What is a phraseological unit. What is phraseological unit in Russian in simple words, examples

20.04.2022

phraseological units they call stable combinations of words, turns of speech such as: “beat the buckets”, “hang your nose”, “ask a brainwasher” ... The turn of speech, which is called a phraseological unit, is indivisible in meaning, that is, its meaning does not add up from the meanings of its constituent words. It works only as a whole, a lexical unit.

Phraseologisms- these are popular expressions that do not have an author.

The meaning of phraseological units is to give an emotional coloring to the expression, to strengthen its meaning.

When phraseological units are formed, some components acquire the status of optional (optional): “The components of a phraseological unit that can be omitted in some cases of its use are called optional components of a phraseological unit, and the phenomenon itself, as a feature of the phraseological unit form, is called optional components of a phraseological unit.

The first component of the turnover may be optional, facultative, i.e. expression will sound without it.

Signs of phraseological units

Phraseologisms usually do not tolerate the replacement of words and their permutations, for which they are also called set phrases.

Through thick and thin can't pronounce no matter what happens to me or no matter what, A take care of the pupil of the eye instead of cherish like the apple of an eye.

There are of course exceptions: puzzle over or break your head, surprise And take someone by surprise but such cases are rare.

Many phraseological units are easily replaced by one word:

headlong- fast,

at hand- close.

most main feature phraseological units - their figurative and figurative meaning.

Often a direct expression turns into a figurative one, expanding the shades of its meaning.

Bursting at the seams- from the speech of the tailor acquired a wider meaning - to decline.

Confound- from the speech of railway workers it passed into common use in the sense of confusing.

Examples of phraseological units and their meanings

Buckwheat beat- mess around
henbane overeat- get mad (applied to people who do stupid things
After the rain on Thursday- never
Anika warrior- braggart, brave only in words, away from danger
Ask a brainwash (bath)- lather the neck, head - strongly scold
White crow- a person who stands out environment one quality or another
Biryuk live- to be sullen, not to communicate with anyone
Throw down the gauntlet- challenge someone to an argument, competition (although no one throws gloves)
Wolf in sheep's clothing- evil people pretending to be kind, who hide under the guise of meekness
Soar in the clouds- blissfully dream, fantasize about what
The soul has gone to the heels- a person who is afraid, frightened
Don't feel sorry for your belly- sacrifice life
Nick down- remember firmly
Make an elephant out of a fly- turn a small fact into a whole event
On a silver platter- get what you want with honor, without much effort
At the edge of the earth- somewhere very far away
On the seventh sky- to be in complete ecstasy, in a state of supreme bliss
Nothing is visible- so dark that you can not see the paths, paths
Throw headlong- act recklessly, with desperate determination
Eat a pood of salt- get to know each other well
Good riddance- go away, we can do without you
Build castles in the air- to dream about the unrealizable, to indulge in fantasies. Think, think about what cannot be realized in reality, get carried away by illusory assumptions, hopes
Roll up your sleeves- work hard, with diligence.

See “PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN PICTURES. Meanings of phraseological units "

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Phraseological units about school

Learning is light and ignorance is darkness.
Live and learn.
A scientist without work is like a cloud without rain.
Learn from a young age - you will not die of starvation in old age.
What I learned, that's what came in handy.
Hard in teaching - easy in battle.
Teach the mind.
Go through the school of life.
Hit in the head.
Bang your head on the ice.
To teach a fool that the dead can be cured.

Phraseological units from ancient Greek mythology

There are native Russian phraseological units, but there are also borrowed ones, including phraseological units that came into the Russian language from ancient Greek mythology.

Tantalum flour- unbearable torment from the consciousness of the proximity of the desired goal and the impossibility of achieving it. (An analogue of the Russian proverb: “The elbow is close, but you won’t bite”). Tantalus is a hero, the son of Zeus and Pluto, who reigned in the region of Mount Sipila in southern Phrygia (Asia Minor) and was famous for his wealth. According to Homer, for his crimes, Tantalus was punished in the underworld with eternal torment: standing up to his neck in water, he cannot drink, as the water immediately recedes from his lips; branches weighed down with fruits hang from the trees around it, which rise up as soon as Tantalus stretches out his hand to them.

Augean stables- a heavily littered, polluted place, usually a room where everything is lying in disarray. Phraseologism comes from the name of the huge stables of the king of Elis Avgeas, not cleaned for many years. Cleaning them was only possible for the mighty Hercules - the son of Zeus. The hero cleared the Augean stables in one day, directing the waters of two turbulent rivers through them.

Sisyphean labor- useless, endless hard work, fruitless work. The expression came from the ancient Greek legend of Sisyphus, a famous cunning man who was able to deceive even the gods and constantly came into conflict with them. It was he who managed to chain Thanatos, the god of death, sent to him, and keep him imprisoned for several years, as a result of which people did not die. For his actions, Sisyphus was severely punished in Hades: he had to roll a heavy stone up the mountain, which, reaching the top, inevitably fell down, so that all work had to be started anew.

sing praises- to praise someone or something with great enthusiasm; to praise someone or something. It arose from the name of dithyrambs - laudatory songs in honor of the god of wine and the vine Dionysus, which were sung during processions dedicated to this deity.

Golden Rain- large sums of money. The expression originated from the ancient Greek myth of Zeus. Captivated by the beauty of Danae, the daughter of the Argos king Acrisius, Zeus penetrated her in the form of a golden rain, and from this connection Perseus was later born. Danae, showered with a rain of golden coins, is depicted in the paintings of many artists: Titian, Correggio, Van Dyck, and others. Titian. Danae.

Throw thunder and lightning- scold someone; speak angrily, irritably, reproaching, denouncing someone or threatening him. It arose from ideas about Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, who, according to myths, dealt with his enemies and people who were objectionable to him with the help of thunderbolts, terrifying in their power, forged by Hephaestus.

Ariadne's thread, Ariadne's thread- that helps to find a way out of a predicament. Named after Ariadne, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos, who, according to ancient Greek myth, helped the Athenian king Theseus, after he killed the half-bull-half-human Minotaur, safely get out of the underground labyrinth with a ball of thread.

Achilles' heel- a weak point, a weak point of something. In Greek mythology, Achilles (Achilles) is one of the strongest and bravest heroes; He is sung in Homer's Iliad. The post-Homeric myth, transmitted by the Roman writer Hyginus, reports that the mother of Achilles, the sea goddess Thetis, in order to make her son's body invulnerable, dipped him into the sacred river Styx; dipping, she held him by the heel, which the water did not touch, so the heel remained the only vulnerable spot of Achilles, where he was mortally wounded by the arrow of Paris.

Gifts of the Danes ( Trojan horse) - insidious gifts that bring death to those who receive them. Originated from Greek legends about the Trojan War. The Danaans, after a long and unsuccessful siege of Troy, resorted to a trick: they built a huge wooden horse, left it near the walls of Troy, and pretended to swim away from the coast of the Troad. The priest Laocoön, who knew about the tricks of the Danaans, saw this horse and exclaimed: “Whatever it is, I am afraid of the Danaans, even those who bring gifts!” But the Trojans, not listening to the warnings of Laocoon and the prophetess Cassandra, dragged the horse into the city. At night, the Danaans, who hid inside the horse, went out, killed the guards, opened the city gates, let in their comrades who returned on ships, and thus captured Troy.

Between Scylla and Charybdis- to be between two hostile forces, in a position where danger threatens from both sides. According to the legends of the ancient Greeks, two monsters lived on the coastal rocks on both sides of the Strait of Messina: Scylla and Charybdis, which swallowed sailors. “Scylla, ... incessantly barking, With a piercing screech, like a young puppy’s screech, The whole neighborhood of monsters announces ... Past her, not a single sailor could pass unscathed With an easy ship: all toothy mouths gaping, At once she is six people from the ship kidnaps... Close up you will see another rock... Terribly the whole sea under that rock disturbs Charybdis, Three times a day absorbing and three times a day spewing Black moisture. Do not dare to approach when it absorbs: Poseidon himself will not deliver from certain death then ... "

Promethean fire sacred fire, burning in the human soul, an unquenchable desire to achieve high goals in science, art, social work. Prometheus in Greek mythology is one of the Titans; he stole fire from heaven and taught people how to use it, which undermined faith in the power of the gods. For this, the angry Zeus ordered Hephaestus (the god of fire and blacksmithing) to chain Prometheus to a rock; the daily flying eagle tormented the liver of the chained titan.

Apple of discord- the subject, the cause of the dispute, enmity, was first used by the Roman historian Justin (II century AD). It is based on a Greek myth. The goddess of discord, Eris, rolled a golden apple between the guests at the wedding feast with the inscription: "To the most beautiful." Among the guests were the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, who argued about which of them should get the apple. Their dispute was resolved by Paris, the son of the Trojan king Priam, by awarding the apple to Aphrodite. In gratitude, Aphrodite helped Paris kidnap Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, which caused the Trojan War.

Sink into oblivion- to be forgotten, to disappear without a trace and forever. From the name of Leta - the river of oblivion in the underground kingdom of Hades, the souls of the dead drank water from it and forgot their entire past life.

Phraseologisms with the word "WATER"

Storm in a teacup- big commotion for a small reason
It is written with a pitchfork on the water- it is not yet known how it will be, the outcome is not clear, by analogy: “grandmother said in two”
Do not spill water- great friends, about strong friendship
Carry water in a sieve- wasting time, doing useless business Analogously: crushing water in a mortar
Got water in my mouth- silent and unwilling to answer
Carry water (on smb.)- burden with hard work, taking advantage of his complaisant nature
Bring to clean water- expose dark deeds, convict of lies
Come out dry from water- go unpunished, without bad consequences
Money is like water- refers to the ease with which they are spent
Blow on the water, getting burned in milk- be overly cautious, remembering past mistakes
How to look into the water- as if he knew in advance, foresaw, accurately predicted events
How to sink into the water- disappeared without a trace
Down in the mouth- sad, sad
Like water through your fingers- one who easily escapes persecution
As two drops of water- very similar, indistinguishable
As you do not know the ford, then do not go into the water- a warning not to take hasty action
Like a fish in water- feel confident, very well oriented, good at something,
Like water off a duck's back- nothing to man
Much water has flown under the bridge since that time- a lot of time has passed
Carry water in a sieve- wasting time
Seventh water on jelly- very distant relationship
Hide the ends in the water- hide the traces of the crime
Quieter than water, lower than grass- behave modestly, inconspicuously
Pound water in a mortar- do something useless.

Phraseologisms with the word "NOS"

It is interesting that in phraseological units the word nose practically does not reveal its main meaning in any way. The nose is the organ of smell, however, in stable phrases, the nose is associated primarily with the idea of something small, short. Remember the fairy tale about Kolobok? When the Fox needed Gingerbread Man to get within her reach, to get closer, she asks him to sit on her nose. However, the word nose does not always mean the organ of smell. It also has other meanings.

grumble under your breath- grumbling, grumbling, muttering indistinctly.
lead by the nose- this phrase came to us from Central Asia. Visitors are often surprised how small children manage to cope with huge camels. The animal obediently follows the child leading it by the rope. The fact is that the rope is threaded through the ring located in the camel's nose. Here you already want it, you don’t want it - but you have to obey! Rings were also put into the noses of bulls to make their temper more docile. If a person deceives someone or does not fulfill the promise, then they also say about him that he "leads by the nose."
Turn up one's nose- unjustifiably proud of something, boast.
Nick down- To chop on the nose means: to remember firmly, once and for all. It seems to many that this was said not without cruelty: it is not very pleasant if you are offered to make a notch on your own face. Useless fear. The word nose here does not mean the organ of smell at all, but just a commemorative plaque, a tag for records. In ancient times, illiterate people always carried such boards with them and made all kinds of notes on them with notches, cuts. These tags were called noses.
nod off- fall asleep.
Curious Barbara got her nose torn off at the market Don't meddle in your own business.
On the nose- so they say about something that is about to come.
Can't see beyond your own nose- ignore the surroundings.
Don't poke your nose into other people's business- in this way they want to show that a person is too, inappropriately curious, interferes in what he should not.
Nose to nose On the contrary, close.
Keep your nose to the wind- in the glorious times of the sailing fleet, movement by sea completely depended on the direction of the wind, on the weather. Calm, calm - and the sails nick, more like a rag. A contrary wind is blowing in the bow of the ship - you no longer have to think about sailing, but already about throwing all the anchors, that is, “anchoring” and removing all the sails so that the air current does not throw the ship ashore. In order to go to sea, a fair wind was required, which inflated the sails and directed the ship forward into the sea. The sailors' vocabulary associated with this received figurativeness and entered our literary language. Now "to keep your nose to the wind" - in a figurative sense, means to adapt to any circumstances. "Anchor", "Anchor", - stop in motion, settle down somewhere; "Sit by the sea and wait for the weather"- inactive expectation of change; "On full sail"- move towards the intended goal at full speed, as quickly as possible; Wish "fair wind" to someone - means a wish for him good luck.
Nose hang or Nose hang- if suddenly a person is depressed or just sad, it happens about him, they say that he seemed to “hang his nose”, and they can also add: “a fifth”. Quinta, translated from Latin, it means: "fifth". Musicians, or more precisely, violinists, so call the violin's first string in terms of tonality (the highest). While playing, the violinist usually supports his instrument with his chin and his nose almost touches this string closest to him. The expression "hang your nose on the fifth", improved in the circle of musicians, has entered the literature.
Stay with your nose- without what he hoped for.
Right under your nose- close.
show nose- to tease someone by putting your thumb to your nose and waving the others.
With a goofy nose- very little (a bun is a dove, the dove's beak is small).
Poke your nose into other people's business- take an interest in other people's affairs.
Get away with your nose- the roots of the expression "go away with the nose" are lost in the distant past. In ancient times, bribery was very common in Rus'. Neither in institutions nor in court could a positive decision be achieved without an offering, a gift. Of course, these gifts, hidden by the petitioner somewhere under the floor, were not called the word "bribe". They were politely called "bringing" or "nose". If the manager, judge or clerk took the "nose", then one could be sure that the case would be favorably resolved. In case of refusal (and this could happen if the gift seemed small to the official or if the offering from the opposite side had already been accepted), the petitioner left with his “nose” on his way. In this case, there was no hope for success. Since then, the words “go away with a nose” have come to mean “to fail, to fail, to lose, to stumble, having achieved nothing.
Wipe your nose- if you managed to surpass someone, then they say that they wiped his nose.
bury your nose- immerse yourself completely in some activity.
Full, drunk and nose in tobacco- means a satisfied and contented person.

Phraseologisms with the word "MOUTH, LIPS"

The word mouth is included in a number of phraseological units, the meanings of which are associated with the process of speaking. Food enters the human body through the mouth - a number of stable expressions in one way or another indicate this function of the mouth. There are not many phraseological units with the word lip.

You won't take it in your mouth- they say if the food is cooked tasteless.
Lip no fool- they say about a person who knows how to choose the best.
Shut someone's mouth It means not letting him talk.
Porridge in the mouth- the person speaks indistinctly.
There was no poppy dew in the mouth- it means that the person has not eaten for a long time and needs to be fed urgently.
Wet behind the ears- they say if they want to show that someone else is young and inexperienced.
Take water in your mouth is to shut up.
pout lips- be offended.
open mouth- to freeze in amazement before something that struck the imagination.
Hassle full mouth- they say, if there are so many things to do that you don’t have time to cope with them.
wide open mouth is a sign of surprise.

Phraseological units with the word "HAND"

be at hand- to be available, to be in close proximity
Warm your hands- take advantage of position
Keep in hand- do not give free rein, keep in strict obedience
How it was removed by hand- disappeared quickly
Wear on your hands- to give special location, attention, appreciate, indulge
Without stopping ru k - work hard
Get under your arm- randomly appear nearby
Get a hot hand- get in a bad mood
The hand doesn't go up- it is not possible to perform an action due to an internal prohibition
Hand in hand- holding hands, together, together
hand washes hand- people who have common interests protect each other
Hands don't reach- there is no time or energy to do something
Itchy hands- a strong desire to do something
At hand- very close, very near
Grab with both hands- happy to accept a proposal
Rake heat with the wrong hands- to enjoy the fruits of someone else's work
Skillful fingers- about someone who skillfully, skillfully does everything, copes with any work

Phraseologisms with the word "HEAD"

wind in my head- unreliable person.
Flew out of my head- forgot.
Head is spinning- too much to do, responsibilities, information.
Giving head to cut off- promise.
Like snow on your head- suddenly.
fool your head- to deceive, to lead away from the essence of the matter.
Don't take off your head- be responsible for your actions.
View from head to toe- of everything, carefully, attentively.
Headlong- risky.
Don't pat on the head- they scold.
From a sick head to a healthy one- to put the blame on someone else.
Upside down- vice versa.
Break your head over the task- think hard.
Breaking my head- very fast.

Phraseologisms with the word "EAR"

The word ear is included in phraseological units, one way or another connected with hearing. Harsh words act primarily on the ears. In many stable expressions, the word ears means rather than the organ of hearing, but only its outer part. I wonder if you can see your ears? Using a mirror in this case is not allowed!

Be careful- a person tensely waits for danger. Vostry is the old form of the word acute.
prick up your ears- listen carefully. The dog's ears are pointed and the dog's ears stick up when listening. This is where phraseology came from.
Can't see your ears- they say about a person who will never get what he wants.
Dive deep into something- they say to a person if he is completely absorbed in any occupation. You can also be deeply in debt - if there are a lot of debts.
Blushed to the ears- they say when a person is very embarrassed.
hang your ears- so they say about a person who listens to someone too trustingly.
Listen with all ears means to listen carefully.
Listen with half an ear or listen with the corner of your ear- listen without much attention.
Ears wither- it is disgusting to listen to something extremely.
Ears cuts- they say when something is unpleasant to listen to.

Phraseologisms with the word "TOOTH"

With the word tooth in the Russian language, there are a fairly large number of set expressions. Among them, a group of phraseological units is noticeable, in which teeth act as a kind of weapon of defense or attack, a threat. The word tooth is also used in phraseological units denoting various deplorable states of a person.

be in the teeth- to impose, to bother.
Armed to the teeth- they say about a person who is dangerous to attack, because he can give a worthy rebuff.
speak teeth- divert attention.
tooth for tooth- quarreling (a tendency to swear), unyielding, "as it comes around, it will respond."
Tooth not touching- they say if someone is cold from a strong cold or from trembling, excitement, fear.
Give a tooth- to ridicule, to ridicule someone.
Tooth eat- push, push.
Bare teeth- laugh.
eat teeth- gain experience.
scratching teeth- talk nonsense, nonsense.
Try it on the tooth- learn, try directly.
Something too tough for anyone- it is difficult to bite off, beyond the power, beyond the abilities.
Nothing to put on the tooth- they say when there is nothing to eat.
Not in the tooth with a foot- absolutely nothing (not to know, not to understand, etc.).
look someone in the mouth- learn everything about the person.
Raise by the teeth- laugh.
Show teeth- means to demonstrate one's evil nature, the desire to be at enmity, to threaten someone.
Put your teeth on the shelf- to starve when there is no food left in the house.
speak through teeth- barely open his mouth, reluctantly.
Grit your teeth- do not lose heart, do not despair, start the fight.
Sharpen or have a grudge against someone- To be mean, to do harm.

Phraseologisms with the word "CHEST, BACK"

The words chest and back are included in oppositely colored phraseological units. However, there are positively colored phraseological units with the word back.

Stand up or stand with your chest for someone- rise to the defense, steadfastly defend.
Riding on someone's back- achieve your goals by using someone in your interests.
Bend your back- work, or bow.
Hunch your back- work.
Ride on whose back- to use someone for any of their purposes.
Behind someone (to do something)- so that he did not see, did not know, secretly from someone.
Put your hands behind your back- cross them at the back.
On one's own back (experience, learn something)- from my own bitter experience, as a result of troubles, difficulties, hardships that I myself had to endure.
Knife in the back or stab in the back- traitorous, treacherous act, blow.
turn your back- leave, leave to the mercy of fate, stop communicating with someone.
Pave the way with your chest- to achieve a good position in life, achieves everything by hard work, overcomes all the difficulties that have fallen to him.
Skulk- shift your duties or responsibilities to someone else.
Work without bending your back- diligently, diligently, a lot and hard. They can praise an approximately working person.
Straighten your back- gain self-confidence, cheer up.
Show back- leave, run away.
Stand behind someone- secretly, covertly lead someone.

Phraseologisms with the word "LANGUAGE"

Language is another word often found in phraseological units, since language is extremely important for a person, it is with him that the idea of \u200b\u200bthe ability to speak and communicate is associated. The idea of speaking (or, conversely, silence) can be traced in one way or another in many phraseological units with the word language.

Run with your tongue out- very fast.
Keep your mouth shut- be silent, do not say too much; be careful in your statements.
Long tongue- they say, if a person is a talker and likes to tell other people's secrets.
How a cow licked her tongue- about something that quickly and without a trace disappeared.
Find a common language- reach mutual understanding.
step on the tongue- make them fall silent.
Hang your tongue on your shoulder- very tired.
Get on the tongue- to become the subject of gossip.
bite your tongue- shut up, refrain from speaking.
untie tongue- encourage someone to talk; give someone the opportunity to speak.
Dissolve language- without restraining oneself, losing control over oneself, blurting out, saying too much.
Pip on your tongue- an angry wish to an evil talker.
pull tongue- to say something not entirely appropriate to the situation.
shorten tongue- to make someone shut up, not to let them speak insolence, superfluous.
Scratch your tongue (scratch your tongue)- talk in vain, engage in chatter, idle talk.
scratch tongues- to gossip, to slander.
The devil pulled the tongue- an unnecessary word breaks off the tongue.
Tongue without bones- they say if a person is talkative.
Tongue is braided- you can't say anything clearly.
Tongue stuck to throat- suddenly shut up, stop talking.
Tongue swallow- shut up, stop talking (about the unwillingness of someone to speak).
The tongue is well suspended- they say about a person who speaks freely, fluently.

Phraseologisms with the word "LITTLE"

Almost- about, almost
Small spool but precious- value is not determined by size
Small small less- one is smaller than the other (about children)
Small bird, but the nail is sharp- insignificant in position, but inspires fear or admiration for his qualities
small dog to old age puppy- a person of small stature always seems younger than his years, does not make a solid impression
You never know what– 1. anything, anything 2. not essential, not important 3. excitement, what if…
little by little- slowly, little by little
low speed- slowly
From small to large– all ages
Little by little (drink)- a little, a small portion
play little by little- make a small bet (in games)
From an early age- since childhood
The smallest- a small part of something.

The correct and appropriate use of phraseological units gives speech a special expressiveness, accuracy and imagery.

PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN PICTURES

See if phraseological units are illustrated correctly, and tell me how do you understand their meaning?

Guess a few poetic riddles about phraseological turns:

You will not find friendlier than these two guys in the world.
They are usually referred to as water...

We walked the town literally along and …
And we were so tired on the road that we barely ...

Your friend asks furtively
Copy the answers from your notebook.
No need! After all, you will give this to a friend ...

They are out of tune, they confuse words, someone sings in the forest, ...
The kids won't listen to them.
From this song, ears ...

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

What is a phraseological unit?

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

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

Phraseological features:

stability;
reproducibility;
value integrity;
dismemberment of the composition;
belonging to the nominative dictionary of the language.

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

How are phraseological units different from words?

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

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

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

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

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

How phraseological units are divided by origin:

primordially Russian- some free phrases were rethought in speech as metaphors and turned into phraseological units ( reel in fishing rods, fish in troubled waters, knead mud, spread wings, grated kalach and so on.);
borrowings from Old Church Slavonic (without hesitation, like the apple of an eye, not of this world, a parable of the town, at the time it is, the holy of holies and etc.);
set phrases-terms that have turned into metaphors (bring to a common denominator= equalize, specific gravity= value, exaggerate= to greatly exaggerate squaring the circle and etc.);
accepted at home stable names, which do not belong to any terminological system ( Indian summer, goat leg and so on.);
winged words and expressions who came to us from Greek and Roman mythology (Achilles' heel, sword of Damocles, tantalum flour, wash your hands etc.);
winged words and expressions come from the Bible and others religious texts (manna from heaven, the abomination of desolation etc.);
catchphrases come from literature, which have lost touch with the original source and entered into speech as phraseological units ( mage and wizard- comedy A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin "Krechinsky's Wedding" (1855), between hammer and anvil- novel by F. Shpilhagen "Between the hammer and the anvil" (1868), between Scylla and Charybdis- Homer, "Odyssey" (VIII century BC);
phraseological units-tracing paper, that is, a literal translation of set expressions from other languages ( smash on the head- it. aufs Haupt Schlagen, not at ease- fr. ne pas etre dans son assiette, dog and wolf time- fr. l'heure entre chien et loup, literally: the time after sunset, when it is difficult to distinguish a dog from a wolf).

Do not apply to phraseological units:

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

Lexico-grammatical classification

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

verbal- are used in speech in the form of an imperfect and perfect form: take / take the bull by the horns, hang / hang the nose, stroke / stroke the wrong way etc. A significant number of verbal phraseological units nevertheless entrenched in the language in the form of only one type: perfect ( wave your hand, plug it into your belt, kill two birds with one stone) or imperfect ( lead by the nose, smoke the sky, stand as a mountain(for someone).
registered- are implemented in nominal phrases ( Indian summer, dark forest, Filkin's letter). In a sentence, they can play the role of a nominal predicate - they are used in I.p. or sometimes in Etc.
adverbial- implemented in adverbial combinations ( in all shoulder blades, in all eyes, in one word, in a black body, so-so).
adjectival - are characterized by the fact that their interpretation requires definitive (adjective) phrases ( skin and bones= very thin wet behind the ears= too young).
verb-nominal predicative - built on the model of a sentence and implemented in verbal-nominal phrases (in fact, sentences where an indefinite pronoun acts as a subject (grammatical or logical): eyes on forehead who, and the flag in hand to whom.

Phraseological units and idioms - is there a difference?

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

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

About something incomprehensible we will say chinese letter, but for the Danes it is " sounds like the name of a Russian city". German says: “I only understood “station”, Pole - “Thank you, everyone is healthy at my house”, the Englishman will use "It's all Greek to me" (It's all Greek to me).

Or let's take the well-known Russian phraseological unit beat the buckets(= to mess around, to engage in nonsense) - it cannot be translated into another language literally. Because the origin of the expression is connected with the phenomena of the past, which has no analogues in the present. “To beat the buckets” means to split a log into chocks for turning spoons and wooden utensils.

Phraseologisms, speech stamps and clichés

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

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

Common mistakes in the use of phraseological units

The incorrect use of phraseological units leads to speech errors, sometimes just annoying, and sometimes even comical.

The use of phraseological units in the wrong meaning. For example, with a literal understanding or distortion of the meaning of a phraseological unit - In the forest, I always use repellents, so the mosquito will not undermine the nose. The meaning of this phraseological unit is “you can’t find fault with anything”, in this case the turnover was taken too literally and therefore was used incorrectly.
Distortion of the form of phraseology.

Grammatical Distortion - It Works later willows sleeves(Right later I sleeves). me his stories imposed on teeth(Right imposed V teeth). It is also wrong to replace short forms of adjectives with full ones in phraseological units.
Lexical distortion - plug behind mine someone's belt(it is impossible to freely introduce new units into the phraseological unit). live wide(Right live wide leg - you can not throw out words from the phraseological unit).

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

Modern phraseological units

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

common;
obsolete;
obsolete.

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

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

On a live thread- to do something not too carefully, temporarily, with the expectation in the future to redo the work as it should, to do it without extra effort. The origin of the phraseological unit is quite transparent: when seamstresses sew the parts of the product together, they first sweep them with large stitches so that they just stick together. And then they sew the parts neatly and firmly.

cloudless nature- a characteristic for a calm and unflappable person with a benevolent and balanced character, a person without special flaws and not subject to mood swings. And it can also be used not only to describe a person, but also to characterize abstract phenomena (relationships between people, for example).

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

Speak different languages- do not find mutual understanding.

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

Why do we need phraseological units-synonyms?

By the way, phraseological units can be both synonyms and antonyms among themselves. Having understood what connections exist between phraseological units that are different at first glance, one can more deeply comprehend their meanings. And also to diversify the use of these turns in speech. Sometimes synonymous phraseological units describe various degrees of manifestation of a phenomenon or its various, but similar aspects. Look at these examples of phraseological units:

About a person who means nothing to society and is nothing of himself, they say and small fry, And the last spoke in the chariot, And low flight bird, And bump in place.
The antonyms for these phraseological units are turns: important bird, high-flying bird, big cone.

Interpretation of phraseological units

We bring to your attention the interpretation and even the history of the origin of some phraseological units. They are included in the active stock of the modern Russian language. And, despite the fact that some are no longer just tens, but even a couple of hundred years old, they remain popular and are widely used in everyday speech and literature.

Augean stables- so they burn about a very dirty place, a neglected and untidy room, things scattered in disorder. Applies also to messy, disordered and neglected cases.

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

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

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

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

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

lamb in paper- a bribe.

It is believed that phraseology originated in the eighteenth century. At that time, there was a magazine called "Vssakaya Vsyachina", the editor of which was the Empress Catherine II. The monarch was sharply critical of the bribery common among officials. And she claimed, they say, officials, hinting at a bribe, demand to bring them a "lamb in a piece of paper." The turnover was popular with the Russian writer M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, who, as you know, often ridiculed the vices of contemporary society.

without a hitch, without a hitch– flawlessly, without complications and problems, well and smoothly.

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

beat the alarm- to draw everyone's attention to something of great public or personal importance, to something dangerous and disturbing.

Nabat - in the Middle Ages and earlier periods of history, to alert people about trouble (fire, invasion of enemies, etc.), an alarm signal was given by the sound of bells, less often drums were beaten.

good obscenity(scream) - shout very loudly, at the top of your lungs.

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

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

In the old days, heavy loads on the rivers were rafted with the help of the draft power of people (barge haulers). The most experienced, physically strong and hardy person, who was called a bump in the jargon accepted in this environment, walked ahead of everyone in the strap.

shave forehead- send to military service, into soldiers.

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

Babel- confusion and crowding, disorder.

The biblical traditions describe the construction of a grandiose tower up to the sky (“pillar of creation”), which was started by the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon and in which many people from different lands took part. As a punishment for this insolence, God created many different languages, so that the builders stopped understanding each other and, in the end, could not complete the building.

bartholomew's night- massacre, genocide and extermination.

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

Versta Kolomna- a characteristic for a person of very high stature.

In the past, milestones marked the distance on the roads. Specifically, this expression was born from a comparison of tall people with milestones on the way between Moscow and the village of Kolomenskoye (the summer residence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was located there).

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

By "dog" is not meant an animal, but an outdated name for thorns and thorns.

in all shoulder blades- very fast.

This turnover was born to denote a very fast run of a horse, when it jumps "in all front legs."

free Cossack- a definition for a free and independent person.

In the Muscovite state of the 15th-17th centuries, this was the name given to free people from the central regions of the country who fled to the periphery in order to escape enslavement (that is, turning into serfs).

newspaper duck- unverified, distorted or generally false information in the media from beginning to end.

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

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

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

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

It was originally used to describe something very distant, almost "on the edge of the world." So in ancient times they called two rocks located on the banks of the Strait of Gibraltar. In those days, people believed that the ancient Greek hero Hercules installed the pillars there.

naked as a falcon- a characteristic for a very poor person.

Falcon - the so-called ancient wall-beater used during the siege. It looked like an absolutely smooth cast-iron blank, fixed on chains.

sword of Damocles- constant threat, danger.

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

case burned out– i.e. something completed successfully, in a satisfactory manner.

The origin of this phraseological unit is connected with the peculiarities of judicial office work in the past. A defendant could not be charged with anything if his case was destroyed, for example, by fire. Wooden courts, together with all the archives, often burned in the past. And just as often there were cases when court cases were destroyed intentionally, for a bribe to judicial officials.

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

When old Russian bakers baked rolls, they gave them the shape of a padlock with a round bow. This form had a purely utilitarian purpose. It was convenient to hold the kalach by the bow while eating. Apparently, they already guessed about the diseases of dirty hands even then, so they disdained to eat the handle of the kalach. But it could be served to the poor or thrown to a hungry dog. It was possible to reach the point of eating a kalach handle only in the most extreme case, in extreme need, or simply not caring at all about one's health and image in the eyes of others.

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

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

for lentil soup- to change their ideals or supporters for selfish motives.

According to biblical tradition, Esau gave up his birthright to his brother Jacob for nothing more than a bowl of lentil stew.

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

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

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

Phraseologism was born from the outdated name of the school discipline - "history with geography".

and no brainer- something that should be clear even to the most obtuse, self-evident.

There are two versions of the origin of this phraseological unit. It is also possible that both are true and one follows from the other. One turn went to the people after the poem by V. Mayakovsky, in which there were such lines: “It is clear even to a hedgehog / This Petya was a bourgeois.” According to another, the expression took root in boarding schools for gifted children that existed in Soviet times. The letters E, G and I denoted classes with students of one year of study. And the students themselves were called "hedgehogs." In terms of their knowledge, they lagged behind students from classes A, B, C, D, E. Therefore, what is understandable to the “hedgehog” should have been all the more understandable for more “advanced” students.

not by washing, so by skating- not one way, but another way to achieve the desired result.

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

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

This phraseological unit was born relatively recently. In the 1950s and 1960s, US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft frequently violated Chinese airspace. The Chinese authorities responded to any such violation of the borders (and there were several hundred of them) with an official warning to the US leadership. But no decisive action was taken to stop the reconnaissance flights of American pilots.

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

Sapa (from it. zappa= "hoe") - a ditch or dig, imperceptibly pulled out towards the enemy's fortifications in order to take him by surprise. In the past, in this way they often dug under the walls of enemy fortresses, laying gunpowder charges in the trenches. Exploding, the bombs destroyed the outer walls and opened up the opportunity for the attackers to break through. By the way, the word "sapper" of the same origin - that was the name of the people who left the powder charges in the saps.

Conclusion

We hope that we were able to at least slightly open for you the diverse and interesting world of phraseological units. If you continue this journey on your own, there are still many interesting discoveries ahead of you.

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

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