metal plates or rings; protected the warrior from the blows of a sword and spear. Britous - the Old Believers called it that way for those who were shaven and without a beard. Damask steel was a specially made steel. Weapons made from this steel were also called damask steel. To get rich - to get rich, to increase wealth. The story is a true story. Bylina is a Russian folk epic (full of greatness and heroism) song - a legend about heroes. V To get acquainted - to get to know each other, to communicate, to be friends, to make acquaintances. To know - to know. Vereya - a pillar on which the gate was hung. Nativity scene - cave, dungeon. To make a noise is to make a noise. To make noise (to make noise) "Don't goldie!" = don't make noise! Golk = noise, hum,< гулкий >echo. Frantic - having lost all sense of proportion. Knight - a brave warrior, a hero. Lightweight - easy, free, without much difficulty, safe. To endure - to withstand, endure, endure. G Garnets - an ancient measure of bulk solids, bread (~ 3 liters) Goy thou art (from the word goit - to heal, to live; goy - peace< , в его развитии, в движении и обновлении >, abundance) - magnification, a wish for health, corresponding in meaning to today: “Be healthy! Hello!” You are good = you are healthy<есть>"Goy" is a Russian wish for health, good luck and prosperity, a kind word. Options: “Goy este” - be healthy, in the meaning of greeting, wishing the interlocutor health and goodness. “Oh, you” is a greeting with many meanings, depending on the intonation of the speaker. Gorazd - knows how, skillful Gornitsa - that’s how, in the old fashioned way, they called the upper room with large windows. A threshing floor, gumentse is a place where they thresh, and also a shed for storing sheaves. D Just now (before the moment of conversation) A shower warmer is a warm short jacket or quilted jacket without sleeves, with ruching at the back. Dereza is a thorny shrub, a "scraper". In an ancient way - in the old way Dremuchy - “dense forest” - dark, dense, impenetrable; illiterate person Ye Yelan, elanka - a grassy clearing in the forest Endova - a wide vessel with a spout. Food - food, food. Zhaleika - a pipe made of willow bark. Jug - a jug with a lid. The belly is life. Belly - estate, wealth, livestock Z Zavse<гда>- constantly. To begin to fast - to begin to fast, to fast. The outpost is a fence made of logs, a control point at the entrance, and an eminent one is a rich, noble monk - in the church. “he was tonsured a monk, then ordained a deacon...” A hut is a house, a warm room. The name “izba” comes from the word “to heat” (the original version is “istoka” /from a birch bark letter, XIV century - Novgorod, Dmitrievskaya street, excavations/). House = "smoke" from a chimney. K Kalinovy ​​(about fire) - bright, hot. Hag - crow. A tub is a cylindrical container (barrel), assembled from wooden rivets (planks) held together with metal hoops. Killer whale / killer whale - affectionate address. The original meaning is “having beautiful braids.” Kichka, kika is an ancient women's headdress that decorates the appearance and gives one a look. Klet - closet, separate room The cell in the ancient Russian house was called a cold room, and the hut was a warm one. Podklet - the lower cold floor of Klyuk's house - a stick with a curved upper end. Knysh is bread baked from wheat flour and eaten hot. Kokora, kokorina - snag, stump. Kolymaga is an ancient decorated carriage in which noble people rode. Kolyada is a Christmas song in honor of the owners of the house; for carols they gave a gift. Carol is a Christmas song sung on Christmas Eve and the first day of Christmastide by rural youth. Ancient carols are characterized by elements - openings and conclusions from the kondachka - without preparation. Origin (variant): the original word is Kondakia (kondakia, kontakia) - a stick (diminutive of “spear”) on which a scroll of parchment was wound. A parchment sheet or scroll itself, written on both sides, was also called kandak. Subsequently, the word K. began to denote a special group of church chants, in the middle of the first millennium - long ones (hymns, poems), modern ones - small ones (one or two stanzas, as part of a canon) Box, boxes - a large bast box or box in which they were stored miscellaneous goodness. Kochet, Kochet - rooster. To bow - to be baptized, to make the sign of the cross. "Wake up!" - come to your senses! A mound is a high earthen mound that the ancient Slavs built over a grave. Kut, kutnichek - a corner in a hut, a counter, a stall in which chickens were kept in winter. Kutya - a steep, sweet barley, wheat or rice porridge with raisins. The circle-amulet - developed from a circular walk around the area where they were going to spend the night or settle for a long time; such a walk was necessary to ensure that there were no dens of predators or snakes. The idea of ​​a circle served as an image<своего> peace. L Lada! - expression of consent, approval. Fine! other Russian Okay - the word has many meanings depending on intonation. Plate is iron or steel armor worn by warriors. M Poppy - top of the head. Matitsa - middle ceiling beam. The world is a peasant community. N Nadezha-warrior is an experienced, reliable, strong, skillful fighter. Nadys - recently, the other day. Invoice - interest. “It won’t be expensive” - inexpensive, profitable Instead - instead. I called myself - I called myself; name - give a name, name. A week is a day when “they don’t do it” – a day of rest. In the pre-Christian period in Rus', Saturday and Sunday were called pre-weekend and week (or week), respectively. Arrears - taxes not paid on time or quitrent Nikola - never. O Frill - a tie at the bast shoe. Abundance - a lot of something. This is how the bread Obrok was called in Novgorod - a tribute to get well - to come to consciousness, to recover. Besides, besides - except. Yell - plow. Ostatniy - the last Osmushka - eighth (eighth) part = 1/8 - “octam of tea” (~ 40 or 50 grams) Oprich - except (“besides”) P Club - a club with a bound knob. Parun - a hot day after rain. Sailboat - sailor's clothing. Brocade is silk fabric woven with gold or silver. More - "more", "all the more so... = all the more so..." Veil - something that covers on all sides (fabric, fog, etc.) Blame - reproach, reproach. Finger - finger. Polati is a plank platform for sleeping, located under the ceiling. Spelled is a special variety of wheat. To please is to be overzealous; eat a lot. Posad is a village where traders and artisans lived. Throne - a throne, a special chair on a dais on which the king sat on special occasions. Prisno is an old, high-style word that means - always, forever and ever. Printed gingerbread - a gingerbread with an imprinted (printed) pattern or letters. Pudovka is a pood measure of weight. Pushcha is a protected, impenetrable forest. You need to think about it - think, figure out, think about this matter, discuss something with someone; to understand - to understand, to think, to reason about something. Sexual (color) - light yellow Midday - southern R. Military - military. Rat is an army. Thrifty - diligent, diligent Rushnik - embroidered towel. To agree - to come to an agreement, to come to an agreement. Unbelt - walk without a belt, lose all shame Rivers (verb) - say Repishche - vegetable garden Rubishche - torn, worn-out clothes S Svetlitsa (Push.) - bright, clean room. Scythian = monastery (initial) - from the words “to wander”, “wandering”, therefore, “Scythians-monasteries” - “wanderers” (“nomads”? ). New meaning - monastic hermitage "Good Riddance" - original meaning... Yablochny Spas Sloboda is a village near the city, a suburb. Nightingales are yellowish-white horses. Sorokovka is a barrel for forty buckets. Sorochin, Sarachin - Saracen, Arabian rider. The clothes are decent - that is, not bad. An oxbow is an old (or dried up) river bed. A pillar noblewoman is a noblewoman of an old and noble family. Adversary - adversary, enemy. with a flourish - at times, inadequately. Antimony - painted black. Leaf - covered with a thin film of gold, silver, copper or tin. Gilded Sousek, bin<а>- a place where flour and grain are stored. To be full - food, food. Week - week T Terem - tall houses with a turret at the top. Tims - shoes made of goatskin. They were highly valued and sold in yuftas, that is, in pairs. Later they began to be called “morocco” (Persian word) Either here<тута>, and there... - words from a modern song about the difficulty of learning the Russian language. Gait of three crosses - super-fast execution of any order: one cross on packages with reports - the usual speed of horse delivery is 8-10 km/h, two - up to 12 km/h, three - the maximum possible. Oatmeal is crushed (unground) oatmeal. To skinny - to spend U Udel - possession, principality, fate Uval... - Ural (?) - Khural (belt, Turkic) ... Russia, belted by the Urals, stands by Siberia... F Enamel - enamel in painting metal products and the products themselves Fita - a letter of the old Russian alphabet (in the words “Fedot”, “incense”) Foot - an ancient measure of length equal to 30.48 cm X Chiton - underwear made of linen or woolen fabric in the form of a shirt, usually without sleeves. It is fastened on the shoulders with special fasteners or ties, and tied with a belt at the waist. Chiton was worn by both men and women. Khmara - cloud Pyarun - thunder T Tsatra (chatra, chator) - fabric made of goat down (undercoat) or wool. Tselkovy is the colloquial name for the metal ruble. Ch Chelo - forehead, in modern terms. In the old days, the forehead is the top of the head. Child is a son or daughter under 12 years old. To expect - to expect, to hope. Chapyzhnik - thickets<колючего> bush. Chebotar - shoemaker, shoemaker. Chobots - high closed shoes, men's and women's, boots or shoes with sharp, turned-up toes; roan horse - motley, with white splashes on gray (and other, main) wool or a different color mane and tail. Servants - servants in the house. Scarlet - red Brow - a person's forehead, a vaulted hole in a Russian stove, the entrance hole of a den. Chetami - in pairs, in pairs. Cheta - a pair, two objects or persons Quarter - a fourth part of something Black (clothing) - rough, everyday, working. Chick - hit Cast iron - railway. Sh Shelom - a helmet, a pointed iron cap for protection from sword strikes. Shlyk - jester's hat, cap, bonnet. Shtof - glass bottle 1.23 liters (1/10 of a bucket) Shtof generosity - generosity. A man with a big heart, showing a noble breadth of soul E Yu Yushka - fish soup or thin soup. St. George's Day (November 26) is a period determined by law when in Muscovite Rus' a peasant who settled on the master's land and entered into a "decent agreement" with the owner had the right to leave the owner, having first fulfilled all his obligations towards him. This was the only time of the year, after the end of autumn work (the week before and after November 26), when dependent peasants could pass from one owner to another. I am the Paradise Egg - the lucky egg, the magic egg. Dishes - food, food, food. Yarilo - the ancient name of the Sun Yasen stump - meaning: "Naturally! Well, of course!" In this form, the expression appeared relatively recently, Yakhont - Old Russian. name certain precious stones, most often ruby ​​(dark red corundum), less often sapphire (blue), etc. Old Slavic names of peoples Svei - Swedes Poles - Poles Ugric group - Ostyaks, Voguls, Volga-Bulgarian Magyars - Cheremis, Permian Mordovians - Permyaks, Zyryans, Votyaks midday - southern Fryazhsky - Italian. "Fryazhsky" writing is a type of painting, as a result of the transition from icon painting to natural painting, at the end of the 17th century. Germans are those who speak incomprehensibly (mute). Dutch - from the territory where the Kingdom of the Netherlands is now located. sorochinin - Arabic languages ​​- peoples (common name) Man Brow - forehead Right hand - on the right hand or side Oshuyu - on the left hand or side. Shuiy is the left one. Shuitsa - left hand. Right hand and Shuytsa - right and left hand, right and left side (“standing at the right and left at the entrance...”) Colors “red sun”, “red maiden” - beautiful, bright “red corner” - main red color - amulet The connection of weaving with cosmological motifs Wicker and weaving in weaving appears as a form of modeling the world. If the thread is fate, the path of life; that canvas, constantly produced and reproduced, is the whole World. Ritual towels (towels, the length of which is 10-15 times greater than the width) and square scarves with an ornament in the form of a model (mandala) of the Universe. Ancient Slavic writing (“Russian writing”, before the beginning of the second millennium AD) - Slavic Runes and “Knot writing” In folk tales, a knotted ball of guide is often found, indicating the Path. Unwinding and reading it, the person learned the clues - where to go and what to do, read words, images and numbers. Nodular (nodular-linear) Elm was wound, for storage, into book-balls (or on a special wooden stick - Ust; hence the teachings from the elders - “Wind it around your mustache”) and put away in a box-box (from where the concept “Speak to three” came from box"). Attaching the thread to the mouth (the center of the ball) was considered the beginning of recording. Many letters-symbols of the ancient Glagolitic alphabet are a stylized display of a two-dimensional projection onto Knotty Elm paper. Initial letters (capital letters of ancient texts in Cyrillic) - usually depicted in the form of a Knitting pattern. Looping techniques were also used to transmit and store information and to create protective amulets and amulets (including braiding hair). Examples of words and phrases that mention sciences: “to tie a knot as a keepsake”, “ties of friendship/marriage”, “the intricacy of the plot”, “to tie” (stop), union (from souz<ы>), "runs like a red thread (Alya) through the entire narrative." “Characters and Cuts” is a “birch bark letter” (a simplified version of Slavic runes), widely used for everyday records and short messages between people. Slavic Runes are sacred symbols, each of which conveys a phonetic meaning (the sound of a sign of the runic alphabet), a meaning-image (for example, the letter “D” meant “good”, “well-being”< дары Богов, "хлеб насущный" >, Tree< в узелковом письме может соответствовать перевёрнутой петле "коровья" (схватывающий узел) / Дерево >and belt buckle) and numerical correspondence. To encrypt or shorten the recording, knitted runes were used (combined, intertwined, built into a pictorial ornament). Monogram, letter monogram - a combination of the initial letters of a name and/or surname into one image, usually intertwined and forming a patterned script. Dwelling The main pillar in the house is the central one, supporting the hut. Community Ordinary objects are common (that is, no one's; belonging to everyone and no one in particular) things that are important to everyone to the same extent, with common rituals. Belief in the purity (whole, healthy) and holiness of common ritual meals, brotherhoods, joint prayers, and donations. An ordinary object is clean, new, it has the enormous power of a whole, untouched thing. The main elements of Slavic mythology are Latyr-stone, Alatyr is the center of coordinates of the world and man in Slavic mythology. Alpha and Omega (the original singular Point of growth and the final volumetric World< всё наше Мироздание, есть и другие, но очень далеко, со всех сторон >in the form of an almost endless ball). That from which everything begins and where it returns (point, locus). Miraculous stone (in Russian folk beliefs). in epics... Alatyr - Centers of the Cosmos (Universe) and Microcosmos (Human). Fractal Growth Point, three-dimensional< / многомерная >line of singularity ("Staircase" connecting the worlds), a fabulous "magic wand" / wand / staff with a pommel or a stationary Magic Altar. That from which Existence begins and returns, around which the cycle of Life occurs (the axis point). Russian letter A, Greek - “Alpha”. The symbol of the Ladder is prayer beads (“ladder” = ladder connecting the top and bottom of the Universe) / “ladder”). In the temple there is a lectern (a high table, in the center, for icons and liturgical books). Translation options: ala - motley, tyr<тур>- a peak, a pillar or a staff with a triple pommel, a fabulous “magic wand”, a scepter, a sacred tree or mountain, the trunk of the World Tree, “towering” Options - Latyr, Altyr, Zlatyr, Zlatar, Alva Constant epithet - “white flammable (burning = glowing, hot, sparkling)" - (white - dazzlingly brilliant). In Russian texts there is gold, zlat (amber?), smooth (polished by the hands of those praying), iron (if a meteorite or fossil magnetic ore) stone. Merkaba is a star tetrahedron, a closed volume of an energy-informational crystal-chariot for the ascension of the Spirit, Soul and body of Man. "First Stone"< Краеугольный, Замковый >- the initial, axial point of any creation. “The navel of the Earth” is the energy center of the planet, in which, according to legend, there is always a crystal (“unearthly Jewel”), the magical Alatyr< подземный Китеж-Град, Ковчег, неземной Храм >. Folk tales place it in various points on Earth, usually in real energy centers / nodes (places of Power), such as in the vicinity of the village of Okunevo, on the Tara River, in Western Siberia. The stories about these lands, at first glance, are unrealistically fabulous, but modern scientists still cannot really explain all the anomalies and miracles that occur in such areas, on the lakes there. There is information in the open press that Helen and Nicholas Roerich, in the twenties of the last century, traveling through Russia, took with them an ancient box with an unusual stone inside (? -<Ш>Chintamani, Lapis Exilis, "wandering in the world", part of the Holy Grail/Wisdom Stone, in the ark-casket), sent to him by the Mahatma. It is no coincidence that this box is shown in the famous painting “Portrait of N.K. Roerich”, painted by his son, Svyatoslav Roerich. The main part of this Stone (called the “Treasure of the World” - Norbu Rimpoche, a cosmic magnet from the center of our Universe, with the energetic rhythm of its Life) is located in the legendary Shambhala (Tibet, in the Himalaya mountains). The story is amazing, almost incredible. More information is available on other Internet sites. Holy Grail (Buddha Bowl) - symbol of the source< волшебного >elixir. Where it is now is not known for certain, except for the almost fabulous, fantastic UFO legends from the middle of the last century, now published by modern researchers on the Internet and in books, about the German base (numbered 211) in Antarctica (located somewhere- then near the current South Geographic Pole, on the coast of Dronning Maud Land, on the side of the Atlantic Ocean, in warm karst caves with underground rivers and lakes, where for a long time, after the Second World War, hundreds, and maybe thousands of German soldiers lived and hid, specialists and civilians who sailed there on submarines). With a high probability, in those grottoes and catacombs-laboratories (artificially created with the help of mining equipment delivered there on ships several years earlier) - the Nazis hid some especially valuable artifacts and sources of Ancient Knowledge, obtained by them all over the world and found, discovered on the spot. And almost certainly, all this is securely and carefully hidden there, with numerous traps, which people will disarm and pass, perhaps in the not very distant future.< или, опередившие их - пришельцы, инопланетяне >can with the help of robots. Philosopher's Stone of Wisdom< эликсир жизни >- to obtain gold (enlightenment of a person, immortality (eternal youth) of him<тела>-souls-<духа>in their synthesis). The spine (spinal cord) is “Mount Meru”, with its apex in the head (epiphysis (m) and pituitary gland (g) - on the physical plane, halos and radiances - on the next, higher planes). The ancient name of the Baltic Sea is “Alatyr” Rus - an indigenous inhabitant of the Russian land Alatyr-stone is found in fairy tales and epics in the form of the phrase: “On the sea on the ocean, on an island on Buyan lies the Alatyr-stone.” Spaces of microcosm in Slavic mythology The first, outer circle of the concentrically arranged “world” (history, events) most often turns out to be a sea or a river. The pure field is a transitional area between worlds. The second area, following the sea, is an island (or immediately a stone) or a mountain (or mountains). The central locus of the mythological world is represented by many different objects, of which stones or trees may have proper names. All of them are usually located on an island or mountain, i.e. one way or another included in the previous locus as a central and maximally sacred point. The sea (sometimes a river) in Slavic mythology represents that body of water (in the southern regions, also vast sandy and rocky deserts, for example, the Mongolian Gobi), which, according to traditional ideas, lies on the way to the kingdom of the dead and to the next world . Old Slavonic “ocean”, as well as - Okiyan, Okian, Ocean, Okeyan. Kiyan-Sea Sea-Okiyan - the absolute periphery of the world (antilocus); It's impossible to get around it. Blue Sea - locus Black Sea - antilocus Khvalynsk Sea - Caspian or Black Sea. Antilocus Khorezm - Aral Sea. Antilocus Currant River is the mythical prototype of all rivers. Acts as the water boundary of the “other world”. There is a viburnum bridge on it. Buyan Island - In folklore, Buyan is associated with the other world, the path to which, as you know, lies through the water. The island can serve as an arena for fabulous action.

Old Russian words are found quite often in modern language, but sometimes they seem strange and incomprehensible to us. Fragments of ancient dialects have spread throughout the territory of distant Kievan Rus; they can mean the same words and concepts as thousands of years ago, they can slightly change their meaning, or they can be revived, taking on new, modern interpretations.

Old Russian or Old Slavic?

You can start your journey into the ancient world with words that are still found in modern speech. Mother, homeland, uncle, earth, wolf, work, regiment, forest, oak - Old Russian words. But with the same success they can be called both ancient Belarusian and ancient Ukrainian. They are still found in these languages ​​in almost the same form as thousands of years ago. Old Russian words and their meanings can be found in many monuments of Slavic literature. For example, the textbook “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is a real treasury for collectors of various ancient words.

Probably, it is necessary to separate Russian and common Slavic words, but this is not possible in this article. We can only observe the development of the ancient word - from its original meaning to its modern one. And an excellent visual aid for studying such development can be the ancient Russian word “fishing”.

History of the word

The “Initial Chronicle” tells how in 1071 “animal hunts took place” on the lands of the city of Vyshgorod. This word was also known in the time of Monomakh. In his “Instructions,” Prince Vladimir says that he himself “kept a hunting detachment,” that is, he kept stables, packs of dogs, tame falcons and hawks in order. The term “fishing” was already a commonly used word back then and meant hunting, capturing an animal.

Later, already in the 13th-14th centuries, the word “fishing” began to appear in testamentary documents. The legal lists mention “fishing” and “beaver fishing”. Here the word “fishing” is used as a reserve, a reserve - privately owned land with great opportunities for hunting and fishing. But in both the old and the new meaning, “fishing” means hunting by capturing an animal or fish. remained the same.

Modern "fishing"

In modern speech the word “fishing” is also often found. Only it, like many other Old Russian words, is used in a truncated, different meaning - one can say “herring fishing” or “autumn cod fishing.” But we will never say “wolf fishing” or “beaver fishing”. For this purpose, there is a convenient and understandable word “hunting”. But as part of complex words, “fishing” is found everywhere.

Children and grandchildren

Let's remember the words “mousetrap”, “trapper”, “trap” and others. After all, all these are the children and grandchildren of the ancient word “fishing”. Some “children” of “lova” have not survived time and are now found only in ancient chronicles. For example, the word “lovitva” arose much later than “lova”, but never took root in the Russian language. Lovitva was known in the 15th-17th centuries and was widely used to mean “hunting”. But already in the time of Pushkin this concept was not used.

For the great poet’s contemporaries, “lovy” and “lovitvy” are outdated, lifeless words. Old Russian "lovitva" do not exist in modern speech, but when you see them in an old book, you can understand the meaning of this word without much difficulty.

“Nadolba” and “goalkeeper”

Old Russian words with translation can be found in many explanatory dictionaries. But what if an ancient word is used in a new, modern meaning? Old Russian words and their meanings apparently change over time. A good example would be the fairly well-known ancient Russian literary words “nadolba” and “goalkeeper.”

The word “nadolba” was known in all-Russian military terminology many thousands of years ago. This was the name given to knocked together thick branches and logs - an impassable obstacle for infantry and cavalry in ancient, distant times. The advent of guns and cannons made both the structure and the words themselves unnecessary. invented new effective methods for defense and attack, and the “gouges” had to be scrapped.

A thousand years later, at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the gouges returned from the past. Now they were built from reinforcement blocks, logs, and construction waste. Such designs were designed to stop the advance of fascist tanks and disrupt the attack of enemy troops. After the war, the stones were dismantled, but the word remained. Now it is found in many literary works of war, in eyewitness accounts, in stories and novels about the war.

The word “goalkeeper” has also returned to modern language. True, his story is not nearly as heroic as that of the previous word. Goalkeepers used to be the name of modest monks-gatekeepers, who opened the gates of monasteries and temples in the morning and closed them at sunset, fearing dashing people. Goalkeepers have practically disappeared from our lives, but up to a certain point. The development of collective sports and the success of our teams in hockey and football competitions have led to the emergence of modern “goalkeepers” - athletes who protect the gates of their own team from attacks from opponents. Moreover, the word not only spread widely, but also put the foreign “goalkeeper” on both shoulder blades.

Vintage "airplane"

Do you think that in the time of Peter the Great the word “airplane” was known? And not as a fabulous flying object (magic carpet), but as a very real engineering structure? It turns out that in those days airplanes were self-propelled ferries that made it possible to transport large convoys with weapons and food to the other side of the river. Later, the word became a highly specialized jargon and began to be used in weaving.

A similar story happened with the word “bicycle”. It turns out that it was widely used in medieval Rus' - in Muscovy. That's what fast runners were called back then. The surname Velosipedov probably translates as "Fast-footed" rather than "belonging to a bicycle." Therefore, both bicycle and airplane can also with good reason be attributed to ancient, ancient Russian words. Unlike catching, these terms have survived several of their meanings and have become relevant in modern speech, although they have completely changed their interpretations.

Shards of the past

Strangely enough, many modern dialects have become remarkable monuments of ancient word usage. Old Russian words, examples of which can no longer be found in their initial form, feel great in a fixed, unchangeable form. For example, everyone knows such words as “evil”, “luck”. The derivatives of these concepts - “out of spite”, “at random” - are also not difficult to understand. They have long become understandable and simple parts of speech.

There are other words composed according to a similar principle. For example, “in a hurry.” “obliquely”, “sideways”. But “slant”, “bekren” or “hurry” are Old Russian, their initial meanings are a headache for lexicographers and linguists.

Results

As you can see, Old Russian words and their meanings leave a wide field for research. Many of them were understood. And now, when we encounter the words “veveliai”, “vedenci” or “lada” in ancient books, we can safely look for their meanings in dictionaries. But many of them are still waiting for their researchers. Only painstaking work with ancient words will help explain their meanings and enrich the modern Russian language.

Vocabulary is the totality of all the words we use. Ancient words can be considered a separate group in the vocabulary. There are many of them in the Russian language, and they belong to different historical eras.

What are old words

Since language is an integral part of the history of a people, the words that are used in this language are of historical value. Ancient words and their meaning can tell a lot about what events took place in the life of the people in a particular era and which of them were of great importance. Ancient, or outdated, words are not actively used in our time, but are present in the vocabulary of the people, recorded in dictionaries and reference books. They can often be found in works of art.

For example, in the poem by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin we read the following passage:

"In the crowd of mighty sons,

With friends, in the high grid

Vladimir the sun feasted,

He gave away his youngest daughter

For the brave prince Ruslan."

There is the word “gridnitsa” here. Nowadays it is not used, but in the era of Prince Vladimir it meant a large room in which the prince, together with his warriors, held celebrations and feasts.

Historicisms

There are different types of ancient words and their designations. According to scientists, they are divided into two large groups.

Historicisms are words that are now not actively used for the reason that the concepts they denote have fallen out of use. For example, “caftan”, “chain mail”, armor”, etc. Archaisms are words that denote concepts familiar to us in other words. For example, mouth - lips, cheeks - cheeks, neck - neck.

In modern speech, as a rule, they are not used. which are incomprehensible to many and are not typical for our everyday speech. But they do not disappear completely from use. Writers use historicisms and archaisms to truthfully tell about the past of the people; with the help of these words they convey the flavor of the era. Historicisms can truthfully tell us about what once happened in other eras in our homeland.

Archaisms

Unlike historicisms, archaisms denote those phenomena that we encounter in modern life. These are smart words, and their meanings do not differ from the meanings of words familiar to us, they just sound differently. There are different archaisms. There are those that differ from ordinary words only in some features in spelling and pronunciation. For example, hail and city, gold and gold, young - young. These are phonetic archaisms. In the 19th century there were many such words. This is klob (club), stora (curtain).

There is a group of archaisms with obsolete suffixes, for example, muzeum (museum), assistance (assistance), rybar (fisherman). Most often we come across lexical archaisms, for example, oko - eye, right hand - right hand, shuitsa - left hand.

Like historicisms, archaisms are used to create a special world in fiction. Thus, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin often used archaic vocabulary to add pathos to his works. This is clearly evident in the example of the poem “The Prophet”.

Words from Ancient Rus'

Ancient Rus' gave a lot to modern culture. But then there was a special lexical environment, some words from which were preserved and some are no longer used at all in A. Old obsolete Russian words from that era give us an idea of ​​the origin

For example, old curse words. Some of them very accurately reflect the negative qualities of a person. Pustobrekh is a chatterbox, Ryuma is a crybaby, the thick-haired forehead is a fool, and shabby is a disheveled person.

The meaning of ancient Russian words sometimes differed from the meanings of the same roots in the modern language. We all know the words “jump” and “jump”; they mean rapid movement in space. The Old Russian word “sig” meant the smallest unit of time. One moment contained 160 whitefish. The largest measurement value was considered “far distance”, which was equal to 1.4

Ancient words and their meanings are discussed by scientists. The names of coins that were used in Ancient Rus' are considered ancient. For coins that appeared in the eighth and ninth centuries in Rus' and were brought from Russia, the names “kuna”, “nogata” and “rezana” were used. Then the first Russian coins appeared - zlatniks and silver coins.

Outdated words from the 12th and 13th centuries

The pre-Mongol period in Rus', 12-13 centuries, is characterized by the development of architecture, which was then called architecture. Accordingly, a layer of vocabulary related to the construction and construction of buildings appeared then. Some of the words that appeared then remained in the modern language, but the meaning of ancient Russian words has changed over all this time.

The basis of life in Rus' in the 12th century was the fortress, which then had the name “Detinets”. A little later, in the 14th century, the term “Kremlin” appeared, which then also meant the city. The word "kremlin" can be an example of how old, outdated Russian words change. If now there is only one Kremlin, the residence of the head of state, then there were many Kremlins.

In the 11th and 12th centuries in Rus', cities and fortresses were built from wood. But they could not resist the onslaught of the Mongol-Tatars. The Mongols, when they came to conquer the lands, simply swept away the wooden fortresses. Novgorod and Pskov survived. The word “Kremlin” appears for the first time in the Tver chronicle of 1317. Its synonym is the ancient word “kremnik”. Then kremlins were built in Moscow, Tula and Kolomna.

The social and aesthetic role of archaisms in classical fiction

Ancient words, the discussion of which is often found in scientific articles, were often used by Russian writers in order to make the speech of their works of art more expressive. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in his article described the process of creating “Boris Godunov”: “I tried to guess the language of that time.”

Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov also used ancient words in his works, and their meaning exactly corresponded to the realities of the time from which they were taken. Most of the ancient words appear in his work “Song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich.” This is, for example, “you know”, “oh you goy are you”, Ali.” Also, Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky writes works in which there are many ancient words. These are “Dmitry the Pretender”, “Voevoda”, “Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”.

The role of words from past eras in modern literature

Archaisms remained popular in the literature of the 20th century. Let us remember the famous work of Ilf and Petrov “The Twelve Chairs”. Here, ancient words and their meaning have a special, humorous connotation.

For example, in the description of Ostap Bender’s visit to the village of Vasyuki, the phrase “The one-eyed man did not take his only eye off the grandmaster’s shoes” appears. Archaisms with Church Slavonic overtones are also used in another episode: “Father Fedor became hungry. He wanted wealth."

when using historicisms and archaisms

Historicisms and archaisms can greatly embellish fiction, but their inept use causes laughter. Ancient words, the discussion of which often becomes very lively, as a rule, cannot be used in everyday speech. If you start asking a passerby: “Why is your neck open in winter?”, then he will not understand you (meaning your neck).

In newspaper speech, there is also inappropriate use of historicisms and archaisms. For example: “The school director welcomed young teachers who came to practice.” The word "welcomed" is synonymous with the word "welcomed". Sometimes schoolchildren insert archaisms into their essays and thereby make the sentences not very clear and even absurd. For example: “Olya came running in tears and told Tatyana Ivanovna about her offense.” Therefore, if you want to use ancient words, their meaning, interpretation, meaning must be absolutely clear to you.

Outdated words in fantasy and science fiction

Everyone knows that genres such as fantasy and science fiction have gained enormous popularity in our time. It turns out that ancient words are widely used in works of the fantasy genre, and their meaning is not always clear to the modern reader.

The reader can understand such concepts as “banner” and “finger”. But sometimes there are more complex words, such as “komon” and “nasad”. It must be said that publishing houses do not always approve of the excessive use of archaisms. But there are works in which the authors successfully use historicisms and archaisms. These are works from the “Slavic fantasy” series. For example, the novels by Maria Stepanova “Valkyrie”, Tatyana Korostyshevskaya “Mother of the Four Winds”, Maria Semenova “Wolfhound”, Denis Novozhilov “The Far Away Kingdom. War for the throne."

One Russian folk song says:

He brought three pockets:
The first pocket is with pies,
The second pocket is with nuts...

It would seem, what kind of nonsense: what does it mean to “bring a pocket”?
Old dictionaries indicate that once in Rus' the word “ pocket" meant a sack or bag that was attached to the outside of clothing.

Such pockets were sometimes hung on horse saddles; if necessary, they were not closed, but “ held(opened) wider».
These days speaking "hold your pocket wider" we want to mock someone's excessive demands.

Tobacco case

In expression case tobacco Both words are clear, but why does their combination mean “very bad”, “hopeless”? You can understand this by looking into history. Let's do this together.

It turns out that the expression case tobacco came from the Volga barge haulers. When wading shallow bays or small tributaries of the Volga, barge haulers tied their tobacco pouches to their necks so that they would not get wet. When the water was so high that it came up to the neck and the tobacco became wet, the barge haulers considered the transition impossible, and their situation in these cases was very bad, hopeless.

Smoke rocker

Smoke from the rocker - how is it? Could the smoke be connected to the yoke on which buckets of water are carried? What does this expression mean?

Many years ago, poor people in Rus' built so-called smoke huts without chimneys. Smoke from the mouth of the stove poured straight into the hut and came out either through the “volokovogo” window or through the open doors in the vestibule. They say: “to love warmth and to endure smoke,” “and a kurna hut and a stove for warmth.” Over time, smoke began to be removed through pipes above the roof. Depending on the weather, the smoke comes either as a “column” - straight up, or as a “drag” - spreading downwards, or as a “yoke” - coming out in clouds and rolling over in an arc. By the way the smoke rises, they tell fortunes about a bucket or bad weather, rain or wind. They say: smoke pillar, rocker - about every human hustle and bustle, a crowded quarrel with a dump and bustle, where you can’t make out anything, where “there is such soda that the dust is a column, the smoke is a yoke - either from the dragging, or from the dancing.”

My soul has sunk into my heels

When a person is very frightened, he can develop an unusually high running speed. The ancient Greeks were the first to notice this feature.
Describing in his “Illiad” how the enemies were frightened by the hero Hector, who suddenly appeared on the battlefield, Homer uses the following phrase: “Everyone trembled, and everyone’s courage ran away…”
Since then the expression “my soul has sunk into my heels” we use it when we talk about a person who was afraid or very afraid of something.

Let's start with the fact that there is no word Easter cakes not in Russian. Easter cakes will produce Easter cakes, and Easter cakes will produce Easter cakes. In fact, they should not be sent to the middle of nowhere, but to the middle of nowhere. Then justice will prevail, and we will be able to begin to explain this truly Russian turnover.
Kuliga and kulizhki were very famous and very common words in the North of Russia. When the coniferous forest “weakens,” clearings and clearings appear there. Grass, flowers and berries instantly begin to grow on them. These forest islands were called kuligami. Since pagan times, sacrifices have been made on the folds: the priests slaughtered deer, sheep, heifers, stallions, everyone ate their fill, and got drunk.
When Christianity came to Rus' and it began to crowd out paganism, a peasant came to the camp, built a hut, began to sow rye and barley, and entire village cooperatives appeared. When life became more crowded, children and nephews left the old people, and sometimes so far away that they stopped reaching news, they lived like in the middle of nowhere .

Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the following order existed: requests, complaints or petitions addressed to the Tsar were placed in a special box nailed to a pole near the palace in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow.

In those days, all documents were written on paper rolled up in the form of a scroll. These scrolls were long, and therefore the box was long, or, as they said then, long.

Petitioners who put their petition in the box had to wait a long time for an answer, bow at the feet of the boyars and clerks, bring them gifts and bribes in order to receive an answer to their complaint. The red tape and bribes involved were common. That is why such bad fame survived for many years long box. This expression means: shamelessly delaying the matter.

First of all, let us remind you that this is what they say about purchasing something that is cheap, but at the same time completely worthwhile, necessary, and good. It turns out that the word angrily can it be used in a “good” meaning? Having delved into the dictionaries, we find out: before this word really meant “dear”, “good”. What kind of pun then comes out: “Cheap, but... expensive”? But it can be expensive not only in price (especially if you remember that the word angry has a common root with the word heart).

Some linguists claim that this expression arose as a contrast to the proverb: expensive, but cute - cheap, but rotten. It happens that And cheap and cheerful.

From the pre-revolutionary courts, many caustic expressions came into our speech. Using them, we don’t even think about how they came about.
You can often hear the expression “ the case burned out", that is, someone achieved their goal. Behind these words is the previous blatant disgrace that was happening in the judicial system. Previously, the process could stop due to the fact that documents collected by the investigation disappeared. In this case, the guilty could not be punished, and the innocent could not be acquitted.
A similar situation is described in Gogol’s story, where two friends quarreled.

A pig that belonged to Ivan Ivanovich runs into the courtroom and eats a complaint filed by its owner's former friend, Ivan Nikiforovich. Of course, this is just a funny fantasy. But in reality, papers often burned, and not always by accident. Then the defendant, who wanted to stop or delay the process, remained very pleased and said to himself: “Well, my case has burned out!”
So -" the case burned out"carries a reminder of those times when justice was administered not by judges, but by bribes.

In the bag

Several centuries ago, when mail in its current form did not exist, all messages were delivered by messengers on horseback. There were a lot of robbers roaming along the roads back then, and a bag with a package could attract the attention of robbers. Therefore, important papers, or, as they used to be called, affairs, sewn under the lining of a hat or cap. This is where the expression came from - “ it's in the bag” and means that everything is fine, everything is in order. About the successful completion or outcome of something.

Onion grief

When a person cries, it means something has happened to him. But the reason why tears well up in the eyes is not in all cases associated with some kind of misfortune. When you peel or cut onions, tears flow. And the reason for this is “ onion grief».

This saying is also known in other countries, only there it is slightly modified. The Germans, for example, use the phrase “onion tears.” People shed these tears over trifles.

Expression "onion grief" also means minor troubles that you shouldn’t be too sad about.

Deaf grouse

An experienced hunter carefully approaches a black grouse sitting carefree on a branch. The bird, not suspecting anything, is busy bursting into its intricate singing: flowing, clicking and skittering fills everything around. The black grouse will never hear the hunter creep up to an acceptable distance and unload his double-barreled shotgun.
It has long been noticed that the current black grouse temporarily loses its hearing. Hence the name of one of the black grouse breeds – wood grouse.

Expression "deaf grouse" refers to gaping, sleepy people who don’t notice anything around them. Although by nature these birds are very sensitive and attentive.

Agree that sometimes we see situations where a person responsible for some event can run back and forth saying: “there is no highlight of the program!” In this case, everyone understands that even he is a little to blame for this. Having returned home from a concert, we can say that the highlight of the program is a folk singer or other outstanding personality who was on stage.

In a word, highlight of the program is a unique number or performance that can arouse genuine interest among the public. It is known that this phraseological unit has been interpreted in many languages, but it has reached our time unchanged.

This saying arose as a mockery and mockery of the numerous tourists who, in the 19th century, traveled in huge crowds to so-called foreign places, and they did it so quickly that they did not even manage to enjoy the natural beauty and color. But later they praised everything they “saw” so much that everyone was amazed.

Also in 1928, the great writer Maxim Gorky also used this expression in one of his speeches, which further cemented it among the common people. Well, today it is often used in bohemian society, which also boasts of its knowledge of the world and numerous travels around the world.

From another source:

Ironic. Without going into details, hastily, superficially (to do something).

Compare: in a hurry; on a live thread; on a living hand; with the opposite meaning: along and across.

“For travel essays, the editors are going to send another person to the route, this must be done thoroughly, and not like a cavalry charge, galloping across Europe."

Yu. Trifonov. "Quenching Thirst"

Lies like a gray gelding

Lies like a gray gelding- this saying, which can often be heard among people, is quite difficult to interpret. Agree, it is difficult to explain why exactly the gelding, which is a representative of the animal world, was awarded such a title. And if we take into account the fact that the suit is being specified - gray gelding, then there are even more questions. Many who study this phenomenon say that everything is connected with an error that occurred in the memory of our people. After all, this is simply not explained by any other facts.
The well-known linguist Dahl said that for many years the word “ lies" , used today, could come from the word "rushing" as a result of incorrect pronunciation by one of the speakers. Initially, the gray gelding boasts enormous strength and endurance.
But we should not forget that gray gelding is not significantly different from bay or gray horses, which also boast endurance and intelligence. It follows from this that the masses could hardly simply exclude them from the phraseology and single out the gray gelding.

Today you can find another quite interesting interpretation. It is believed that this phraseological unit first arose from memories of a man named Sievens-Mehring, who had the reputation of a blatant liar. There were bad rumors about him, so many said - lies like Sievens-Mehring . Perhaps, after many years of using this option, the one we often use today has been established.
There are other opinions that completely refute previous versions. It is said that there are other interpretations of it, such as “lazy as a gray gelding” and others. Take, for example, the well-known Gogol hero Khlestakov, who often uses the expression “ stupid as a gray gelding" This also includes the concept of “bullshit,” which means nonsense and complete nonsense. In a word, phraseology has still not been able to give a clear interpretation of the expression “ lies like crazy gelding”, but this does not prevent us from using it in daily communication.

Getting into trouble

manual leak

Nowadays rope, twine, ropes are made in factories, but not so long ago it was a handicraft industry. Entire villages were engaged in it.
There were poles with hooks on the streets, from which ropes stretched to wooden wheels. They were rotated by horses running in circles. All these devices of rope craftsmen were called.
It was necessary to be careful not to get caught in the tourniquet tightly coiled in the hole. If the tip of a jacket or shirt gets caught in the weave, goodbye clothes! The prosak will shred it, tear it up, and sometimes mutilate the person himself.

V.I. Dal explains: “The gap is the space from the spinning wheel to the sleigh, where the twine twists and turns..; if you get in there with the end of your clothes or your hair, it will twist you and you won’t be able to get out; that’s where the saying comes from.”

That's where the dog is buried!

As the story goes, the experienced Austrian warrior Sigismund Altensteig had a favorite dog that accompanied him on all his military campaigns. It so happened that fate threw Sigismund to the Dutch lands, where he found himself in a very dangerous situation. But the devoted four-legged friend quickly came to the rescue and saved the owner, sacrificing his life. To pay tribute to the dog, Altensteig arranged a solemn funeral and decorated the grave with a monument immortalizing the dog's heroic deed.
But after a couple of centuries, finding the monument became very difficult; only a few local residents could help tourists find it.

That’s when the expression “ That's where the dog is buried!", meaning "to find out the truth", "to find what you are looking for."

There is another version of the origin of this phrase. Before the final naval battle between the Persian and Greek fleets, the Greeks loaded all the children, old men and women into transport ships and sent them away from the battle site.
The devoted dog of Xanthippus, son of Arifron, swam to catch up with the ship and, having met his owner, died of exhaustion. Xanthippus, amazed by the dog’s act, erected a monument to his pet, which became the personification of devotion and courage.

Some linguists believe that the proverb was invented by treasure hunters who fear evil spirits that guard treasures. To hide their true goals, they said “black dog” and dog, which meant evil spirits and treasure, respectively. Based on this assumption, under the phrase “ That's where the dog is buried” meant “This is where the treasure is buried.”

Free will

Perhaps to some this expression seems complete nonsense: like “ oil oil" But don’t rush to conclusions, but rather listen.

Many years ago, the ancient Russian appanage princes wrote in their agreements with each other: “And the boyars, and the boyars’ children and servants, and the peasants free will…»

For a free person, the will was thus a right, a privilege, it meant freedom of action and deeds, it allowed you to live on earth as long as you lived and go wherever you wanted. Only free people enjoyed this freedom, which in those days were considered to be sons with fathers, brothers with brothers, nephews with uncles, and so on.

And there were also serfs and slaves who forever belonged to the masters. They could be pawned as an item, sold and even killed without trial.

Simoni: the will of the wave, the path of the walker;

Dahl: free will - heaven for the saved, field for the mad, swamp for the devil.

To be born in a shirt

In one of the poems of the Russian poet Koltsov there are the lines:

Oh, on a miserable day,
At a mediocre hour
I'm without a shirt
Born...

To uninitiated people, the last two lines may seem very strange. One might think that the lyrical hero regrets that in the womb he did not have time to put on a shirt, or, to put it in a language that everyone understands, a shirt.

Once upon a time, a shirt was called not only an element of clothing, but also various films. The thin membrane located under the eggshell could also bear this name.

Sometimes it happens that the baby's head, when it is born, may be covered with a film that soon falls off. According to ancient beliefs, a child born with such a film will be happy in life. And the French even came up with a special name for it - “ hat of happiness».

Nowadays, the thought that a little film on a newborn's head will make him lucky makes him smile. However, in a figurative sense, we often use this expression when we talk about people who are lucky in something. Now the phrase is used only as a saying, and the folk sign has long since sunk into oblivion.

By the way, not only in the Russian language there is such a proverb. Europeans also use similar expressions, for example, “ born in a cap" The English have another phrase that has the same meaning: “to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth.” But it came from a different custom. The fact is that in Foggy Albion it is customary to give spoons made of silver to newborns for good luck.

They don’t go to someone else’s monastery with their own rules

Once upon a time, the routine of the entire monastic life was determined monastic statutes. One monastery was guided by one charter, another by another. Moreover: in the old days, some monasteries had their own judicial statutes and had the right to independently judge their people in all their sins and transgressions.

Expression: " They don’t go to someone else’s monastery with their own rules“This is used in a figurative sense to mean one must obey established rules, customs in society, at home, and not establish one’s own.

Stoeros balbeshka

This is what they say about a stupid, stupid person.
“Excuse me, why did I say such a stupid, absurd thing to you, it jumped out of my mouth, I don’t know, I’m a fool, a stupid idiot” (Yu. Bondarev).

Artist of the burnt theater

About a person whose real abilities or capabilities do not correspond to their perceived level.

“Death is the same for everyone, it is the same for everyone, and no one is given freedom from it. And while she, death, lies in wait for you in an unknown place, with inevitable torment, and the fear of it exists in you, you are not a hero or a god, just an artist from a burnt theater, amusing himself and his flogged listeners.”

(V. Astafiev).

This idiom (stable phrase) is intended to evaluate non-professionals. A couple of centuries ago, the profession of a theater actor was, to put it mildly, unprestigious.

Hence the disdain evident in the phrase: firstly, an actor, and secondly, without a theater. In other words, the circus left, but the clowns remained.
Because the burned theater is not the theater that was destroyed by the flames of the fire, but the one that went bankrupt due to the inept performance of the actors.

Appetite comes with eating

About the increase in someone's needs as they are satisfied.

The expression came into use after it was used by the French writer F. Rabelais (1494-1553) in his novel “Gargantua and Pantagruel” (1532).

Guardian angel

According to religious beliefs, a creature that is the patron of man.

“He prayed every time until he felt as if someone’s fresh touch on his forehead; this, he thought then, is the guardian angel who accepts me” (I. Turgenev).

About a person who shows constant attention and care to someone.

Beat with your forehead

Ancient antiquity emanates from this original Russian expression. And it came from Moscow palace customs. It used to be that the boyars closest to the Tsar gathered in the “front” of the Kremlin Palace early in the morning and in the afternoon at Vespers. When they saw the king, they began to bow, touching their foreheads to the floor. And others did it with such zeal that even the tapping could be heard: please, sir, appreciate our love and zeal.

The legend is fresh, but hard to believe.
As he was famous for, whose neck bent more often;
How not in war, but in peace they took it head on -
They hit the floor without regret!

A. Griboyedov, “Woe from Wit”

Thus, hit with one's forehead means first of all " bow”, well, its second meaning is “to ask for something”, “to complain”, “to thank”.

“Oriental splendor reigned at the Court of our kings, who, following the Asian custom, forced the ambassadors to speak in no other way than on their knees and prostrate themselves on the ground before the throne, from which came the then-used expression: I hit with my forehead.”

The evidence given for the existence of prostration dates back no earlier than the 16th century, since Ivan the Terrible was the first to accept the permanent title of “tsar” in Moscow in 1547. It turns out that the history of the phrase “beat with the forehead” began twice. At first they “beat with their foreheads” in the literal sense, admitting their guilt, and with the introduction of Christianity - worshiping the Lord God. Then they “beat with their foreheads” in words, complaining, thanking and greeting, and finally they introduced the custom of bowing to the ground of the sovereign at court, which was also called “beating with their foreheads.”

Then, in the first case, the expression did not mean “bow to the ground,” but “bow from the waist,” in the form when, asking for forgiveness in local disputes, the offender, standing on the bottom step of the porch, bowed to his ruler from the waist. The strong one stood on the top step. The bow from the waist was thus accompanied by petitions and the banging of the forehead on the steps.

To rake in the heat with someone else's hands

This means: using the results of someone else's work.

What kind of heat are we talking about?

Heat is burning coals. And, by the way, raking them out of the oven was not an easy task for the housewife: it would have been simpler and easier for her to do it “with someone else’s hands.”

Among the common people there is also a rougher version:

“Ride someone else’s dick to heaven.”

Beat your head

To be lazy is to be idle.

What is it thumbs up ? Surely a word should have its own meaning?

Yes, sure. When in Rus' they slurped cabbage soup and ate porridge with wooden spoons, tens of thousands of artisans they were kicking ass , that is, they chopped logs of linden wood into blanks for the master spooner. This work was considered trivial and was usually performed by an apprentice. That is why she became a model not of action, but of idleness.

Of course, everything is learned by comparison, and this work seemed easy only against the backdrop of hard peasant labor.

And not everyone will succeed now beat your thumbs .

Know by heart

The meaning of these words is known to children as well as adults. Know by heart - means, for example, to learn a poem perfectly, to solidify a role, and generally to have an excellent understanding of something.

And there was a time when know by heart , check by heart taken almost literally. This saying arose from the custom of testing the authenticity of gold coins, rings and other items made of precious metal. You bite the coin with your teeth, and if there is no dent left on it, then it is genuine, not counterfeit. Otherwise, you could have gotten a fake one: hollow inside or filled with cheap metal.

The same custom gave rise to another vivid figurative expression: figure out a person , that is, to thoroughly know his advantages, disadvantages, intentions.

Wash dirty linen in public

Usually this expression is used with negation: “ Don't wash dirty linen in public!».

Its figurative meaning, I hope, is known to everyone: quarrels, squabbles occurring between close people, or secrets of a narrow circle of people should not be disclosed.

But this is the true meaning phraseology Let's try to explain now, although it won't be easy. This expression is associated with evil spirits and, by the way, there are a lot of them in the Russian language. According to ancient beliefs, dirty laundry must be burned in the oven so that it does not fall into the hands of evil people. The so-called healer “bends” or “attitudes” used to be very common. A diversion could serve, for example, as a bundle thrown at a crossroads to “protect” against illness. Coal or stove ash was usually wrapped in such a bundle - a cookie .

It was especially popular among healers, because it was in the oven that they burned dirty laundry from the hut, which contained hair and other items necessary for witchcraft. It is no coincidence that the ban on washing dirty linen in public has come into use in the Russian language.

Written on the water with a pitchfork

The expression “Writing on water with a pitchfork” comes from Slavic mythology.

Today it means an unlikely, doubtful and hardly possible event. In Slavic mythology, pitchforks were the name of mythical creatures living in bodies of water. According to legend, they could predict fate by writing it on the water. To this day, “forks” in some Russian dialects mean “circles.”
During fortune telling, pebbles were thrown into the river and the future was predicted based on the shape of the circles formed on the surface, their intersections and sizes. And since these predictions are not accurate and rarely come true, they began to talk about an unlikely event.

In not so long ago, gypsies with bears walked around the villages and staged various performances. They led the bears on a leash tied to a ring threaded through the nose. Such a ring made it possible to keep bears in obedience and perform the necessary tricks. During the performances, the gypsies performed various tricks, cleverly deceiving the audience.

Over time, the expression came to be used in a broader sense - “to mislead someone.”

Goal like a falcon

In the old days, battering guns called “falcon” were used to take besieged cities. It was an iron-bound log or cast-iron beam fastened with chains. Swinging it, they hit the walls and destroyed them.

The figurative expression “goal as a falcon” means “poor to the last extreme, nowhere to get money, even if you bang your head against the wall.”

Keep me away

The expression “Beware of me” came to us from ancient times.
From ancient times to this day we say “Keep away from me”, “Keep away from me”, “Keep away from me”. Chur is the ancient name of the keeper of the house, the hearth (Chur - Shchur - Ancestor).

It is fire, mental and physical, that gives people warmth, light, comfort and goodness in every sense, and is the main custodian of family wealth and family happiness.

Currency:

Altyn
From Tatar Alty - six - an ancient Russian monetary unit.
Altyn - from the 17th century. - a coin consisting of six Moscow money.
Altyn - 3 kopecks (6 money).
Five-alty ruble - 15 kopecks (30 money).

Dime
- Russian ten-kopeck coin, issued since 1701.
Two hryvnia - 20 kopecks

Grosh
- a small copper coin in denomination of 2 kopecks, minted in Russia in the 17th century.
4 kopecks is two pennies.

Money (denga)
- a small copper coin of 1/2 kopeck, minted in Russia from 1849 to 1867.

Gold ruble
- monetary unit of Russia from 1897 to 1914. The gold content of the ruble was 0.774 g of pure gold.

Kopeck money
Kopek
- Russian monetary unit, from the 16th century. minted from silver, gold, copper. The name “kopeck” comes from the image on the reverse of the coin of a horseman with a spear.

Kopek
- since 1704, Russian copper small change, 1/100th of a ruble.

Poltina
Half a ruble
- Russian coin, 1/2 share of a ruble (50 kopecks). Since 1654, fifty kopecks have been minted from copper, since 1701 - from silver.

Polushka - 1/4 kopeck
Half a half - 1/8 kopeck.
The half-polushka (polpolushka) was minted only in 1700.
Ruble
- monetary unit of Russia. Regular minting of the silver ruble began in 1704. Copper and gold rubles were also minted. Since 1843, the ruble began to be issued in the form of a paper treasury note.

"Ancient Russian measures."
Currency:

Ruble = 2 half rubles
half = 50 kopecks
five-altyn = 15 kopecks
kryvennik = 10 kopecks
altyn = 3 kopecks
penny = 2 kopecks
2 money = 1/2 kopeck
half = 1/4 kopeck
In Ancient Rus', foreign silver coins and silver bars - hryvnias - were used.
If the product cost less than a hryvnia, it was cut in half - these halves were called TIN or Ruble.
Over time, the word TIN was not used, the word Ruble was used, but half a ruble was called half-tina, a quarter - half-half-tina.
On silver coins of 50 kopecks they wrote COIN POLE TINA.
THE ANCIENT NAME OF THE RUBLE IS TIN.

Auxiliary weights:

Pud = 40 pounds = 16.3804815 kg.
The steelyard is an ancient Russian unit of measurement of mass, which was part of the Russian system of measures and was used in the north of the Russian Empire and in Siberia. 1 steelyard = 1/16 pood or 1.022 kg.
Pound = 32 lots = 96 spools = 0.45359237 kg.
(1 kg = 2.2046 lbs).
Lot = 3 spools = 12.797 grams.
Spool = 96 shares = 4.26575417 g.
Share - the smallest old Russian unit of mass measurement
= 44.43 mg. = 0.04443 grams.

Auxiliary measures are long:

A mile is 7 versts or 7.4676 km.

Versta - 500 fathoms or 1,066.781 meters

Fathom = 1/500 verst = 3 arshins = 12 spans = 48 vershoks

Vershok = 1/48 fathoms = 1/16 arshin = 1/4 span = 1.75 inches = 4.445 cm = 44.45 mm. (Originally equal to the length of the main phalanx of the index finger).

Arshin = 1/3 fathoms = 4 spans = 16 vershok = 28 inches = 0.7112 m. On June 4, 1899, the “Regulations on Weights and Measures” arshin was legalized in Russia as the main measure of length.

Pyad = 1/12 fathoms = 1/4 arshin = 4 vershkas = 7 inches = exactly 17.78 cm. (From the old Russian word “metacarpus” - palm, hand).

Elbow is a unit of measurement of length that does not have a specific value and approximately corresponds to the distance from the elbow joint to the end of the extended middle finger.

Inch - in Russian and English systems of measures 1 inch = 10 lines (“big line”). The word inch was introduced into the Russian language by Peter I at the very beginning of the 18th century. Today, an inch is most often understood as an English inch, equal to 2.54 cm.

Foot - 12 inches = 304.8 mm.

Set expressions

You can hear it a mile away.
Seven miles is no detour for a mad dog.
Seven miles is not a suburb for my dear friend.
Versta Kolomenskaya.
Oblique fathoms in the shoulders.
Measure everyone to your own yardstick.
Swallow a yard.
Two inches from the pot.

One hundred pounds.
Seven spans in the forehead.
Small spool but precious.
Go by leaps and bounds.
Find out how much a pound is worth.
Not an inch of land (not to be given up).
A meticulous person.
Eat a peck of salt (with someone else).

Standard SI prefixes
(SI - "System International" - international system of metric units of measurement)

Multiple SI prefixes

101 m decameter dam
102 m hectometer um
103 m kilometer km
106 m megameter Mm
109 m gigameter Gm
1012 m terameter Tm
1015 m petameter PM
1018 m exameter Em
1021 m zettameter Zm
1024 m yottameter Im
SI prefixes
value name designation
10-1 g decigram dg
10-2 g centigrams g
10-3 g milligram mg
10-6 g microgram mcg
10-9 g nanogram ng
10-12 g picogram pg
10-15 g femtogram fg
10-18 g attograms ag
10-21 g zeptograms zg
10-24 g yoktogram ig

Archaisms

Archaisms are outdated names of objects and phenomena that have other, modern names

Armyak - type of clothing
vigil - wakefulness
timelessness - hard time
silent - timid
benevolence - goodwill
prosper - prosper
perishable - transitory
eloquent - pompous
indignation - rebellion
in vain - in vain
big - big
coming - coming
beef - cattle
messenger - sent
verb - word
herd - a herd of cattle.
threshing floor - a fenced plot of land on a peasant farm, intended for storing, threshing and other processing of grain grains
so that - so that
down - down, down
drogi (drogi) - a light four-wheeled open spring carriage for 1-2 people
if - if
belly - life
imprison - imprison
mirror - mirror
zipun (half-kaftan) - in the old days - outerwear for peasants. It is a collarless caftan made from coarse homemade cloth in bright colors with seams trimmed with contrasting cords.
from ancient times - from ancient times
eminent - tall
which - which, which
katsaveyka - Russian women's folk clothing in the form of an open short jacket, lined or trimmed with fur.
horse-drawn - a type of urban transport
sedition - treason
kuna - monetary unit
cheeks - cheeks
extortion - bribery
kissing - kiss
catcher - hunter
lyudin - person
honeyed - flattering
bribe - reward, payment
slander - denunciation
name - name
monastery - monastery
bed - bed
barn (ovn - oven) - an outbuilding in which sheaves were dried before threshing.
this one - the one mentioned above
revenge - revenge
finger - finger
pyroscaphe - steamship
arquebus - a type of firearm
death - death
destruction - death
obstacle - obstacle
gaping - open
military - combat
this - this
seduce - remove
poet - poet
smerd - peasant
battering ram - an ancient weapon for destroying fortress walls
thief
dungeon - prison
bargaining - market, bazaar
prepare - prepare
hope - hope
mouth - lips
child - child
expect - expect
dish - food
Yakhont - ruby
Yarilo - sun
yara - spring
Yarka - a young lamb born in the spring
spring bread - spring grains are sown in spring

Archaisms in proverbs and sayings:

Beat your head
To beat the backs - initially cut the log lengthwise into several parts - the block, round them from the outside and hollow them out from the inside. Spoons and other wooden utensils were made from such scaffolds - baclush. Preparing buckeyes, in contrast to making products from them, was considered an easy, simple matter that did not require special skills.
Hence the meaning - to do nothing, to idle, to spend time idly.

Here's to you, grandma, and St. George's Day!
The expression comes from the time of medieval Rus', when peasants had the right, having settled with the previous landowner, to move on to a new one.
According to the law issued by Ivan the Terrible, such a transition could occur only after the completion of agricultural work, and specifically a week before St. George’s Day (November 25, old style, when the day of the Great Martyr George, the patron saint of farmers, was celebrated) or a week later.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible, such a transition was prohibited and the peasants were secured to the land.
That’s when the expression “Here’s St. George’s Day for you, grandma,” was born as an expression of grief over changed circumstances, unexpectedly unfulfilled hopes, sudden changes for the worse.
St. George was popularly called Yegor, so at the same time the word “to cheat” arose, that is, to deceive, to deceive.

Upside down
1) somersault, over the head, upside down;
2) upside down, in complete disorder.
The word tormashki can go back to the verb to bother, i.e. “to fiddle with, turn over.” It is also assumed that tormashki comes from the dialect torma - “legs”.
According to another hypothesis, the word tormashki is related to the word brake (old tormas). Tormas used to be called iron strips under the runner of a sleigh, used to make the sleigh roll less.
The expression upside down could refer to a sled turned over on ice or snow.

There is no truth at the feet - an invitation to sit down.
There are several possible origins of this saying:
1) according to the first version, the combination is due to the fact that in the XV-XVIII centuries. in Rus', debtors were severely punished, beaten with iron rods on their bare legs, seeking repayment of the debt, i.e., “truth,” but such punishment could not force those who did not have money to repay the debt;
2) according to the second version, the combination arose due to the fact that the landowner, having discovered that something was missing, gathered the peasants and forced them to stand until the culprit was named;
3) the third version reveals a connection between the expression and pravezh (cruel punishment for non-payment of debts). If the debtor fled from the law, they said that there was no truth at his feet, that is, it was impossible to get out of the debt; With the abolition of the law, the meaning of the saying changed.

The rein (harness) has fallen under the tail - about someone who is in an unbalanced state, displays eccentricity, incomprehensible persistence.
Reins are straps for controlling a harnessed horse. The part of the horse's croup under the tail is not covered with hair. If the rein gets there, the horse, fearing tickling, may run away, break the cart, etc.
A person is compared to this behavior of a horse.

Wolf ticket (wolf passport)
In the 19th century, the name of a document that blocked access to the civil service, educational institution, etc. Today, the phraseological unit is used to mean a sharply negative characteristic of someone’s work.
The origin of this turnover is usually explained by the fact that the person who received such a document was not allowed to live in one place for more than 2-3 days and had to wander like a wolf.
In addition, in many combinations, wolf means “abnormal, inhuman, bestial,” which strengthens the contrast between the holder of the wolf card and other “normal” people.
Lies like a gray gelding
There are several options for the origin of phraseological units.
1. The word gelding comes from the Mongolian morin "horse". In historical monuments, the horse siv and gelding siv are very typical; the adjective sivy “light gray, gray-haired” shows the old age of the animal. The verb to lie had a different meaning in the past - “to talk nonsense, talk idle talk; chatter.” The gray gelding here is a stallion that has turned gray from long work, and figuratively - a man who is already talking from old age and talking annoying nonsense.
2. Gelding is a stallion, gray is old. The expression is explained by the usual boasting of old people about their strength, as if still preserved, like that of the young.
3. The turnover is associated with the attitude towards the gray horse as a stupid creature. Russian peasants avoided, for example, laying the first furrow on a gray gelding, because he was “lying” - he was wrong, laying it incorrectly.
Give oak - die
The phrase is associated with the verb zudubet - “to cool down, lose sensitivity, become hard.” An oak coffin has always been a sign of special honor for the deceased. Peter I introduced a tax on oak coffins as a luxury item.
Alive, smoking room!
The origin of the expression is associated with the game "Smoking Room", popular in the 18th century in Russia at gatherings on winter evenings. The players sat in a circle and passed a burning torch to each other, saying “Alive, alive, Smoking Room, not dead, thin legs, short soul...”. The loser was the one whose torch went out and began to smoke or smoke. Later this game was replaced by "Burn, burn clearly so that it does not go out."
Nick down
In the old days, almost the entire population in Russian villages was illiterate. To record the bread handed over to the landowner, the work performed, etc., so-called tags were used - wooden sticks up to a fathom long (2 meters), on which notches were made with a knife. The tags were split into two parts so that the marks were on both: one remained with the employer, the other with the performer. The calculation was made based on the number of notches. Hence the expression “notch on the nose,” meaning: remember well, take into account for the future.
Play spillikins
In the old days, the game of “spillikins” was common in Rus'. It consisted of using a small hook to pull out, without touching the others, one of the other piles of all the spillikins - all kinds of small toy things: hatchets, glasses, baskets, barrels. This is how not only children, but also adults spent time on long winter evenings.
Over time, the expression “playing spillikins” began to mean an empty pastime.
Latem cabbage soup to slurp
Lapti - wicker shoes made of bast (the subcortical layer of linden trees), covering only the feet - in Rus' were the only affordable footwear for poor peasants, and shchi - a type of cabbage soup - was their simplest and favorite food. Depending on the wealth of the family and the time of year, cabbage soup could be either green, that is, with sorrel, or sour - made from sauerkraut, with meat, or lean - without meat, which was eaten during fasting or in cases of extreme poverty.
About a person who could not earn enough to buy boots and more refined food, they said that he “slurps on cabbage soup,” that is, he lives in terrible poverty and ignorance.
Fawn
The word “fawn” comes from the German phrase “Ich liebe sie” (I love you). Seeing the insincerity in the frequent repetition of this “fawn”, Russian people wittily formed from these German words the Russian word “fawn” - it means to curry favor, to flatter someone, to achieve someone’s favor or favor with flattery.
Fishing in troubled waters
Stunning has long been one of the prohibited methods of catching fish, especially during spawning. There is a well-known fable by the ancient Greek poet Aesop about a fisherman who muddied the water around his nets, driving blinded fish into them. Then the expression went beyond fishing and acquired a broader meaning - to take advantage of an unclear situation.
There is also a well-known proverb: “Before you catch a fish, you [need] to muddy the waters,” that is, “deliberately create confusion for profit.”
Small fry
The expression came from peasant everyday life. In the Russian northern lands, a plow is a peasant community of 3 to 60 households. And small fry called a very poor community, and then its poor inhabitants. Later, officials occupying a low position in the government structure also began to be called small fry.
The thief's hat is on fire
The expression goes back to an old joke about how a thief was found in the market.
After futile attempts to find the thief, people turned to the sorcerer for help; he shouted loudly: “Look! The thief’s hat is on fire!” And suddenly everyone saw how a man grabbed his hat. So the thief was discovered and convicted.
Lather your head
In the old days, a tsarist soldier served indefinitely - until death or complete disability. Since 1793, a 25-year period of military service was introduced. The landowner had the right to give his serfs as soldiers for misconduct. Since recruits (recruits) had their hair shaved off and were referred to as “shaved”, “shaved their forehead”, “soaped their head”, the expression “I’ll soap my head” became synonymous with threat in the mouths of the rulers. In a figurative sense, “soap your head” means: to give a severe reprimand, to strongly scold.
Neither fish nor fowl
In Western and Central Europe of the 16th century, a new movement appeared in Christianity - Protestantism (lat. “to protest, object”). Protestants, unlike Catholics, opposed the Pope, denied holy angels and monasticism, arguing that each person himself can turn to God. Their rituals were simple and inexpensive. There was a bitter struggle between Catholics and Protestants. Some of them, in accordance with Christian commandments, ate modest meat, others preferred lean fish. If a person did not join any movement, then he was contemptuously called “neither fish nor fowl.” Over time, they began to talk about a person who does not have a clearly defined position in life, who is not capable of active, independent actions.
There is no place to put samples - disapprovingly about a depraved woman.
An expression based on a comparison with a golden thing passing from one owner to another. Each new owner demanded that the product be checked by a jeweler and tested. When the product had been in many hands, there was no longer any room left for testing.
If we don't wash, we'll ride
Before the invention of electricity, a heavy cast iron iron was heated over a fire and, until it cooled down, they ironed clothes with it. But this process was difficult and required a certain skill, so the linen was often “rolled”. To do this, washed and almost dried laundry was fixed on a special rolling pin - a round piece of wood similar to the one used to roll out dough nowadays. Then, using a ruble - a curved corrugated board with a handle - the rolling pin, along with the laundry wound onto it, was rolled along a wide flat board. At the same time, the fabric was stretched and straightened. Professional laundresses knew that well-rolled linen has a fresher appearance, even if the washing was not entirely successful.
This is how the expression “by washing, by rolling” appeared, that is, to achieve results in more than one way.
No fluff or feather - wishing you good luck in anything.
The expression was originally used as a “spell” designed to deceive evil spirits (this expression was used to admonish those going on a hunt; it was believed that with a direct wish for good luck one could “jinx” the prey).
The answer is “To hell!” should have further protected the hunter. To hell - this is not an expletive like “Go to hell!”, but a request to go to hell and tell him about it (so that the hunter does not get any fluff or feather). Then the unclean one will do the opposite, and what is needed will happen: the hunter will return “with down and feathers,” that is, with prey.
Let's beat swords into ploughshares
The expression goes back to the Old Testament, where it is said that “the time will come when the nations will beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and they will no longer learn to fight.”
In the Old Church Slavonic language, “ploughshare” is a tool for cultivating land, something like a plow. The dream of establishing universal peace is figuratively expressed in the sculpture of the Soviet sculptor E.V. Vuchetich, depicting a blacksmith forging a sword into a plow, which is installed in front of the UN building in New York.
Goof
Prosak is a drum with teeth in a machine, with the help of which wool was carded. Getting into trouble meant being maimed and losing an arm. To get into trouble is to get into trouble, into an awkward position.
Knock you down
Confuse, confuse.
Pantalik is a distorted version of Pantelik, a mountain in Attica (Greece) with a stalactite cave and grottoes in which it was easy to get lost.
Straw Widow
Among the Russians, Germans and a number of other peoples, a bundle of straw served as a symbol of a concluded agreement: marriage or purchase and sale. To break the straw meant to break the contract, to separate. There was also a custom of making the newlyweds’ bed on sheaves of rye. Wedding wreaths were also woven from straw flowers. A wreath (from the Sanskrit word “vene” - “bundle”, meaning a bundle of hair) was a symbol of marriage.
If the husband left somewhere for a long time, they said that the woman was left with nothing but straw, which is how the expression “straw widow” appeared.
Dance from the stove
The expression became popular thanks to the novel by the 19th century Russian writer V.A. Sleptsov "A Good Man". The main character of the novel, "non-employee nobleman" Sergei Terebenev, returns to Russia after long wanderings around Europe. He remembers how he was taught to dance as a child. Seryozha started all his movements from the stove, and if he made a mistake, the teacher told him: “Well, go to the stove, start over.” Terebenev realized that his life circle had closed: he started from the village, then Moscow, Europe, and, having reached the edge, he again returned to the village, to the stove.
Grated kalach
In Rus', kalach is wheat bread in the shape of a castle with a bow. Grated kalach was baked from hard kalach dough, which was kneaded and grated for a long time. This is where the proverb “Don’t grate, don’t crush, don’t make kalach” came from, which in a figurative sense means: “troubles teach a person.” And the words “grated kalach” have become popular - this is what they say about an experienced person who has seen a lot, who has “rubbed between people” a lot.
Pull the gimp
Gimp is a very thin, flattened, twisted gold or silver wire used for embroidery. Making gimp consists of pulling it out. This work, done manually, is tedious, monotonous and time-consuming. Therefore, the expression “pull the gimp” (or “spread the gimp”) in a figurative sense began to mean: to do something monotonous, tedious, causing an annoying loss of time.
In the middle of nowhere
In ancient times, clearings in dense forests were called kuligs. The pagans considered them bewitched. Later, people settled deep into the forest, looked for swarms, and settled there with their whole family. This is where the expression comes from: in the middle of nowhere, that is, very far away.
Too
In Slavic mythology, Chur or Shchur is the ancestor, ancestor, god of the hearth - the brownie.
Initially, “chur” meant: limit, border.
Hence the exclamation: “chur,” meaning a prohibition to touch something, to cross some line, beyond some limit (in spells against “evil spirits,” in games, etc.), a requirement to comply with some condition , agreement
From the word “too much” the word “too much” was born, meaning: to go beyond “too much”, to go beyond the limit. “Too much” means too much, too much, too much.
Sherochka with a masherochka
Until the 18th century, women were educated at home. In 1764, the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens was opened in St. Petersburg at the Resurrection Smolny Convent. The daughters of nobles studied there from the ages of 6 to 18. The subjects of study were the law of God, the French language, arithmetic, drawing, history, geography, literature, dancing, music, various types of home economics, as well as subjects of “secular manners”. The usual address of college girls to each other was the French ma chere. From these French words came the Russian words “sherochka” and “masherochka”, which are currently used to name a couple consisting of two women.
Walk trump
In ancient Rus', boyars, unlike commoners, sewed a collar embroidered with silver, gold and pearls, which was called a trump card, to the collar of their ceremonial caftan. The trump card stuck out impressively, giving the boyars a proud posture. Walking as a trump card means walking is important, but trumping means showing off something.