Russians are famous for their work, as you can understand. Riddles of the Russian language

Club hour on the topic

Target: bring children to understand the importance and significance of any work

Tasks : expand children’s understanding of the importance of work in the life of society,

contribute to the formation of a positive moral assessment of character, such as hard work,

encourage children to develop work skills,

learn to navigate the world of professions,

cultivate respect for people of any profession.

Presenter 1

Good afternoon, dear guys, guests of our holiday!

Today we dedicate our meeting to work. The theme of our club hour

“Man is great and glorious through his work”

Today we will find out why it is work that glorifies a person and what it consists of.

And we want to start with little story K. Ushinsky “Two plows”.

A dramatization of K. Ushinsky’s story “Two Plows”.

Two plows were made from the same piece of iron in the same workshop.

One of them fell into the hands of a farmer and immediately went to work;

and the other spent a long time and completely uselessly in the merchant’s shop.

It happened some time later that both countrymen met again.

The farmer's plow shone like silver and was even better than when it came out.

from the workshop; the plow, which lay idle in the shop, darkened and became covered with rust.

Tell me please, why do you shine so much? – the rusty plow asked an old friend.

From work, my dear,” he answered. - And you rusted and became worse than you were, because

that all this time you lay on your side, doing nothing.

Presenter 2

Why did the plow that came to the farmer shine like silver? (because he worked)

What happened to the plow that lay idle? (darkened and covered with rust)

Who does Ushinsky mean when he talks about plows? (hard worker and lazy person)

Presenter 1

Since ancient times and centuries, children have been taught to work from early childhood.

Staging of Z. Alexandrova’s poem “Golden Hands”

(two boys come out and read a poem)

The boy who lives in apartment number five has golden hands.

They come to the master by hearsay to make a key and seal a coffee pot.

Golden hands all covered in calluses, abrasions and ink stains -

He glued the globe yesterday at school, and fixed his neighbor’s radio.

We changed the spiral on the tiles, repaired the leaky bucket...

In his pockets, ingots rattle - tin, lead and silver.

The little master is called to assemble the walkers and lubricate them with oil.

If the electricity goes out, golden hands are right there.

The mother is proud of these hands, even though the boy is only ten years old,

He will change the cork - and a living and bright light will light up in the rooms.

Before he had time to read about it in a book, he came up with everything at random.

“The boy has golden hands!” - the neighbors talk about him.

Presenter 2

Proverbs and sayings acted as rules of labor behavior.

Do you know proverbs and sayings about work? We'll check this now.

We read the beginning of the proverbs, and you continue.

Working with proverbs:

Patience and work... (everything will grind)

Under a lying stone... (and the water does not flow)

Don't rush with your tongue... (hurry with your deeds)

Do you like to ride... (you also like to carry sleds)

Business before pleasure)

You can’t take it out without difficulty... (and the fish from the pond)

Finished the job... (walk boldly)

Labor feeds... (and laziness spoils)

Presenter 1

Work is the most important thing in the life of every person. There are so many roads, bridges, cars, cities on our land.

And they all appeared thanks to human hands. Man beautifies the earth with his labor.

Presenter 2

He knows how to grow crops, build houses, invent different machines, fly into space and much more.

Work ennobles a person. Man is famous for his work.

Presenter 1

Today is a very special day! We have gathered here, friends,

To glorify the hands of workers - we will do this... you and I!

Presenter 2

We want you to remember this holiday for a long time, because

(approaches the poster on which it is written: “The sun paints the earth, but man’s labor”)

Labor appears. He's wearing overalls. There is a bright emblem on the chest.

Work.

Hello, friends! I know this for sure: they always say that without me you can’t even pull a fish out of the pond. Let me introduce myself. I am Labor! And I am pleased that you came to the holiday in my honor.

It's good that there is stone, clay and sand in the world!

It’s good that there are pliers, nails, and a hammer in the world!

There are threads and there is a shovel - you can sew and you can dig!

Respect the work, guys! Learn to love work!

Presenter 1

A man is great by his work. Since ancient times, people have attached great importance to the attitude towards work.

The ideal of the working life of our ancestors was hard work and a responsible attitude to work.

Children(read poetry )

The only happiness is work, in the fields, at the machine, at the table!

Work until you sweat, work without extra bills -

Hours of hard work.

Great joy - work, in the fields, at the machine, at the table!

Work until you sweat hot, work without extra bills -

All the happiness of the earth comes from work.

Presenter 2

Now look at these statements and say: what does work give to a person? How do you understand the meaning?

(statements on the slide: Work makes a person beautiful, but idleness spoils him.

Only in work can you show all your best qualities .)

Presenter 1

What does a person learn in a team?

(answers on the slide: In a team person:

learns to communicate with other people,

gets the opportunity to feel the strength and support of the team.

Presenter 2

And in our time, a person in society, in a class team, is valued for his work.

It is not immediately possible for a person to complete large and complex work. We have to start small.

Where do we start in the classroom, what kind of work do we do?

Presenter 1

With many responsibilities of a person in society, in a class group, he is judged, first of all, by his work.

Work helps a person to reveal his personality and show his abilities.

Children (speak on offer):

Each of us in the class is responsible for the assigned task.

We must treat our work conscientiously so that we will be noted only on the good side.

It’s not for nothing that they say that work is a source of joy and pleasure.

Labor was, is and will be the basis of life on earth.

In work, a person will become physically healthy and morally educated.

The well-being and well-being of a person depend on work.

Work also has great personal meaning.

We know how happy people are who can do a lot with their own hands.

To become a good specialist, we must know a lot and be able to do a lot.

Presenter 2

Let's read the rule about labor.

(words on the slide: Nothing ever comes without difficulty.

Know how to mend a stocking if you need it,

Prepare your lesson without help.

Be the first in learning, be the first in work,

We don’t like white-handed dogs anywhere.)

Presenter 1

Let us also glorify the man of labor, and at the same time let’s play.

I will greet skilled people with flags of different colors.

I raise the blue one - you have to clap, the green one - stomp, the yellow one - be silent, the red one - shout hurray.

Presenter 2

Today we are sitting at a school desk. Studying is work, and it’s not easy. School years will pass.

We will become adults and we will need to choose a profession. What is a profession? ( children's answers)

(definition on the slide:

A profession is a type of work that requires a person to

certain training, knowledge and skills.)

Presenter 1

Do you know how many professions there are on the planet? What professions do you know? (children's answers)

Riddles about profession ( children read)

The bell rang loudly and class began.

The student knows and the parent will teach the lesson... (teacher)

Who will prescribe vitamins? Who can cure a sore throat?

Don’t cry during vaccinations - he knows how to treat... (doctor)

All products are on display: vegetables, nuts, fruits.

Tomato and Cucumber offers... (salesman)

On a dark night, on a clear day, he fights fire.

In a helmet, like a glorious warrior, he hurries to the fire... (firefighter)

He puts bricks in a row, builds a kindergarten for the children

Not a miner or a driver, he will build a house for us... (builder)

He waves a thin stick and the choir on stage begins to sing.

Not a wizard, not a juggler. Who is this? (conductor)

Poems about professions (children read)

Rockets fly from the earth to distant planets.

Their constructor developed, did not sleep day and night, worked.

Give me scissors and a comb, he will do your hair.

Hairdresser will certainly give you a modern haircut.

He will draw fruits, nature, and portraits.

Took it artist brushes, paints and easel for work.

Give to the cook products: poultry meat, dried fruits,

Rice, potatoes and then delicious food awaits you.

Animals, birds, everyone who is sick, who is dissatisfied with their health!

calling you vet - bandage it, give a decoction.

Who pulls a hare out of a hat to everyone's surprise?

This magician gives a performance at the circus.

Ditties about professions

I tell everyone I know that I want to be astronomer.

I don't like to sleep at night, better than the stars study.

I like to answer in front of the whole class in class.

This experience will be useful - I want artist become.

I decided that there was no point in taking up boxing -

I will dentist , everyone is afraid of him.

Vovka boasts to the guys that he will become lawyer.

And while he's not a lawyer, he beats up everyone.

Be scout I want, because I am resourceful and brave.

Mom hid the candy, I found out where it was and ate it.

I will haircut master and I will take revenge on Lariska -

I’ll cut my hair just like a boy, and then I’ll forgive you.

I go to gymnastics and eat only once a week.

I'll tell you a secret: I want to become model .

And now boxing judge I can certainly become.

Presenter 2

There are many different professions on earth, and the tools that are used by people of different professions

even more. Guess who uses scissors? Who's the pointer? Who needs a syringe? (children's answers)

Presenter 1

We have not yet chosen our tools and work, but we will soon.

Presenter 2

Our main tools are our heart, head and hands.

If the heart wants and the hands do, we can handle any job.

Presenter 1

A person in every profession has his own professional qualities.

Let's try to determine what a teacher should be like? What about the fireman?

(children's answers: kind, smart, patient, etc.)

Children read a poemY. Tuvima “Everything for everyone”

A mason builds houses, a dress is the work of a tailor,

But it’s difficult for a tailor to work without a warm shelter.

The mason would be naked if skillful hands

The apron, jacket and trousers were not made in time.

The baker instructs the shoemaker to sew the boots on time.

Well, a shoemaker without bread will sew and sharpen a lot.

So it turns out that way; everything we do is necessary

So let's work honestly, diligently and together.

Presenter 2

Are there qualities required for all professions? Name them.

( Slide with words:goodwill, politeness, responsibility, accuracy, patience, hard work, attentiveness, endurance, perseverance, perseverance)

Presenter 1

What do they say about a person who does his job well? (master of his craft)

Can you say that about a hairdresser? What about the tailor? What about the surgeon?

Presenter 2

For their work, for their skillful, talented hands, such people are called people - golden hands.

They are encouraged, they receive awards: honorary titles, diplomas, orders, medals.

Their work is glorified. And it’s not for nothing that they say: work glorifies a person.

Children read a poem.

There is so much beauty in the world that we do not notice.

This is because every day we meet her familiar features.

We know how beautiful the clouds, the river, the flowers, the face of our beloved mother are,

And Pushkin’s flying line, and the fact that a person is beautiful in his deeds.

Presenter 1

Labor was, is and will be the main glory of life on earth.

Any work is honorable and all work is good.

Teacher

Guys, our Classroom hour has come to an end. You did a good job! Well done!

We will also talk to you about different professions and go on excursions.

I hope the good moments remain in your memory.

And there is something that each of us wants to think about.

Performing the song “Those who work always have their dreams come true”

(M. Weinberg to words by M. Korostylev)

Chorus: For those who work, every dream will always come true.

After all, there is magical power in work.

He will move snowy mountains, pass through boundless seas,

He wins everywhere and everywhere.

Verse 1: And the one who considers all tasks to be punishment,

Who is used to loafing all day long?

Of course, even if he doesn’t hope for a miracle,

Only two will decorate his diary.

Fail

To fail means to experience failure, to fail on the way to the goal. However, the word “fiasca” in Italian means a large two-liter bottle. How could such a strange combination of words be created and how did it acquire its modern meaning?

There is an explanation for this. It was born from the unsuccessful attempt of the famous Italian comedian Bianconelli to perform a funny pantomime in front of the public with a large bottle in his hand. After his failure, the words “Bianconelli fiasco” took on the meaning of an acting failure, and then the word “fiasco” itself began to mean failure.

The Secret of the Polichenelle

The expression Polichenelle secret means a secret that is not such, everyone just pretends that it is actually a secret.

Or rather, this is a secret that everyone already knows: “The secret is for the whole world.”

The expression comes from the name of the comic character of the French theater - a bully, a jester and a chatterbox, who communicated things known to everyone in secret. An incorrigible talker, he is completely incapable of keeping secrets. The hero of the puppet comedy constantly says that he is thinking about getting married.

Why are newcomers called "Dummies"?

A teapot is an inexperienced user, a person who does not know how to efficiently use a personal computer to the extent necessary for him. The term comes from mountaineering. Experienced climbers call a kettle a beginner who has made his first ascent to the top of a mountain. As a rule, the first thing such people do is not take the necessary actions to set up the camp, but pose for photographers, resting one hand on their side, and putting the other to the side, leaning on an ice axe, ski pole, etc., which is why their silhouette strongly resembles a teapot.

“Whose cow would moo, yours would be silent.”

Nowadays this saying is not used for its intended purpose. Initially it was a wish for health, satiety and wealth. The fact is that hungry or sick cows begin to moo randomly and moan protractedly.

Go all out

In the old days it was common to ring church bells. Bells in churches were made of all sizes and voices - from small to colossal (the famous bell of the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral weighed 4,000 poods, that is, about 65 tons). It is not surprising if in the church charters the largest bells were called “grave”, that is, “heavy”, and “strike all the bells” meant: start ringing all the bells.

It is quite clear that for a very long time “ringing all the bells” began to mean: noisily discussing some news, telling it right and left. After all, the people were notified of important events by the ringing of bells. At the same time, the expression “to go all out” appeared; it meant: to act without regard for anything. As you can see, the origin of these words has been completely forgotten, and they have acquired a completely new meaning.

Burn with blue flame

The blue gas fire that now burns in almost every kitchen was familiar to our ancestors only in the most critical situations: if you showed up at a cemetery in the dead of night or got into a muddy swamp. Methane in nature is formed during the decay of organic residues without access to oxygen. Usually this phenomenon is observed precisely in a swamp or next to fresh graves; it is not for nothing that the trivial name for methane is swamp gas. In this case, trace amounts of phosphorus pentahydride may be formed as an impurity; this substance immediately ignites in air and ignites the rest of the gas. During the day, it is almost impossible to see burning methane, but at night, swamp and grave lights are clearly visible. The belief connects the appearance of blue lights with the ordeals of restless souls: sinners who died without repentance, suicides and simply people who drowned in a swamp. It is believed that it is their souls that are burning, the torment of which began even before the Last Judgment. So it’s not difficult to imagine what gloomy meaning our ancestors put into the expression “burn with a blue flame.” And now, when a person claims that he is burning with a blue flame, this means that he is in an extremely difficult situation from which he cannot get out on his own. Sometimes you hear someone exclaim: “Yes, burn it all with a blue flame!” This means that the person has lost his last hope of arranging some business properly, and has completely given up on it.

In the bag

When they say “it’s in the bag,” it means: everything is in order, everything ended well. Sometimes the origin of this saying is explained by the fact that in the days of Ivan the Terrible, some court cases were decided by lot, and lots were drawn from the judge’s hat.

However, the word “hat” came to us no earlier than in the days of Boris Godunov, and even then it was applied only to “German”, foreign attire. It is unlikely that this rare word could have found its way into a popular saying at that time.

There is another explanation: much later, clerks and clerks, when dealing with court cases, used their hats to receive bribes.

If only you could help me, -

The “plaintiff” says to the clerk in the caustic poem by A.K. Tolstoy,

I would pour them in, by the way, into

Ten rubles for a hat.

Rash now, said

Deacon, exposing his cap.-

Well - well!

It is very possible that the question: “Well, how am I doing?” clerks often answered with a sly wink: “It’s all in the bag.” This is where our saying could have come from.

Shabby look

“In a shabby robe”, “shabby appearance”... You, of course, have heard such phrases more than once.

What is “shabby”? Another linguist will answer without hesitation: “Meal” means “table” in Greek, “shabby” means “table”.

As if everything is correct, but it is not clear why a person, when going to the table, should have a bad or unsightly appearance: after all, “shabby” at the same time means: seedy, neglected, low-grade.

To clear up any confusion, let's look at the documents. And this is what we learn: the word “shabby” in these expressions direct relationship has nothing to do with “meal”. This word is derived from “shabby” - the name of cheap motley fabric, named after Zatrapeznov, the merchant in whose factory it was produced.

Strictly speaking, this solution to the issue cannot be considered final either. It is permissible to ask: “What word did such a surname come from?” Judging by others similar to it, it should have come from an adjective, like “Krasnov” - from “red”, “Zheleznoye” - from “iron”, etc. But then this adjective could only be “shabby”. It existed before the surname. And if so, our initial doubt remains valid: where did the word itself come from? Probably, after all, from the “meal”.

Probably one of the ancestors of this merchant became known for his hospitality, or his ability to conduct table conversations, or some other pleasant “shabby” quality. Which one? This remains to be seen.

Manna from heaven

The Bible says that during the wandering of the Jews in the desert, when famine set in, “manna from heaven” suddenly began to fall from the sky, which saved the exhausted people.

This story is not one hundred percent fiction, but there is no miracle in it either. God, who, according to the Bible, sent food to the unfortunate wanderers, of course, has nothing to do with it. In the desert through which the Jewish peoples wandered, the edible lichen lecanora is common. As they mature, the lichen crusts crack and curl into balls. These balls are similar to semolina. They are very light and can be carried by wind over long distances. Nomads collect edible lichen, pound it and bake bread from the resulting flour.

The expression “manna from heaven” means: unexpected luck, miraculous help. “Wait like manna from heaven” - hope impatiently. “To eat manna from heaven” is to live on something, by random and mysterious means. The word "manna" comes from a Hebrew root meaning "to give." Our semolina is named after the legendary manna, with which it has nothing in common.

Live large

Let us make a reservation right away: it is difficult to vouch for the authenticity of the history of the origin of this saying. But she's entertaining.

The birth of this combination of words, as they say, is to blame for the fashion that arose in England back in the 12th century. An ugly growth appeared on the big toe of the right foot of the English king Henry II Plantagenet. The king could not change the shape of his disfigured leg. Therefore, he ordered himself shoes with long, sharp, turned-up toes.

The effect was amazing. The very next day, shoemakers were inundated with orders for “toe-toe” shoes; each new customer sought to outdo the previous one. The king considered it best to limit the length of socks by law: ordinary citizens were allowed to wear shoes with a toe no longer than half a foot (15 centimeters), knights and barons - one foot (about 30 centimeters), and counts - two feet.

Shoe sizes thus became evidence of wealth and nobility. They started talking about rich people: “Look, he lives large (or big)!”

To prevent huge shoes from falling off, fashionistas had to stuff them with hay. Therefore, in France, which also did not escape this fashion, another expression was born: “to have hay in your shoes”; it also means: “to live in contentment.”

Why do we still have to doubt the authenticity of this story? Yes, because the father of Henry II, Gottfried Plantagenet, is also called the trendsetter of this fashion.

Others date the appearance of long shoes to the 14th century. Spaniards consider the idiom "living large" to be Spanish, Germans to consider it German, etc.

One thing is certain: this expression - an exact translation from German - became widely used in Russia more than a hundred years ago, after the Literary Gazette published a note about its origin in 1841.

The story about the royal callus, the fashion associated with it and the proverb that arose thanks to it interested the reading public. All this led to the fact that a foreign phrase took root on Russian soil.

Drinking and takeaway

This is how royal taverns have been selling alcohol since almost the time of Boris Godunov. The tselovalnik received government wine in forty barrels, and sold it either on tap - in glasses and mugs, or in measuring containers

Scales, bottles, damasks or half-damasks. The very word “kisser” comes from the fact that the innkeepers swore (kissed the cross) that they would not dilute the resulting vodka, and also would not allow underfilling into the sovereign’s dishes. Vodka sold to take away was sealed and cost more than what was drunk on the spot. And they drank a sea of ​​this vodka. During the time of Alexei Mikhailovich, a glass of vodka cost exactly one kopeck, and the treasury’s income from running taverns amounted to millions of rubles. So you can be sure that in taverns they didn’t drink much in glasses, but more often in mugs. This is even noted in the name; the official name of the taverns is kruzhechnye dvors, or, simply put, kruzhala. And as soon as the unstable rooster starts spinning, he will drink everything to the last thread. The craftsman people reveled in boards and insoles, the philistines pawned their neckties and collars, the clergy received communion to the point of vestments or crawled home barely able to live. Thousands of fortunes and the last tool, working capital and seed grain were drunk away. Millions of dollars in revenue were costing the country dearly

Due to popular drunkenness, and even now, the problem has not diminished at all, since some want to drink immediately, while others want to get their hands on this matter.

And when a person, for the sake of momentary selfish interests, betrays something that should not be betrayed by definition (no matter: homeland, family or conscience), they say about such a person that he is selling his conscience, family or homeland for drinks and takeaway.

Blue stocking

With these words, a person who considers Russian to be his native language can hardly imagine a real stocking - nylon, nylon or wool. And this kind of sad image appears. As dictionaries tell us, a “bluestocking” is a woman who is completely absorbed in bookish and academic interests, callous, devoid of femininity and charm.

By the way, a lady’s appearance does not matter, just like the success of her intellectual work. She simply engages in mental activity to the detriment of traditionally feminine activities. The question is why “stocking” and why blue. Now this is much more interesting... Because the first bluestocking could have been a man.

This expression - "blue stocking" (blue stocking) arose in England in the 80s of the 18th century. He is associated with a circle that met with a certain Lady Montague for learned conversations. The soul of these very conversations was the scientist - Benjamin Stellingfleet. He, disregarding the rules of fashion, wore blue stockings (instead of white) with a dark dress. For this, some called the circle a “blue stocking society.”

However, there is another version, connected with the same circle. There seemed to be a woman there, a certain Stillingfleet (again, a similar surname), who wore blue stockings. This is what they called “blue stocking”.

Now it is no longer possible to establish exactly which member of this circle, a man or a woman, loved blue stockings so much, but what they loved is certain. Byron immortalized Lady Montagu's circle in the satirical work "The Blues".

The expression came to our Russian language in the first half of the 19th century, most likely through French. There, “blue stockings” - “bas bleus” - were women who neglected home and family. Thus, the Russian “blue stocking” is at least two hundred years old.

Washing Bones

Everyone knows the meaning of the expression “washing the bones” - discussing behind one’s back, talking badly about someone who is absent, etc. But not everyone knows where this expression came from and what it meant before.

Meanwhile, the origin of this expression is quite interesting and even somewhat funny.

Its roots go back to the times of Kievan Rus. Then there were a great many pagan rituals that did not survive to our times.

There was then a ritual that was carried out after the burial of the deceased, or more precisely after several years had passed from that moment (the exact number is unknown, there are several versions).

It was carried out as follows. The grave was dug up and the remains were rescued from there. Only relatives were present at the ceremony. Relatives rescued the remains and cleaned the bones from the remains of other tissues. During this, they praised the deceased, said only good things about him, and remembered the good deeds he had done - this part of the ritual was mandatory. After the bones were “washed” (in the literal and figurative meanings of the word), the remains were again buried in all traditions, only relatives were again present at the burial. It was believed that in the process of washing the bones, the spirit of the deceased became beneficent and found peace.

So it turns out that in Kievan Rus the expression “to wash the bones” meant “to speak good words about the deceased.”

The whole, so to speak, irony of this expression lies in the fact that in our time it has acquired a negative character. Although in some ways it has not lost its meaning, namely that the discussion of a person takes place in his absence.

This expression lost its original meaning during the propaganda of Orthodoxy, when pagan rituals were perceived as disbelief in Christ.

This is an interesting and unusual story of the origin of the expression “to wash the bones.”

, Vartanyan E. A, Detgiz, 1963

Why do we say: WHITE CROW

You have probably seen white mice and rabbits more than once. Less commonly you can see white blackbirds, horses, cows, and deer. White squirrels are found in North America. It is more difficult to imagine a milky toad with red eyes... There are, however, such.

What causes the coloring that is unusual for the animals listed and what is this phenomenon called?

As proven by scientists, this is caused by the lack of a coloring substance - pigment - in the skin and hair. Animals with such features are called albinos, and the phenomenon itself is called albinism (from the Latin word “albus” - white). There are albinos among crows, but White crow- this is an extraordinary rarity.

It was this circumstance that allowed the Roman satirical poet Juvenal (1st-2nd centuries AD) to make the following comparison: “A slave can become king, a captive can wait for triumph. Only such a lucky man rarer than a white crow...»

They liked Juvenal’s idea and they took it up. Two thousand years have passed since then, and we still say: “This White crow", meeting, for example, a person who stands out sharply from environment one or another quality.

It is worth recalling that a similar expression was born in the East: “ White elephant"; Albino elephants with red eyes are very rare and therefore highly prized among the inhabitants of the Indochina Peninsula.

Why do we say: SHOE THE FLE

At the top of Russian society in the 19th century there lived a familiar disdain for everything domestic, created in Russia, blind admiration for science, art, and culture of the West.

It was believed that the most that we Russians are capable of is imitation of foreign models.

The people have never taken this point of view and protested against it wherever possible. The people were very fond of stories and fables telling about the competition of “our” people with foreigners and about the victories that were often won by the Russian mind, intelligence, invention, and resourcefulness.

Writer N. S. Leskov from one such joke: “The British made steel made a flea, and our Tula people she was shod Yes, they sent them back” - created a wonderful story “Lefty” (“The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea”); the blacksmith Levsha managed not only to make overseas steel for the legs fleas, visible only with the best microscope, microscopic horseshoes, but also put the Tula factory mark on each of them in tiny letters.

Thanks to this story, the expression « shoe a flea » has become a widely used catchphrase meaning: to skillfully perform the most intricate, particularly delicate work.

Why do we say: BURIDAN'S DONK

Sometimes they say about someone: “He found himself in a position Buridan's donkey». What does this mean? How Buridan's donkey different from its brothers? Who is Buridan?

Philosophers of the late Middle Ages put forward a theory according to which the actions of living beings depend not on their own will, but solely on external reasons. Scientist Buridan(more precisely, Buridan), who lived in France in the 14th century, confirmed this idea with such an example. Let's take a hungry donkey and place two exactly identical armfuls of hay on both sides of its muzzle, at completely equal distances. The donkey will have no reason to prefer one of them to the other: after all, they are exactly the same. He will not be able to reach for either the right or the left and will eventually die of hunger.

It is not known whether those who disagreed with Buridan tried to carry out such an experiment and test his theory, but only since that time, people who are indecisive, hesitating for a long time before settling on one decision, are often called “ Buridan's donkeys».

Why do we say: BALAAM'S DONKEY

Balak, king of the Moabites, the Bible says, sent messengers for sorcerer Valaam, so that he would come and magically destroy the Israelites who were besieging the Moabite city of Jericho. Balaam mounted his donkey and set off on his way. But the biblical God was on Israel's side: he forbade the donkey to go. The quiet animal began to stop at every step.

Balaam beat the donkey twice. The third time the donkey “opened her mouth” and spoke in a human voice. She tried in vain to prove to her owner that it was crazy to go against the will of God. He disobeyed her and failed.

« Valaam's donkeys" are quiet, silent people who suddenly begin to boldly raise their voices in defense of their opinion.

Why do we say: THIS IS WHERE THE DOG IS BURIED!

There is a story: the Austrian warrior Sigismund Altensteig spent all his campaigns and battles with his beloved dog. And once, during a trip to the Netherlands, a dog even saved its owner from death. The grateful warrior solemnly buried his four-legged friend and erected a monument on his grave, which stood for more than two centuries - until the beginning of the 19th century.

Later, the dog monument could only be found by tourists with the help of local residents. It was at that time that the saying “ That's where the dog is buried!”, which now has the meaning: “found what I was looking for”, “got to the bottom of the matter.”

But there is a more ancient and no less probable source of the saying that has come down to us. When the Greeks decided to give the Persian king Xerxes a battle at sea, they put old men, women and children on ships in advance and transported them to the island of Salamis.

They say that a dog that belonged to Xanthippus, the father of Pericles, did not want to part with its owner, jumped into the sea and swam after the ship to Salamis. Exhausted from fatigue, she died immediately.

According to the testimony of the ancient historian Plutarch, this dog was given a cinema sema on the shore of the island - a dog monument, which was shown to the curious for a very long time.

Some German linguists believe that this expression was created by treasure hunters who, out of superstitious fear of the evil spirits supposedly guarding every treasure, did not dare to directly mention the purpose of their search and conventionally began to talk about the “black dog” and the dog, meaning by this the devil and the treasure .

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

Why do we say: he lies like a gray gelding

Here is a popular saying, which is not at all easy to interpret. In fact, why, of all the domestic animals, only the harmless gelding received the reputation of a liar, and why did she get involved with geldings of one specific color?

This is so strange, even absurd, that all the explanations proposed so far tend to reduce the matter to one or another error in popular memory.

The famous linguist and lexicographer V. Dal admitted that this had completely changed due to mishearing
the natural expression is “rushing like a gray gelding”: geldings are distinguished by their strength and endurance at work.

However, there is hardly any reason to think that gray, that is, white-gray, horses in this sense are superior to others, bay or black. It is unlikely that people would undeservedly single them out from the general ranks.

There is a completely different explanation. This saying was born as if from the memories of a great liar, a certain nobleman and officer of the tsarist army, Mr. von Sievers-Mehring, who lived a hundred or one hundred and fifty years ago. The original “lies like Sivers-Mering,” understandable only to this visionary’s colleagues, his familiar officers, was picked up and remade in their own way by the soldiers of his regiment; so it went for a walk around Rus' in this new form.

It is difficult to say whether this explanation is correct, but one cannot deny his wit.

There are, however, facts that make all such assumptions questionable. There is a popular saying: “as lazy as a gray gelding.” Gogolevsky Khlestakov writes to a friend about the simpleton mayor, as if he is “stupid, like a gray gelding.” Along with all this, we also have the not-so-elegant expression “bullshit,” which means: all sorts of incredible nonsense. There is no way to bring all of them to “Sievers-Mering” or to the combination of words “rushing like...”. Apparently, the science of Russian language phraseology cannot yet offer a final solution to this curious problem.

Why do we say: NEWSPAPER DUCK

False news published in newspapers is called " newspaper duck" When you think about the reasons for this, you involuntarily remember famous question the glorious “sage” Kozma Petrovich Prutkov: “Why do many people call fate a turkey, and not some other bird that is more similar to fate?”

In search of an answer, I had to rummage through a lot of books, leaf through magazines and newspapers that had turned yellow with time. What is the result?

“Donna de canar” - “ let the duck go", or simply "canary" is what the French call any implausible news. But why? How long ago and for what reason did these words appear? Dont clear. However, linguists tend to believe that the French are the authors of this “ ducks”, which then, having flown halfway around the world, took root in the Russian language.

However, supporters of this opinion have serious opponents - the Germans. And one cannot help but listen to their arguments. That's what they say: "I made it up" duck» their compatriot, prominent clergyman Martin Luther (XV-XVI centuries). In one of his speeches, instead of the word “legend,” he allegedly used “lyugenda” (“lyuge” - “lie”), thereby hinting at the lies that his opponents resort to. Later this word allegedly turned into “lug ente” (which literally means “ lying duck"), and then simply in " duck"with a figurative meaning already known to us.

In general, there are many other explanations, but we will give one more, which we think is the most interesting, and perhaps the most plausible.

One of the newspapers a hundred years ago said that the famous Belgian humorist Cornelissen decided to mock the gullibility of the public and published the following note in the magazine:

“The gluttony of ducks is known, but it is most evident from the following case. One scientist bought 20 ducks and immediately ordered one of them, with feathers and bones, to be chopped into small pieces, which he fed to the rest of the birds.

A few minutes later he did the same with another duck, then with a third, a fourth, and so on, until only one remained, which thus devoured 19 of its friends.”

The magazine published this nonsense, others reprinted it, and for several days everyone was talking about the gluttony of ducks. Only after the author himself revealed the secret of the “scientific experiment” did it become clear what had happened. From then on, every lie in the press began to be called a canard.

Marvelous? Another thing is even more surprising. Many years later, one of the American newspapers again published Cornelissen’s forgotten invention, and again there were eccentrics who believed this gluttonous old story. newspaper duck.

Why do we say: DEAF COUNTER

In pursuit of the winged word, we will be transported from the sun-burnt deserts of the biblical East to our northern spring forest.

A hunter sneaks up on a showing black grouse. A huge bird sings a joyful song on a tree: closing its eyes in ecstasy, it “flows,” “clicks,” “skirs,” and hears nothing of what is happening around. And, taking advantage of her temporary deafness, an experienced hunter jerks up to shooting distance.

People have long noticed the ability of black grouse to lose their hearing while mating. They even called one of the grouse breeds a wood grouse (although just try crunching a twig near a huge wood grouse when it is not showing!) And the very word “grouse in”, “grouse”, became a symbol of a gaping, sleepy person who sees nothing around him.

Hey you sleepy grouse,
Open the door for your brother! -

Ivan the Fool's brothers call out to each other in The Little Humpbacked Horse...

Not entirely fair to a very sensitive bird, but very expressive.

Why do we say: GOAL LIKE A FALCON

Here is a constant combination of words, for the explanation of which you do not need to go to foreign lands, but which, nevertheless, is not so simple and indisputable.

Firstly, it is strange that a feathered bird is depicted as an example of nudity. But it turns out there is no question of a bird here.

There is an opinion that what is meant here is not a falcon, but rather an ancient falcon - an iron-bound log or cast-iron beam, which Russian troops used in the distant past to hammer into the walls of besieged cities, that is, a battering ram. This may be true, but there is another interpretation. Isn’t it more correct to pronounce our proverb “A goal like a bough”? What is "sukol"? This was the name given by the peasantry to pairs of closely spaced stakes that support a palisade, wattle fence, or fence. In the autumn, when the field fences are destroyed, only naked tree branches remain in the fields; their sad, lonely appearance could indeed easily make them an image of sad nakedness, serve to create a saying - a characteristic of an extremely poor person.

Why do we say: THE MOUNTAIN GAVE BIRTH TO A MOUSE

A very long time ago, a mocking image came to people's minds: a huge mountain, after much gathering and talking, gives birth to the smallest animal - a mouse. Even among the ancient writers, Plutarch, Horace, we find jokes related to this, and even later this expression in different versions never seemed outdated to satirical writers and fabulists of all peoples of the earth. “The mountains are about to give birth, but a funny little mouse is born!” - our Tredyakovsky chuckled at his contemporaries-poets. This is how they spoke about mediocre rhymers and, in general, about everyone who promised more than they delivered.

The pungent word that arose thousands of years ago lives today and will live for who knows how long. That's what great power lies in it!

Why do we say: THE LOST SHEEP

The Gospel tells a parable - an instructive story with an allegory. A man had a flock of sheep, one of which got lost and disappeared. But the owner, since every animal from the herd was dear to him, left the rest and went in search of the missing one, found her and brought her home on his shoulders. So God comes to the rescue of the erring sinner, even leaving the prosperous righteous for a time in his care...

Under the words " lost sheep“now mean a good person who accidentally strayed “from the true path.”

Why do we say: WARM THE SNAKE (ON THE CHEST)

They think that this saying was born after the world learned Aesop’s fable “The Peasant and the Snake.” A certain farmer took pity on a snake that was numb from the cold and good-naturedly put it in his bosom. Having warmed up, the snake began by biting a compassionate man...

The meaning of the fable is a warning against excessive gullibility, and the words “ warm up the snake"became an allegorical image of such gullibility and black ingratitude.

Why do we say: SERPENT-TEMPTER

The forbidden fruit would have remained calmly hanging on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see), if only the first people Adam and Eve lived in paradise. Unfortunately, as the Bible tells us, there was also a serpent living there, that is, a snake that was possessed by the devil. And he decided to quarrel people with their creator. He quickly noticed that Adam listened to his wife's advice in everything, and Eve was very curious.

Realizing this, the serpent, prompted by the devil, wrapped himself around the tree on which amazing fruits grew, and began to tempt Eve, that is, to persuade her to taste them in order to find out what good is and what evil is. And then Eve, as the Bible says, “saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing to the eyes and desirable because it gives knowledge, and she took of its fruit and ate and gave it also to her husband, and he ate...”

That is why Satan, the devil, began to be called " tempter", and when we say " serpent tempter“, we reproach the interlocutor for seducing us with something tempting, but prohibited.

Why do we say: MAKE AN ELEPHANT OUT OF A FLIE

If someone exaggerates, turns a small fact into a whole event, the French will ironically but generally remark: “ This man makes a mountain out of nothing " The British “throw” some concrete material into the proverb: “ He makes a mountain out of a molehill ", they will say.

In such cases, we use the expression: “ Making an elephant out of a molehill ».

The birthplace of this catchphrase is Greece. It came to us from the satirical work “Praise of the Fly” by Lucian, who lived two thousand years ago. But the author of the expression was still not this ancient Greek satirist. Lucian only used a contemporary proverb, which is not fully known to us. This is what he writes at the end of his “Praise to the Fly”: “... I interrupt my speech, although I could say a lot more, so that no one would think that I, According to the proverb, I make mountains out of molehills ».

Why do we say: FROM PIG TO CRUCCIAN

In one folk story, a crafty monk set out to eat a pig. And the time was completely inappropriate for this - Lent had just begun.

The monk boldly disregarded the strictest prohibition of the church - “no, no meat during Lent”; however, he agreed to this only after he respectfully turned to the Lord God with a prayer for the remission of all his sins, past and present. And then solemnly, as if conjuring, he said: “Well, piglet, turn into crucian fish ».

This humorous phrase is still used today, when circumstances force someone to pass off what is real as wishful thinking, to make a deal with their conscience.

Why do we say: HOW TO GET CHICKEN IN SCHIBIT SCIENCE (GET IN)

Here is a very common saying that we repeat all the time, having no idea about its true meaning and origin. What's happened " chickens”(after all, not “chicken”!)? Why did he end up in cabbage soup, and not in another dish? Everything is unclear.

Let's start with " chicken" This word in old Russian means “rooster”. But there were no “cabbage soup” in our saying before. Previously, it was pronounced correctly: “ I got caught like chickens in a plucking", that is, he was plucked, "unlucky."

Word " pluck" was forgotten, and then people changed the expression "to the pluck" willy-nilly " in cabbage soup».
But no matter how this poisonous proverb has changed over the years, its meaning remains the same: “an unexpected misfortune has befallen you.”

When she was born? It’s unclear: some people think that even under Demetrius the Pretender, when “ plucked"The Polish conquerors fell; others - that in the Patriotic War of 1812, when the Russian people forced Napoleon's hordes to flee.

Why do we say: LIKE MILK FROM A GOAT

At first glance, this saying is similar to "".

In fact, there is nothing in common between them either in form or in meaning.

There are two “benefits” from a sheep: milk, from which cheese is made - feta cheese, and wool. From a ram - one thing: wool (meat does not count). But while goats also have benefits - milk, the goat gives neither milk nor wool . Can you compare him to a ram?

Initially our saying was longer, more precise and sounded like this: “ Benefits like a goat: no wool, no milk " Over time it has decreased. And so it was possible to understand that we were talking about something or someone completely unnecessary and useless.

It must be said that sometimes they say even more briefly - they don’t mention the goat, but are simply annoyed: “ What good are you: no wool, no milk! “And everything is clear too.

Why do we say: WATER OFF A GOOSE

This is not a simple saying, but part of an ancient spell formula. It used to be that a healer, pouring “speaking water” over sick children, and caring parents, bathing them in a bathhouse, mysteriously said: “ Water off a duck's back, and from our Kolenka (or Petenka) thinness (that is, illness).” And they believed that all sorts of misfortunes would escape from their son or daughter as quickly and without a trace as water runs off the goose's plumage.

Precisely from goose? No, not necessarily: from the feathers of any water bird. Indeed, in such birds the plumage is covered with a special fatty lubricant, which is secreted by the gland on the back at the root of their tail. Water does not wet them, rolling down the fat...

But you can’t say: “It’s like water from a chicken.” Have you seen the wet chicken? Pathetic view! It’s not for nothing that they say about confused, frightened people: “.”

Why we say: SCAPEAGOAT

The ancient Jews had a peculiar religious custom called “ azazel ", or " scapegoat " Once a year, on the day appointed for this, the people gathered; one goat they sacrificed to God, and the other was solemnly driven away (“released”) into the desert, after first “laying hands on him,” that is, touching him in turn. It was considered; that the sins of the entire people will be transferred to the driven goat and he will take them with him.

The combination of words “ scapegoat " This is what they call in a figurative sense a person who takes the rap for other people’s misdeeds, who is forced to pay for the sins of others.

Why we say: A CAT IN A PACK

« Buy a pig in a poke "means: to buy something behind the scenes, without knowing anything about the advantages or disadvantages of the purchase.

This saying is a fruit French wit. Probably, thanks to its imagery, even unexpectedness, it has firmly taken root both in the Russian language and in English (though the English replaced the cat with a pig), and in German.

Interestingly, the Germans created several variations of this expression. Thus, about a person who has foisted some thing on another, they say that he “ sold a pig in a poke ».

Another expression is widespread in German speech: “ let the cat out of the bag", that is, to make something secret obvious, something unknown - known.

Why do we say: CROCODILE TEARS

The ancient Egyptians believed Nile crocodiles carriers of divine evil. They were fed and spells were spoken to them to pacify their anger. Bloodthirstiness and deceit crocodile gave rise to amazing fantasies. The ancient Greek scientist Aelian wrote in his zoological treatise that a crocodile, taking water into its mouth, pours it on the steep paths along which people and animals descend to the river. As soon as the victim slips and falls, the crocodile jumps up to him and devours him.

Others said that the monster, having swallowed the body of a man, for some reason always irrigates his head. tears and only then does he finish his terrible feast.

In one of the Russian “Azbukovniks” - a kind of dictionary of the 17th century - this ancient belief was retold as follows: “The crocodile is an aquatic beast... Whenever there is a man to eat, then he cries and sobs, but does not stop eating, and tearing the head from the body, in vain (that is, looking at it), crying».

Even in ancient times, this “hypocrisy” of crocodiles gave rise to the emergence of an expression known among all nations. Crocodile tears- fake tears, fake regrets.

Well, still, does the story about tears have any basis?

Do crocodiles pour them or are they just a figment of the wild imagination of the ancients?

The answer to this is not so simple.

The author of the satire “In Praise of Stupidity,” Erasmus of Rotterdam (16th century), believed that when a crocodile sees a person, it is not tears that flow, but salivation. Four centuries have passed, but until recently no one has learned anything reliable about crocodile tears. Their secret was recently unraveled by Swedish scientists Fange and Schmidt-Nilsson. It turned out that crocodiles are indeed whiny creatures. But this is not caused by an excess of feelings, but... salts. The crocodile has developed special glands to remove excess salts from the body; the excretory ducts of these glands are located right next to the eyes of the crocodile. So it turns out: these glands started working - and the crocodile “cryed” with burning salty tears.

So, crocodile tears- these are not tears of deceit and hypocrisy, and, strictly speaking, not tears at all. But the expression associated with the ancient error lives in the language and will certainly remain in the speech of peoples for many centuries.

Why should the language abandon it? Whether crocodiles cry or not, there are many people who love to shed streams of feigned tears for any reason, tears flowing from human eyes, but in essence the concept is “crocodile”.

Why do we say: KURSK NIGHTINGALE

Nightingale- the favorite bird of our people, a feathered master of the first rank. For a long time we have had connoisseurs of nightingale singing: they not only had a keen understanding of its “tribes”, but strictly distinguished between different nightingale “schools”.

The best masters were considered nightingales from central Russia, especially from the vicinity of Kursk. Therefore, they were valued higher than others in the poultry market, and the very combination of words “ kursk nightingale” began to be used in a commendable sense to excellent singers, and in a mocking sense to sweet-voiced and pretentious talkers.

Why do we say: SWAN SONG

It seems that this figurative expression is based, like the belief that gave rise to it, on a misunderstanding, on a mistake.

Zoologists know: there are two types of swans - mute swans and whoopers. The latter have a sonorous trumpet voice; the first ones only hiss. It is very possible that our distant ancestors, not yet able to distinguish between these breeds of birds, confused them. Some heard “swan calls”, others got tame swans, but could not wait for a sound from them. This could give rise to the belief that although swans sing, they sing only once in their lives - before death.

Already in Aeschylus’s tragedy “Agamemnon”, Queen Clytemnestra, having killed the prophetess Cassandra (see “Orestes and Pylades”, “Gifts of the Danaans”), says:

« ...she fell by my hand,
singing a prophetic swan song before death».

Modern language calls swan song the last, dying creation of man.

Why do we say: THE LION'S SHARE

In Krylov’s fable “A Lion on the Hunt,” the animals jointly organize a round-up and catch a deer. There are four participants: a dog, a wolf, a fox and a lion. But when dividing the spoils, the lion distributes the four parts like this:

« This is my part According to the contract;
Here's this one for me like Leo, belongs no doubt;
This one is for me because I am stronger than everyone;
And only one of you will stretch out his paw to this little one,
He won't get up alive».

From this fable it is clear what “ lion's share».

Well, this is how this expression arose in the work of I. A. Krylov? It turns out that this is not entirely true.

We find similar fables in literally every major fabulist of all nations. “The Lion, the Fox and the Donkey” by Aesop opens this series, followed by “The Heifer, the Goat and the Sheep in Collaboration with the Lion” by La Fontaine, “The Lion, the Heifer, the Goat and the Sheep” by Tredyakovsky, two fables by Sumarokov and “The Lion’s Divide” by Chemnitser.

What does it mean? Apparently, the theme of injustice of powerful and strong people has occupied the world for so long and firmly that it never ceases to be new. " The lion's share" - an expression very ancient and deeply folk.

Why do we say: MARTYSHKIN'S LABOR

This saying arose from I. A. Krylov’s fable “The Monkey and the Glasses.” Do you remember what the monkey did when his eyes became weak?

She got herself half a dozen glasses;
He turns his glasses this way and that:
Sometimes he sniffs them, sometimes he licks them;
The glasses don't work at all.

The expression “monkey labor”, first used by the remarkable Russian critic D.I. Pisarev (1840-1868), is used as a characteristic of useless efforts, wasted efforts, unnecessary work.

Why do we say: WET CHICKEN

Waterfowl (ducks, geese) have plumage that does not get wet in water: in the rain they look the same as in good weather. Chickens, turkeys and other poultry do not have this property. Everyone knows that you can’t imagine a more pitiful sight than a chicken soaked in the rain.

Naturally, the expression “wet chicken” has come to characterize a confused, helpless person.

Why do we say: THE WISDOM OF THE SERPENT

We know well that snakes, like reptiles, by no means belong to creatures gifted big brain and "mind". There is no significant difference in this sense between them and turtles, and lizards are probably much superior to them in intelligence.

However, to the ancient Jews, for reasons that are no longer too clear to us, the “serpent” (that is, the serpent) seemed to be an emblem of wisdom (see “”), and even Satan himself was embodied in the “serpent.” From them we inherited, through the Bible and the Gospel, this expression.

Why do we say: (TO HIM) YOU CAN’T RIDE ON A GOAT

This rather rare phrase, meaning “he is completely unapproachable,” probably arose in the language of the old Russian “amusing people” - all sorts of jesters, guda O shnikovs and buffoons.

Amusing his high patrons, using harps and bells for their amusement, dressing up in goat and bear skins, in the plumage of a crane, these “spinners” sometimes knew how to do some pretty good things.

It is possible that their “repertoire” included goat riding or pigs.

Obviously, it was the buffoons who sometimes encountered such a bad mood from a high-ranking person that he “ even the goat didn't work».

This is where this saying comes from.

Why we say: DON'T THROW BEARS BEFORE PIGS

This saying is borrowed from the Gospel. There it already represents an allegory: “ Don't throw pearls before swine so that they do not trample it underfoot”, that is: do not waste good words on someone who is not able to appreciate them.

This expression especially took root in our speech after D. Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” was published. Deacon Kuteikin funny says there: he was expelled from theological school - seminary - on the grounds that “ it is written: don't throw pearls before swine ...»

And now we repeat these words with the same meaning.

Why do we say: THE FIRST SWALLOW

All peoples of temperate countries consider the swallow to be the harbinger of spring. Five centuries before our era, the Greeks sang a song:

Come to us, swallow, come to us!
They will come to visit us with you
Sunshine and bucket.

Probably, since then, the “first swallow” has become not only a sign of spring, but also an image that speaks of the first signs of the approach of something joyful, a change for the better.

But the keen eye of the ancients noticed something else: one swallow is not enough to confidently expect the coming spring - it is the first swallow that often deceives. “Una hirundo non facit ver!” - “One swallow does not make spring,” they used to say back in Ancient Rome. And Aesop himself composed a fable about a frivolous youth who squandered everything he had. He saved only his cloak, but one day, when he saw the first swallow, he sold that too. Frost struck, and frivolity was punished. The content of this fable was repeated by our I.A. Krylov (“Mot and the Swallow”) many centuries later.

When we say: “Oh, this is the first swallow!” - we hint at the first signs of impending favorable events. When cautious people answer: “One swallow does not make spring!” - they warn against excessive hasty gullibility and advise against prophesying events in advance.

Why we say: BET ON THE WRONG HORSE

Compared to others, this is a completely new expression. It was born on racetracks, where during races and races bets are made on which horse will come first and gambling is played.

“Bet on the wrong horse” means losing, and is used figuratively when a person’s selfish calculations turn out to be incorrect, when he is grossly mistaken in his hopes, or makes a mistake.

Why do we say: BELUG ROAR

This phrase is a mistake. More precisely, a “verbal typo” crept into it. There are two completely different living creatures in the seas: beluga fish, the largest of the sturgeon family (like all other fish, it never roars or howls), and a commercial beluga whale- one of the cetaceans, a dolphin, with white naked skin. Here at beluga whales there is a voice: moving in herds in the sea, they emit a peculiar lowing, something like a bull's roar. The language confused these two animals. Why?

Probably not without the influence of one feature of our Russian pronunciation. In some places we pronounce the letter “g” as a sound somewhat similar to “x”: “hora”, “long-haired”... This is how the word “ may have been pronounced.” beluga” some spoke. Others, out of habit of correcting an incorrect pronunciation, at the same time changed the similar word “ beluga whale».

However, this explanation cannot in any way be considered indisputable.

Anyway, " beluga roar», « sigh like a beluga"means: to emit loud and sad moans. This expression, although it is erroneous, is understood by everyone. And if you say correctly: “ beluga whale roar“, - they won’t understand you, and even correct you. Who will be right in this case? These are the quirks of our language.

Why do we say: PUT THE PIG

Hearing the word " pig“, each of us immediately draws a well-known pet for ourselves. This image has long acquired a not very honorable meaning, and many are surprised, say, when they encounter an aristocratic boyar surname in history “ pigs" What kind of fantasy did people have to be called by a “pig” name!

Meanwhile, the Svinins’ ancestor received this surname as a reward for military merit: he was the first to build the grand ducal army “ pig", that is " wedge" It is also known that Alexander Nevsky managed to defeat the knightly “ pig».

The triangular "pig" battle formation was considered very formidable.

Perhaps that’s why the words “to screw over” (to someone) began to mean: to cause a big nuisance. It is curious that in German The idiomatic expression "to have a pig" means "luck". “Er hat shwein” (“he has a pig”) - he is lucky.

An episode from F. Rabelais’ book “Gargantua and Pantagruel” about the trick that Brother Jean resorted to when preparing for the battle with sausages can also be considered interesting for explaining the phrase “put a pig on the table.” Repeating the trick of the ancient Greeks during the siege of Troy (see “Gifts of the Danaans”), he ordered the construction of a huge pig and, together with the cooks, hid inside it. At the decisive moment, the cooks, led by brother Jean, jumped out of cover and put the stunned enemy to flight.

However, it should be said that these explanations cannot be considered indisputable. It is possible that the basis for them was the invincible aversion of some eastern peoples (in particular, the Tatars) to pork meat. A Mohammedan who was “put on a pig” at a meal, that is, treated to pork in a deceptive manner, became extremely angry and almost fell ill. It is very likely that our expression came from here.

Why do we say: BEHOLD THE LION, NOT THE DOG

This humorous saying arose from the following story. A certain artist, commissioned by the church, undertook to draw a lion for religious lithographs. Not being sure that he had completed the work flawlessly, and not without reason fearing that the lion might be confused with another animal, the artist captioned his drawing: “It’s a lion, not a dog.”

The prototype of this plot is probably the story of Don Quixote Sancho Panza about one artist, “who, when asked what he was painting, answered: “What will happen.” If, for example, he drew a rooster, he would certainly sign: “This is a rooster,” so that they would not think that it was a fox.

The expression “Here is the lion, not the dog” is an ironic assessment of any work that was executed so poorly that it requires explanation of what thought or idea the author or artist wanted to express in it.

Why do we say: GRAY LIKE A HARRIER

Harrier is a feathered predator. Some species of harriers are colored bluish-ash-gray, so that from a distance they appear whitish in flight. It is with this bird, and not with the moon, as some people think, that the gray-haired, white-headed man is compared.

And yet, only the white color of the plumage is still insufficient for comparison. Otherwise, why not compare such a person to, say, a swan? No, it’s all about the similarity of “appearance”. The harrier bird with a curved beak and a crown of feathers around its cheeks and chin surprisingly resembles a gray-haired bearded old man.

Why do we say: BLUE BIRD

For some Germanic peoples, the bluebird has long been a symbol of happiness. “Chasing the blue bird” means seeking happiness. It is clear how this symbol came about: there are no truly blue birds in Europe, and it is difficult to say the least to catch such a bird.

The Russian people did not know either this image or this expression until the beginning of the nine hundred years. In those years, the play “The Blue Bird” by the Belgian writer M. Maeterlinck became famous in our country. The author built it precisely on the idea that was just discussed. Little Tiltil and Mytil, the children of a poor woodcutter, set off on a journey in search of the “blue bird”, but return to the house without it: the bluest of all the birds turns out to be the starling who lived in their hut.

Since that time, in our country, the “blue bird” has become a symbol of unattainable happiness, an unrealizable, albeit beautiful dream. And “hunting for a blue bird” means looking for the impossible, wasting time and energy.

As you can see, this is one of those phrases that was not born in ancient times, among the people, but was recently picked up in Western literature by intelligent people. Even now it lives only in the language of educated people; if you say: “You are chasing a blue bird,” not everyone will understand you.

Why do we say: ELEPHANTS LEAVE

“Elephants loitering” means: to wander around idle, to loiter. How did these words come about?

They led an Elephant through the streets,
As you can see, for show,
It is known that Elephants are a curiosity among us,
So crowds of onlookers followed the Elephant.

This is how I. A. Krylov portrays the case. It seems clear: “loiter” comes from the word “elephant”.

Linguists think it's not that simple. The question is, where did the Russian word “elephant” come from? It has nothing in common with the name of this animal among other peoples.

There is an assumption: the word “elephant” is bookish, made up. Our ancestors thought that the thick legs of an elephant did not bend; in order to fall asleep, he must “lean against the tree,” that is, lean against a support and sleep like that. That’s why they called it “elephant”.

Of course, this is a naive explanation. But we learned that in the old Russian language, even before the Russian people became acquainted with elephants, the word “sloniti” and even “sloniti-sya” already existed. So, perhaps, there was a similar word “loitering” next to it, and it was then transferred to a swaying, careless gait, to walking from wall to wall, from corner to corner? Then the elephant has nothing to do with it: he probably got involved in our phrase later, simply by the sound similarity of the two words.

You will shrug your shoulders: it was worth starting an explanation if nothing can be said for sure! It would be very worth it: for you to see by example how complex the history of some of our words is and how much is still unclear and unresolved in it.

Why do we say: THREE WHALES

They say: “the three pillars of geometry are several of its basic postulates and theorems.” Three pillars are the most important, basic condition, foundation of something. Why? What do whales have to do with it?

The point is in the most ancient ideas about the structure of the world. Some peoples believed that the Earth was flat and supported by three whales that swam in the vast ocean. Consequently, these whales were in their eyes the basis of the foundations, the foot of the whole world.

As always happens, a belief has long been forgotten, but a reminder of it still lives in the language.

Why do we say: PHARAOH'S COWS

One of the Egyptian pharaohs (kings), as the Bible says, had a strange dream. He saw seven fat (fat) cows and seven skinny ones. The skinny cows ate the fat ones, but they didn’t get any fatter. The priests explained to the king that this was a prophetic dream: for seven years there would be a harvest in Egypt, and for the next seven there would be famine.

Pharaoh's skinny cows became a symbol of people or animals for whom nothing benefits, as well as a situation that cannot be corrected no matter how much money or effort is spent.

Why do we say: WALK GOGOL

Everyone knows the name N.V. Gogol, but not everyone knows that the word “Gogol” means a certain breed of wild duck. As is typical for many birds from the duck family, goldeneyes on land perform importantly, waddling, with their chest protruded and their shiny, black-green head “proudly” thrown back. This dignified gait of theirs led to the fact that the words “walk like a horse” began to be applied to any pompous, dignified gait.

Why do we say: KNOWN MOVE

We have already become familiar with one expression taken from the language of chess players (see “Getting into Time Trouble”). From there the constant fusion “knight's move” came into the Russian phraseological dictionary.

In a chess game, “to make a knight’s move” means: to move a certain piece in a certain way, sharply different from the movement of all the others. They always move in a straight line; the horse walks along a broken line, which complicates observation of him, makes his blows more difficult to foresee, unexpected, as if “insidious.”

It was this feature that gave the special expression the opportunity to obtain a secondary, figurative meaning. It broke away from the chess field and in the most diverse areas of life began to designate cunningly, perhaps even with a certain shade of deceit, a planned attack, blow, or roundabout maneuver in any fight: “We made a knight’s move and attacked the Nazis not along the dry part of the isthmus, and through the swamp, bypassing the lake, taking them by surprise...”

Notice the difference: in chess theory, the words “make a move with a knight” do not have the character of a word compound: they can be replaced by others - “move with a knight”, “strike with a knight”, “respond with a move of a knight”, the meaning will remain the same.

However, in a common language with a constant combination of “knight’s move”, it is not always possible to do this: in the example given a few lines above, instead of “made a knight’s move,” it is impossible to say: “we moved from the knight” or “we struck with the knight” - the figurative meaning of the expression will immediately disappear.

Why do we say: THE SKIN OF AN UNKILLED BEAR

When someone makes unfounded calculations, one can say about him: “He shares (or sells) the skin of an unkilled bear.” This saying became common among us after the translation of the fable of the French fabulist La Fontaine (1621 - 1695) “The Bear and the Two Hunters” into Russian.

The very first meeting of arrogant and narrow-minded youths with a bear - the object of their hunting hopes - ended in tears for them. One barely ran away from the clubfoot, and the other fainted as soon as the bear approached him.

And here's the ending:

His friend asked him:
“Tell me, what did he say in your ear?”
- What in order should
Kill the bear first.
And after that you can
And sell and drink fur.

So, what, the saying arose from this fable? The matter is complicated by the fact that in France, in addition to the fable, there is also a proverb very close to it with the same edifying moral: “You should not sell the skin of a bear until it has been killed.” Moreover: exactly the same proverb, and next to it the popular expression “selling a skin without killing a bear” also exists in Germany. And this convincingly testifies in favor of the version according to which it was not the French proverb that grew out of La Fontaine’s parable, but, on the contrary, the cheerful “Vanyusha La Fontaine” (as Pushkin called him) used in his fable a small masterpiece of folk art of his country.

What about our saying? Yes, perhaps it sounds somehow unfolk, somewhat bookish, artificial. Maybe it really came to us as a borrowing from the West?

One of the genres of this first written literature was hagiography, which described the lives of people who lived sinlessly, and after their death the Christian Church canonized them as saints. Works of this genre give us an example of a correct (i.e., righteous) life, telling about people who steadily followed the commandments of Christ, walking along the path indicated by Him. Lives convince us that every person can live righteously. One of these works is “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh”. This work helps us understand and see many features of the spiritual appearance of St. Sergius: love of God, great patience, hard work, natural modesty, the ability to remain in the shadows, being a saint for everyone. The theme of discipleship, spiritual succession, learning from the good experience of personal life, love will be the main one in these lessons. It is necessary to emphasize the connection between the spiritual feat of St. Sergius and the revival of Rus' in our time.

In the 4th grade, students get acquainted with the lives of princes: the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky (“The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”), Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom. The holy noble prince appears before us, first of all, as a defender of the Russian land and the Orthodox faith; the personality of Prince Alexander surprisingly combines the features of a glorious commander, a wise ruler and a faithful Christian. It is not for nothing that the name of Prince Alexander means “protector” in Greek. Before his death, Prince Alexander takes the highest monastic vows - the schema with the name Alexy, which is also translated from Greek as “protector”. This means that both during life and after death, the blessed Prince Alexander is the defender of the Russian Land.

We usually begin our conversation about Peter and Fevronia by finding out why these saints were glorified by God. Saints Peter and Fevronia are an example of an ideal Christian family. Their life for more than 8 centuries serves as an example of the proper attitude towards church marriage and towards each other. This is exactly what we focus on when studying “The Tale...”. The lives of saints have always been the favorite reading of Russian people.

The teacher must constantly repeat the idea that any hagiographic hero is, first of all, a moral example of a person in Ancient Rus'. It would be appropriate to draw parallels with our time: what spiritual qualities were valued by our ancestors, what was their ideal and what constitutes the object of aspiration of modern man? Who is he, a modern hero? The possibilities for conversations on moral education are truly endless.

Didactic material consisting of excerpts from Russian folk tales, grouped by topic (good/evil, teaching, friendship, courage/cowardice, politeness, frugality, duty, etc.), defining a set of norms, values, attitudes that regulate human behavior, and questions will help students comprehend moral values ​​taking into account their personal position, determine their significance in human life and society [Gvazava 2003: 38].

The moral aspect of the material allows the teacher to conduct a conversation with students on the topics: “What moral qualities of a person have been valued at all times and are considered universal values?”, “Why is morality as a norm, value, ideal necessary for the development of human society, civilization as a whole?”, “ What is the instructive meaning of Russians? folk tales? etc. We will show possible techniques for working with fairy tales, grouped by topic.

Good. Evil

Russian folk tales help to understand what is bad and what is good in life. A fairy tale, as the creation of an entire people, does not tolerate the slightest deviation from goodness and truth, it demands the punishment of any untruth, in it good triumphs over evil. In all fairy tales, good is rewarded and evil is punished.

Let's turn to the fairy tale "Morozko". Its main character is a stepdaughter, a hardworking, helpful and meek girl - a “socially disadvantaged character” in her stepmother’s house: Everyone knows how to live with a stepmother: you'll turn over–bat and you won't believe it–bat... The stepdaughter did all the housework, but was never able to please her evil, cruel stepmother. According to the canon of fairy tales, the heroine leaves home before finding her happiness. The reason is that the hero-pest (stepmother) drives him out: So the stepmother came up with the idea to take her stepdaughter away from the world.–Take her, take her, old man,– tells her husband–where you want my eyes not to see her! Take her to the forest, into the bitter cold.

The stepdaughter's character is so meek that she does not argue or resist when her own father leaves her in the cold winter forest. And she behaves just as meekly when Morozko tests her character, intensifying and intensifying the frost. The girl’s answers are friendly, despite the bitter cold. For this, Morozko takes pity on the girl and generously gifts her. Wealth as a reward is a characteristic device of folk tales.

The stepmother, domineering, envious and greedy, seeing her stepdaughter unharmed and with rich gifts, orders the old man to take her own daughter to the same place in the forest. The main reason for such envy is clear from the words of the dog: They take the old man's daughter in gold and silver, but they don't marry the old woman.. It is for the dowry that the old woman sends her dear, beloved daughter out into the cold.

The situation in the forest repeats itself: Morozko appears and subjects the girl to the cold test three times. She, however, is not endowed with kindness or meekness and is filled with pride. Her answers are rude and disrespectful, and Morozko cruelly punishes this heroine: she dies from the cold.

With such a tragic ending, the folk tale “Morozko” shows the reader how cruelly the people condemn envy, greed, anger and oppression of the weak and defenseless, which was the stepdaughter. Behavior negative heroes fairy tales, a stepmother and her own daughter, causes rejection, and the punishment that the girl suffered is perceived by readers as a triumph of justice.

Courage. Cowardice

Russian folk tales describe the noble, courageous actions of heroes, their moral qualities, but there are also episodes in which cowardice predominates.

While working with fairy-tale texts, students reveal the meaning of concepts courage, cowardice, answer the question: “Do you need to be brave?”

In “The Tale of a Daring Young Man and Rejuvenating Apples,” schoolchildren read about a brave young man: ...The good fellow took his five-pound stick, waved it - and suddenly knocked off five heads of the snake, another time he swung it backhand - and knocked off the last two; collected all these heads, put them under the wall, and threw the body into the sea...

In the fairy tale “The Fox, the Hare and the Rooster,” the rooster acts as a wise assistant to his friend, a daredevil, and the fox is the personification of cowardice.

…

And she heard, got scared, and said:

- I’m getting dressed...

Rooster again:

- Cuckoo! I carry the scythe on my shoulders, I want to whip the fox! Get out, fox!

And she says:

- I’m putting on a fur coat.

Rooster for the third time:

- Cuckoo! I carry the scythe on my shoulders, I want to whip the fox! Get out, fox!

The fox ran out; He hacked her to death with a scythe and began to live and live and make good things with the bunny.

Work. Laziness

Russian folk tales say that work adorns a person. In the actions and deeds of fairy-tale heroes, hard work and laziness are contrasted. Fairy tales convey folk ideas about the role of work in human life, extolling hard work and skill.

For example, the fairy tales “Morozko”, “Stepdaughter”, “Baba Yaga” talk about the hard work of girls left without a mother. They do all the hard work, working day and night tirelessly. These heroines are contrasted with others – lazy people.

The fairy tale “At the command of the pike, at my will” talks about Emelya’s laziness: ...The brothers work, but Emelya lies on the stove all day, doesn’t want to know anything...

In the fairy tale “The Lazy Wife” we read: A husband lived with his wife. The wife was terribly lazy. She didn’t want to do anything, and it got to the point where they didn’t have a shirt. The husband says: “Wife, why aren’t you working?” And the wife replies: “I have no time!”– « Why aren’t you spinning?” –“I don’t have a reel, so go into the forest, cut down a tree and make me a reel, and I’ll start spinning.” The husband took an ax and went into the forest. And she told him where and what tree to cut down; and she ran away along another road, found an empty hollow and sat down in it. The husband comes and starts cutting down a tree, and she comes from there and says: “Man, don’t make a reel, your wife will die!” The man wanted to do it, and it was a pity that his wife would die; he didn’t bother making the reel. And she managed to run ahead of him and lay down on the stove. “Husband, why didn’t you reel it?”–“Yes, just like that.”–“That’s just the point.” Only after a while the man again went to make a reel; she came running again the other way and screamed the same thing. So he never made the reel. And the third time the same. The fourth time he took it and cut it down. “Let the wife die,” he says, “but I’ll make a reel.” He made a reel and brings it home; and his wife came running before him and lay down on the stove. The husband says: “Here’s a reel for you, wife!”–“Well, how am I going to spin? After all, as soon as I sit down, I die!” So she takes the flax and sits down to spin; she spun a thread, then another, and began to spin a third,–Her hand began to drop, and then she fell down; fell and wheezed, and began to die. The husband guessed that she was being picky. “Wife, don’t die! I will resurrect you! She doesn’t answer him; her breath begins to take away. “Wife, are you coming to an end?” He took her with a whip and began to beat her. As she jumped up, let's run. He beat her until she admitted that it was all laziness; and from then on she became handicraft, and they began to live well.

Teaching

In Russian fairy tales, a lot of attention is paid to folk wisdom, teaching, and knowledge. After getting acquainted with fairy tales on this topic, students can confidently answer the question: “Why is learning hard work, but necessary for every person?”

The fairy tale “Teacher and Student” says: Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman, and they lived near a city, on the Volga, and they had one son. They were in their old age and were thinking about how to teach their son to do something so that he could be their breadwinner. Beyond the Volga, in the city, there was such a craftsman, he taught different languages ​​and different products, and he could do anything in any way. He taught young people, took them from their fathers and mothers for three years. If he studies for three years, and then his father and mother come for him, –they can take it back, but if they don’t come,–it will remain in favor of the teacher. The old man and the old woman thought and decided to apprentice their son...

Thus, it can be stated that Russian folk tales contribute to the formation in schoolchildren of such moral qualities as courage, courage, devotion; they give an idea, on the one hand, of good and evil, friendship and love, and on the other, of cowardice and vanity , arrogance, etc. The wisdom and value of a fairy tale is that it reflects, reveals and allows you to experience the meaning of the most important universal values ​​and the meaning of life in general. From the point of view of everyday meaning, the fairy tale is naive, from the point of view of life meaning, it is deep and inexhaustible.

POETIC TEXT AS A MEANS

SPIRITUAL AND MORAL EDUCATION

SCHOOLCHILDREN AT LITERARY READING LESSONS

Educational influence of science

then only it will be valid,

when it affects more than one mind,

but on the soul and feeling.

Nowadays, the need for spiritual and moral education of schoolchildren is spoken of in the concept of development and education of the personality of a Russian citizen, developed in the message of the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly (December 12, 2012) and in other legislative documents of the Ministry of Education Russian Federation[Danilyuk 2011: 7].

Everyone is well aware of the words from the novel “Crime and Punishment”: “Youth, educated from inaction, burn out in unrealistic dreams and dreams, are deformed in theories.” The desire to create something new, without previous ideas about morality, discarding the “old”, eternal, inevitably leads to a change in the hierarchy of values, to a change in moral priorities in people’s lives and the death of the nation. The degradation of the spiritual sphere of man, especially in recent decades, is associated with the destruction of the state-social system of education, which occurred during the period of perestroika. A change in the political system leads to a change in the strategy of spiritual education and the worldview of schoolchildren. According to the opinion, “all countries in transition periods, when one value system has either exhausted itself or was forcibly destroyed, while the other has not yet been formed. And the faster and more severely these changes were introduced, the greater the losses in the field of public morality were felt” [Nikandrov 2013: 1].

The goal of education at this stage of development of pedagogical thought is a competitive personality with moral principles based on the eternal universal moral law of human existence - love, without which a person will harm both himself and others. This law is inherent in human nature from the very beginning.

The development of a sense of patriotism, hard work, honesty, duty, nobility, decency, mercy, compassion, courage, responsibility constitutes the content of the spiritual and moral education of the individual in our days.

However, doubts involuntarily arise about the compatibility of two principles in the human soul: competition, the struggle for profit and love for other people, the ability to sacrifice oneself for the sake of one’s neighbor, to give in. Being a competitive personality and a highly moral person is a great art, because these are values different types cultures: soteriological, where the spiritual principle dominates over the earthly, and eudaimonistic, where earthly pleasure is higher than spiritual. The dominance of material wealth, the passions of avarice and gluttony, and the cult of pleasure become the main values ​​of a consumer society, a society with “dead souls,” “gentlemen from San Francisco.”

A person often faces a choice in various life situations, and in order to make the right choice, it is necessary to have a solid, formed spiritual base. Many modern teachers and psychologists say that education should contribute to the formation of the foundations of worldview, morality, development of thinking, will, character, spiritual needs, and abilities of students.

Humanities subjects have an arsenal of means of spiritual and moral education. Let us consider in more detail the educational possibilities of the poetic, or verse, word in literary reading lessons.

Literary reading occupies a special place in the formation of a person’s spiritual world and his morality. It is sometimes difficult for a modern student to figure out what is good and what is bad, what values ​​to choose for himself. By reading the works, students will be able to understand what real love, freedom of choice, conscience, responsibility.

In the literary reading program, along with the concept of “analysis” of a work of art, the concept of “comprehension” of the text is used, which, of course, is associated with the level of literary development of schoolchildren and their general culture.

The teacher is concerned about the tendency to simultaneously analyze and comprehend the text. This, according to the scientist, can contribute to the transformation of literature only into a reason for conversations on moral topics (“human studies”) or, on the contrary, ignoring moral problems, excessive attention to aesthetic issues, without taking into account the age characteristics and interests of students [Berestovitskaya 2004: 38] .

Undoubtedly, when considering poetic works in school classes, it is necessary to harmoniously combine an analysis of the general meaning of the text, plot and system of images (if they are present in the analyzed work), artistic details, composition, expressive means with a discussion of moral problems revealed in the text.

We analyzed the literary reading program (authors), included in the educational and methodological complex “School of Russia”, from the point of view of the educational potential of poetic works. It is necessary to note the continuity of the moral issues of the poems: nature, relationships between adults and children, friendship. For example, in 1st grade - poems by S. Mikhalkov, E. Trutneva and others about nature, in 2nd grade - poems “There is in the primordial autumn...”, S. Yesenin “Winter Sings - Calls”, etc., in 3rd grade - poems “Spring Thunderstorm”, “Glorious Autumn!...”, etc., in the 4th grade - poems “Spring Rain”, “September”, etc. Schoolchildren are invited to get acquainted with the poems of A. Pleshcheev, S. Yesenin, V. Bryusov, for three years of study in primary school (grades 2 - 4).

The program selected poetic texts that allow you to talk about such moral concepts as friendship, courage, respect for elders, love for your neighbor. In 1st grade - poems by A. Barto, S. Marshak, etc.; in 2nd grade - poems by B. Zakhoder “Songs of Winnie the Pooh”, A. Barto “Vovka is a kind soul”; in 3rd grade – A. Barto’s poem “Separation”; in 4th grade - a fragment from the fairy tale “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights.”

There is a noticeable tendency towards a decrease in poetic texts towards the end of primary school and an increase in prose works. In addition, it is necessary to note the expansion of the problem, its diversity by the fourth year of study. There is an increase in the philosophical sound of poetic texts, the dominance of abstract images, which, of course, is associated with the expansion of the general culture of schoolchildren and age characteristics.

Let us turn to the educational potential of some poetic works intended for compulsory study in elementary school. The poems “Sad time!...” (4th grade), “Spring Rain” (4th grade), “Bird cherry” (4th grade) provide rich material for understanding such topics as love for the Motherland, nature, develop a sense of responsibility and patriotism , love for the native language. Therefore, from our point of view, after considering the means of expression, analyzing the artistic merits of the text and the writer’s concept, we need to turn to the spiritual and moral aspect of these works.

Highly artistic images, not only positive, but also negative, created in works of art, have a strong impact on readers, some serve as a model for them to which they strive, a measure of their moral assessments. The poet's ideals are expressed in all components of the work, in the creative method and poetic style. Education of spiritual and moral ideals is one of the most important functions of fiction, including poetry.

When analyzing an excerpt from the poem “Schoolboy” (4th grade), it is necessary to focus on the spiritual qualities of “nice” and “cold” people:

That land has not yet perished,

What brings people out

There are so many glorious ones, you know, -

So many kind, noble,

Strong loving soul,

Among the stupid, cold

And pompous of themselves.

You can ask students to illustrate their thoughts with specific situations where the true noble strings of people’s souls would be revealed, to convey the author’s position hidden in these lines. In general, when studying this poetic text, students also consider the problem of compassion (images of a coachman, a sexton), labor (“Know work and don’t be a coward”), love for the Fatherland, responsibility and freedom of choice.

When reading “The Cluttering Fly” by K. Chukovsky (1st grade), you need to think about love for your neighbor and courage.

Analysis of the “Literary Reading” program helps to reveal the educational potential of poetic texts included in the reading circle of elementary school students. Undoubtedly, work on these works should consist not only in the study of their artistic features, the formation of aesthetic taste, but also in the development of the spiritual and moral qualities of younger schoolchildren.

• instill a love for the Russian language;
• to develop interest in the origin of the Russian language, Russian words, and in reading books by Russian authors;
• teach respect for books.

During the classes

Today the first lesson will be devoted to the most important thing - the Russian language. We will learn a lot of interesting things about the Russian language, its origin, and also why we speak like that.

We will begin our acquaintance with the Russian language with a trip by ship. But for this we need medicinal plants for our medical kit. By collecting a first aid kit and adding the first letters of the names of medicinal plants, you will find out what the name of the ship will be.

• This tall plant with bright flowers can be seen on the edges of forests and in clearings. He has a double name. One of them was given for the fact that tea is prepared from its leaves. (Blooming Sally)
• Branched shrub up to 2 m high with fragrant leaves. The fruit is a multi-seeded berry of black and red color. Blooms in May-June, bears fruit in July-August. (Currant)
• This swamp berry can replace lemon. (Cranberry)
• The birthplace of the next plant is Africa. It is popularly called agave and grown as an indoor flower. (Aloe)
• Common name: round cucumber. Homeland - America. Large white seeds are used. (Pumpkin)
• A subshrub with creeping, spiny shoots covered with a white coating. The leaves are trifoliate, with rhombic-ovate leaflets. The flowers are white, with many stamens and pistils, collected in thyroid racemes. The fruits are black with a bluish bloom, clustered drupes. (Blackberry)
• This plant grows in wastelands, near housing, along roadsides, field edges, in waste places and among bushes. It has large, wide leaves. The root and the leaf itself are used as medicine. (Burdock)
• The last letter in the ship's name has no sound.

There are many languages ​​and dialects in the world: English, German, Ukrainian, Belarusian... Russian is our native language. There are students among you for whom Russian is a foreign language. What language is your native language? Everyone who lives in Russia and studies at school or college speaks Russian. And we read books in Russian. And at the same time we use literary Russian.

Poets of many nationalities have written about the Russian language. Listen to a poem by the Ukrainian poet Rostislav Bratun.

Since childhood I have spoken the language of Russia
Taught from Pushkin's fairy tales
He is the light of an unquenchable dream
Placed in my heart forever.
Lviv was drowned in the autumn night,
And rain, and snow, and thick darkness...
I saw Tatyana's eyes,
Poltava golden afternoon...
Oleg calls the warriors.
Pugachev leads people into battle,

A fairy tale illuminates
I have childhood
Pushkin is a sorcerer.
And “the storm covers the sky with darkness...”
But the sun, I believed, would rise...
The day dawns with a new dawn -
Rus' is coming to our rescue!
That book is still with me,
My father taught me from it
Love Russia with all my soul,
Its language, its people.

People have long said: “Literacy is a second language.” The centuries-old dream, deep wisdom, clear mind and subtle observation of the working people are contained in this apt proverb.

Ordinary people in Tsarist Russia dreamed of the ability to read and write. They were drawn to knowledge. Understanding perfectly well that “without literacy is like without a candle in the dark” and that “learning is light, but ignorance is darkness.” But people's dreams remained dreams for a long time.

Nowadays, literacy has become universal.

In our country, everyone has wide access to education and culture. The right of all citizens to education is enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

When they say a literate person. It is clear to everyone that we are talking about a person who can read and write. But how to understand competent engineer ( possessing the necessary information and knowledge in a certain area ), competent essay ( free of grammatical and stylistic errors ), competent drawing ( expertly executed ), a literate student( able to write and speak grammatically correct )?

What role does handwriting play in written communication?

About literacy and a sore leg

One illiterate man came with a bow to a literate man:
- Be a friend, write a letter, otherwise I don’t know how...
- No I can not. “My leg hurts,” he answered gloomily. –
Come back in a week, maybe the illness will go away.
- Do you really write with your foot? – the illiterate asked.
- No, I don’t have the strength to go to the address with a letter.
My handwriting is like this, work for at least a whole year,
But without me, no one will understand my letter.

Explain the proverb When I write, I write, but I take it to the shop to read.

Can you imagine what the ancient Russian school was like?

This is how she is depicted in one of the engravings from 1634. A long table with a bench between the table and the wall. On the wall there is a shelf with books and the obligatory whip. Students are sitting on benches. They are all barefoot. This means that this is a school not for the rich, but for ordinary children. The teacher is sitting at the table. The student answers the lesson on his knees in front of him. Everyone follows his answer in their books. Immediately another student, guilty of something, awaits punishment.

The school day lasted a long time. Classes began at 7 am and continued until the evening (with a 2-hour lunch break).

This is how lessons went from dark to dark in the ancient Russian school. Each student received a personal task from the teacher: one took the first steps, another moved on to the “warehouses,” the third was already reading the Book of Hours. And everything had to be learned “by heart”, “by rote”. Each one taught his own by ear. No wonder they put together a proverb: “ They teach the alphabet - they shout at the top of their voices ”.

Each letter was taught by its name.

Verb – G

Word ABC represents the addition of the names of the first two letters “az” and “buki”.

How a church literate taught children in the old days

In the old days, children studied -
They were taught by the church clerk, -
They came at dawn
And the letters repeated like this:
A and B - like Az and Buki,
V – as Vedi, G – Verb.
And a teacher for science
On Saturdays I flogged them.
So weird at the beginning
Our diploma was there!
This is the pen they used to write with -
From a goose feather!

This knife is for a reason
Called “pen-shaped”:
They sharpened their pen,
If it wasn't spicy.
It was difficult to read and write
To our ancestors in the old days,
And the girls were supposed to
Don't learn anything.
Only boys were trained.
Deacon with a pointer in his hand
I read books to them in a sing-song manner
In Slavic language.

How and who taught children to read and write in the old days?

Why was it “difficult for our ancestors to read and write in the old days”?

What are these “goose wing” feathers?

Why was the knife called a “penknife”?

Who wasn't supposed to study?

Children in every country have their favorite holidays. One of the favorite holidays of Bulgarian children is Cyril and Methodius Day. Cyril and Methodius compiled the Slavic alphabet more than 1000 years ago.

The first Russian primer was published in 1574 in Lvov by pioneer printer Ivan Fedorov. Currently, only one copy of this edition is known. This is a small book of 80 pages. It opens with the alphabet from A to Y (Izhitsa), the last letter of the Slavic alphabet.

Read the proverbs and explain how you understand them.

1. Alphabet - the wisdom of the step.
2. Az, beeches and vedi are as scary as bears.
3. Sell ​​your caftan, buy a letter.
4. Az and beeches relieve flour.

At the beginning of the 17th century, Peter the Great carried out a reform of the alphabet. Difficult to write letters were replaced by the so-called civil script. We still use this type of letters today.

In 1917 - 1918 there was a new reform, “yat”, “izhitsa”, “fita”, and “er” at the end of the word were excluded from the alphabet.

The letter “f” in the old alphabet was called “fert”. People noticed a funny similarity between the design of this letter and the posture of a man with his arms akimbo. At first, the word “firth” meant “hands on hips, arms akimbo,” then the expression “firth” appeared. In a figurative sense, it means: “to be a smug dandy, to behave with ostentatious swagger.”

There are two expressions: walk like a gogol and walk like a trump card. Maybe they also came from the names of the letters? It turns out that they have nothing to do with the names of the letters.

The word gogol means a certain breed of wild duck. Many birds from the duck family have a characteristic gait: goldeneyes on land perform importantly, waddle, with their chest protruded and “proudly throwing their shiny black-green head back.” So the expression “walking like a gogol” began to mean any kind of pompous, dignified gait.

Where to play as a trump card?

In Rus', the trump card was one of the signs of boyar greatness. It was a high collar embroidered with gold, silver and studded with precious stones. The trump card was attached to the collar of a smart caftan and gave the boyars an arrogant appearance. Playing trump means “to act important, arrogantly, with a sense of superiority.”

The main fund of our language is native Russian words. According to scientists, they “make up more than 90% of the words currently used in our language.”

Among the original Russian vocabulary there are:

1. common Slavic words;
2. Old Russian and
3. actually Russian words.

As you know, words with opposite meanings are called... antonyms. Antonyms are used for greater expressiveness, for comparison and contrast.

Choose antonyms:

As you know, words that are identical in sound and spelling, but completely different in meaning, are called... homonyms.

Give examples of homonyms.

Homographs are words that are identical in spelling but different in pronunciation. Their exact meaning can only be determined by stress. For example, flour - flour, pier - pier.

Give your own examples.

The Russian language is very rich in phraseological units. So, for example, with just one word hand there are more than 50 phraseological units. Here are some of them:

1. It falls out of your hands - it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t work
2. Take it with your bare hands - it's easy to overcome
3. Give it a hand - punish, wean off
4. To give a hand to be cut off - to guarantee
5. Like without hands - helpless
6. Jack of all trades - master of all trades
7. Give a hand - help

Game “Who is faster?” Choose phraseological units for the words:

Most scientists include proverbs, sayings, and catchphrases as phraseological expressions.

Proverbs and sayings have been created by many generations of people. They appeared at a time when there was no writing. Over the centuries, people have improved and polished the artistic power and expressiveness of proverbs and sayings.

There are many proverbs about books. “Whoever reads a lot knows a lot,” says the popular proverb. And so it is. Books tell us about our homeland, about its best people, and teach us to understand them.

We read books that allow us to become literate people, and this will allow us to consciously choose a profession when we become adults.

People respect proverbs and often use them in their speech; there are many proverbs that reading is the best teaching.

How many of you know proverbs on this topic?

Game “Who can collect the proverb faster.”

Competition “Mountain of Proverbs”.

This competition consists of two parts. You will receive an envelope containing cards with words. At my command, you will have to assemble a proverb from these words; raise your hands when ready. Then you need to read it in chorus and explain the meaning.

There is not a single book in the house - the owner has bad kids.

Choosing a book is like choosing a friend.

The book is not a plane, but will take you far away.

A book is a book, but move your mind.

Read books, but don’t forget about business.

Competition “Riddles in Proverbs and Sayings”.

Guess the riddle using proverbs and sayings:

The kind proverb doesn’t hit the eyebrow, but hits it straight.

They are the mirror of the soul.

Seven nannies have a child without him.

It doesn't hurt behind someone else's cheek.

They don't look like a gift horse.

You can't order him around.

Without it, the grass doesn't grow.

He tears iron and hits a bird in flight.

Our journey has come to an end. What new did you learn in the lesson?