7 slogans we use incorrectly

A sharp remark in a conversation is worth its weight in gold. True, we do not use all slogans according to their meaning, without even realizing their true meaning. In this case, you may get into trouble by gaining a reputation as an ignoramus who likes to be smart. We tell you which set expressions we regularly use for other purposes.

Master of sour cabbage soup

Initially, this was a respectful name for a specialist who knew all the secrets of making cabbage soup, one of the best types of kvass in Russia, based on malt, mint, honey and buckwheat (or millet) flour. Before vodka monopolized the market, this drink, along with mead, was the most popular drink among the Slavs. Later, the art of kvass began to be forgotten. The original Russian drink was prepared at home, but apparently its quality was much inferior to the original recipe. Over time, the phrase “sour cabbage soup professor” acquired an ironic connotation. Today they say this about a self-confident person who does his job poorly.

In the bag / Burnt

That’s what they say when everything goes well, the matter ended successfully. True, initially this expression had a negative connotation. During trials, clerks or clerks would often hide bribes inside the hat. They said “in the bag” so as not to give themselves away.

Similarly, the expression “the business was destroyed” was used. Previously, in Russia, if documents were lost, the judicial process was stopped. Many people deliberately set fire to safes where cases were kept to escape justice. Since fires occurred frequently, no one was surprised that they were actually started by those taking bribes.

Bring to white heat

Depending on the temperature, the metal glows differently when heated: first red, then yellow and finally white. This phrase, which started to be used in the sense of “reaching the limit of perfection” thanks to the blacksmiths, is now also used in the sense of angry and literally “boiling with anger”.

Spread your thoughts on the tree

In other words, we are talking about a person who expresses his thoughts clearly and does not get bogged down in unnecessary details. It is interesting that initially the phraseological unit, on the contrary, was a compliment to a person who looks at any issue from different points of view. This all stems from the incorrect translation of the line from the poem “The Story of Igor’s Campaign”: “Strong Boyan, if one wants to compose a song, he spreads his mind on the tree, like a gray wolf on the ground, like a gray eagle under the clouds.” Translated from Old Slavic, the cloak is a squirrel. So Boyan did not speak confusingly, he addressed the issue from different angles.

young lady in muslin

That’s what they said about narrow-minded girls in the 19th century who cared about nothing but their appearance. At that time, it was fashionable to wear dresses made of muslin. Hence the expression. Today this phraseological unit is used to mean not stupid, but pampered and overly sensitive.

Business time, fun time

This saying means “work should be done first, then rest.” However, long ago the word “hour” meant the same thing as “time”, so today it would be more correct to translate it as “everything has its time”.

leave it in english

Today we use this sentence when we want to say that a person left without saying goodbye. It’s funny, but among the British, on the contrary, this idiom sounds like “going on French leave” – ​​Ed.). It is not difficult to guess that this expression originated in the 18th century during the Seven Years’ War as a mockery of French soldiers who abandoned their units without permission. Then the French could not find anything better than to say it themselves. Gallomaniacs of the Russian court borrowed this phrase, which has somewhat lost its original meaning.

In the meantime, we recommend you take our Russian language exam to test your knowledge.