What the phraseological unit means is in the bag. The meaning of the phraseological unit "it's in the bag", origin and examples
"In the bag", everything will be ready soon . Surely, you have heard or uttered this expression, while experiencing a pleasant feeling of satisfaction that all your work is coming to an end, and the matter is nearing a finale or a successful ending. But have you ever wondered why people talk about a hat in this situation? Where did this expression come from and what are the versions of the origin of the popular phraseological unit, and when should it still be used? More on all this below.
The meaning of phraseology, what does this expression mean (saying)
The phraseology “it’s in the bag” means that the matter is nearing its end and there will soon be a positive ending, and your efforts will be justified.
In everyday conversation, this saying can often be heard not only in conversations between an adult and a child, but also among adults, because using this expression you can quickly describe the state of affairs. For example, the postman says: “I delivered almost all the letters, there was only one house left, but I only had 1 left in my bag, and the house is ten meters away, so, “it’s in the bag”, we can go home soon!
Or another good example - the cook preparing a delicious pie: The most difficult thing was to knead the dough and shape it and all that was left was to put it in the oven, wait 20 minutes and “it’s done.”
In both the first and second cases, they talk about the hat when everything is in order, the hardest part is over, and there is very little left before a positive result.
Origin of phraseological units (sayings)
It is impossible to say exactly where the phraseological unit came from, and which version can be considered the most suitable, but it is worth noting that they all relate to the hat. So, let's look at all the options why things are “put” in the hat:
They put a bribe in the hat
In Ancient Rus' there were also people who took and gave bribes. It was called bribery. And it was customary for officials to put this bribe in their hats.
Usually, the one who gave the bribe, after handing it over, expected a quick and positive solution to the issue that bothered him or the resolution of the problem.
And the phrase “it’s in the bag”, in all likelihood, should have been uttered by bribe takers, who in this way convinced the “bribe givers” that all their problems would be solved in the near future.
Letter from a messenger
In ancient times, mail, as such, did not exist, but important documents and letters had to be delivered. Therefore, there were messengers who delivered letters. At the same time, they put the most important messages under their hats so as not to lose them.
When the messengers picked up the documents for shipment, they informed the sender “the deal is in the bag,” which meant “the job will be done, I will deliver your message to the addressee on time.” Over time, the phraseological unit began to be used in other situations.
Judgment in a court case
During the reign of Ivan IV (the Terrible), decisions in many court cases were made based on how the lot fell, which the convicted person had to draw from the judge's hat. And if the decisions were already in the bag, then the defendants and others present at the trial understood that the decision would be made in the near future.
It must be said that linguistic experts deny this version and consider it incorrect, since during the reign of Ivan IV the word hat did not yet exist in Russian speech.
Jewish tradition
There is an assumption that, thanks to the lot, the Jews determined who should receive permission to carry out various types of business, for example: buying and selling things, or receiving a business proposal. And the hat, in such a situation, acted as an object that gave hope for success. After all, everyone believed in their victory and luck and knew that in this case everything would be fair, because everyone had the same probability of success. That is why, later, another phraseological unit gained popularity - “to screw up”, which meant the loss of an opportunity and the omission of something important.
In general, all the proposed options are unusual in their origin and presentation, but require special consideration, and until linguists have determined which option most deserves to become the ancestor of this saying, you can choose the option you like best for the origin of the phraseological unit “it’s in the bag” "
Examples of sentences about “it’s in the bag”
- We have concluded a contract, we just need to sign the documents - “the deal is in the bag.”
- I will pass the session ahead of schedule, since I will finish the last exam “automatically” - “it’s in the bag.”
- The house is built, all that remains is to hand over the keys to the people and the deal is in the bag.
The meaning of the phraseological unit “it’s in the bag” is not limited to clothing, although, at first glance, it is directly related to it. In this case, people remember the headdress when everything is going wrong for a person, and until success
Story
There is no consensus on where the saying came from, but there are three main theories.
First version. Allegedly, in Rus', messengers sewed important documents into a hat to protect themselves from bandits. In this case, the “case” refers to documents. True, it is unclear how exactly the documents are related to the successful completion of any enterprise.
Second version. Not only today, but also in ancient times, in order to achieve results from an official, he was “buttered,” of course, with coins. And they put bribes in a hat. This is how it happened:
What's the matter?
In the bag.
A hint that it would be nice to give to the kids for milk.
Third version. Controversial cases in court used to be decided by lot. And the latter, of course, was placed in the headdress. Therefore, the meaning of the phraseological unit “it’s in the bag” is this.
True, all theories do not explain why the role of headdress is favorable, and not vice versa. The versions are very vague.
In other words, the origin of the expression is shrouded in darkness or a thick layer of fog. Perhaps the true source does not involve officials, messengers, or even a court at all. Perhaps this is a borrowing from a foreign language, but from which one is a mystery.
Modern life expressions
Whatever it was in hoary antiquity, but among modern Russian-speaking people, phraseological units are clearly painted in positive colors. When they say: “It’s in the bag!”, the most rosy meaning is put into this expression.
Exams and hat
Let’s imagine that two applicants meet, and one says to the other:
Hello, Vovka! How are your entrance exams?
Excellent, Lenka, “Social studies” and “Russian language” passed with “5”. What remains is "English". I can hand it over with ease.
Well done, I see, “it’s in the bag!”
The meaning of a phraseological unit is difficult to convey in one word, but if you shorten the meaning as much as possible, it turns out that the phrase is a replacement, a synonym for the words “wonderful”, “wonderful”, “wonderful”.
Or two cool businessmen meet, and one asks the other:
Did you sell that batch of used Soviet TVs to the Japanese?
You won’t believe it, but there’s no way to say anything except to draw on the meaning of the phraseological unit “it’s in the bag.” The contract is almost in my pocket.
Amazingly, I thought that only we have nostalgia for the Soviet era.
Yes, the Japanese are amazing people. For some reason they needed our decommissioned technologies. But I think it’s not just about nostalgia, they probably have some kind of idea.
Tonality of expression
It is a rare case that an expression does not contain any morality. Therefore, let's talk about the tonality of the phrase. Naturally, the meaning of the phraseological unit “it’s in the bag” does not imply its use at official meetings and events. It is appropriate among friends, at meetings, as they say, without a tie.
"Slap"
Finally, one interesting fact. It is known that to “slip” is to miss something. There are different hypotheses about the origin of the concept. For example, there is an opinion that one class in Russia called another “hats” (the proletarians called the intelligentsia that way. The former wore caps, the latter wore hats). Another theory is linguistic: the meaning came to us from Yiddish, in which “hat” is called a sleepyhead, a sluggish person.
By studying the history of just one expression, you can look into the soul of not only a person, but also an entire nation. Moreover, words with the same root and even the same ones in different contexts sometimes have opposite meanings.
Today we explored the meaning of the phraseological unit “it’s in the bag.” It is noteworthy that the phrase has only a historical relation directly to the headdress.
It's in the bag literally
One of the famous expressions in society is the interesting expression “it’s in the bag.” But how did this stable phraseological unit appear, and what events were associated with hats, and not with hats or caps? And what versions of the origin of this expression can be considered plausible?
Versions of the origin of the phraseological unit “it’s all in the bag”
The most common and plausible version today is the version about messengers. The meaning of this version is that earlier messengers - postmen sewed important and valuable letters and denunciations or other important papers under the lining of their headdress (hat, cap).
The second version is that since ancient times all controversial cases were resolved through drawing lots. And for this they used a hat, in which pieces of something were placed, definitely indicating each subject of dispute. That's why they said that the whole matter would be decided through a hat.
Third version of origin expressions it's in the bag lies in the fact that certain officials took bribes, which in turn were placed under a hat or other headdress. But this version looks implausible.
Nowadays, you can also clearly see why people pronounce this expression in the literal sense. The fact is that, for example, during exercises or classes, the military stuffed “cheat sheets” into the lining of their caps. If these cheat sheets had difficult-to-remember content (for example, call signs or radio frequency). And when a difficult situation arose, the serviceman would reach out and take a peek (the matter was resolved). But this is not the only thing that can be seen in military personnel. Most older people still put notes in their hats.
