History of the phrase hack to death. What does the expression "hack on the nose

There are many stable expressions in our language that are simple and understandable for us. However, linguists of foreign countries experience a lot of difficulties translating these expressions: it is not easy for them to understand what this or that stable combination means in one word. The origin of this has an interesting theory. Let's consider where the phrase "hack to death" came from, the meaning of this phraseological unit and several sentences with its use.

This statement is used by people living in our country unconsciously. The general meaning of the phrase is as follows: the speaker expresses a desire that the person to whom he is addressing would firmly remember his words and never forget them again.

School teachers or adults who scold children can use this phraseological unit.

This expression perfectly illustrates the emotional diversity of our language. A standard request to remember something well is not as emotional and eloquent as a stable combination of words.

However, foreigners may mistakenly believe that the statement contains the danger of physical punishment. This theory is correct, but only partially.

Reference! The meaning of the phraseologism "hack to death" is to remember.

How the phraseological unit came about

How did the phrase “hack it in the nose” appear? Initially, several centuries ago, the expression was not emotionally charged or related to mutilation. When a man said "hack to death," he meant tablets that helped those who were illiterate.

The name of these plaques comes from the word "wear". In those years, writing instruments were extremely important, so many people kept them with them at all times. The phrase "hack on the nose" meant to make notches on the wooden notepads, which were always at hand.

What planks were required for

The history of the phraseologism "hack to death" is rather unusual. Until 1917, when the tsarist government was overthrown, only representatives of high society were literate and educated.

The overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Russia did not know how to write even the simplest words. However, the lack of education and literacy did not prevent people from actively participating in the trade, which flourished in the country at the time.

Trading houses were opened regularly, fairs and caravans appeared. Every minute, a lot of transactions were carried out, and for quite serious amounts.

For uneducated traders, special boards were created. With the help of these tablets, traders put special notches that denote the transactions they carried out with money. The number of hacked sticks made it possible to decipher these records. It was inconvenient, but this version of the "notebook" was the only thing that people had in those days.

A general lack of literacy was also observed in European states during the Middle Ages. Similar plaques also found their distribution there. Archaeologists regularly found not only plaques, but also sticks with notches on them.

How did the shade of threat appear?

Today, people who demand that the interlocutor hack to death, often in a playful manner (and sometimes seriously) threaten him.

This emotional color arose as a result of the main purpose of wooden "notebooks". The tablets recorded the financial obligations that the debtor had.

Let's look at an example. When someone borrowed 2 sacks of flour from a person, the owner of the goods made two notches on the board. In the event that the debtor did not return the debt in full, the tablet was divided into parts between the cooperating people. Each piece contained half of the cut notches.

Financial obligations meant a kind of threat to the debtor. As a result, the expression in question over time acquired a special emotional coloring.

Useful video: the meaning of "hack it in the nose"

Use cases

This is a fairly common expression that is used everywhere in both oral speech and writing. It is often found in dialogues in fiction, films, and print media.

Here are some examples of using the expression.

Sentences with phraseological units can be very different:

1. Hack on your nose: the way the younger generation relates to the older, characterizes the level of education and culture of society as a whole.
2. He hacked himself long ago that he shouldn't prove his case to everyone.
3. Cut your nose: you were lucky to meet me, and today you still got off easy.
4. The little girl made her nose forever never try to tease street dogs.
5. Cut it out on your nose: this promise must be kept, no matter what the circumstances.

Advice!Pictures to the phraseological unit "hack to death" can better understand the meaning of the expression for children. Sentences with it, compiled independently, will consolidate the understanding of the topic.

Picture to phraseological unit

In the Russian language you can find such expressions and idioms that will baffle even a professional foreign linguist. People who try to learn Russian are generally shocked when they try to understand the meaning of many catchphrases. Even not every Russian can explain the meaning of phraseological units. " nick down".

In Russia, everyone is familiar with this expression and perfectly understands its meaning. For example, a mother, scolding her child, can say: "Nikolai, never do that again, hack it on your nose." And the baby fully understands that this is the last warning that should not be violated, otherwise bad consequences will follow. Although the child hardly understands what the meaning of this phrase is, he understands the emotional coloring of this expression.

The history of the expression "hack to death"

However, in the dark ages of medieval Russia, only priests and nobles were literate, and that was not all. However, life in the country was seething and boiling, trade caravans scurried between cities, fairs and trading houses were opened everywhere. Merchants made deals and earned money.
With general illiteracy, it was necessary to somehow get out.
At that time, there were special planks on which sticks (notches) were scratched.
For example, one merchant lends a man three skeins of cloth. He takes out a board and put exactly three notches. Then, when the debt gradually returned, the board was divided into parts. This was done in such a way that half of each notch would remain on both sides.

Well, everything is clear with this, but many will have a question.
What does the nose have to do with it?
Researchers believe that this is not a human organ, but a derivative of the verb "wear". Planks on which notches were made were of great importance in ancient Russia, so most citizens carried them with them without parting for a minute, because it was their money.

Origin phraseologism "hack to death" lost in the distant centuries.

And, apparently, it will remain a mystery you want to solve.

Let's look at the meaning and versions of origin, synonyms-antonyms, as well as sentences with phraseological units from the works of writers.

The meaning of phraseological units

Nick down - remember firmly, forever; consider for the future

Phraseological synonyms: hack into your forehead, hack into your head, tie a knot, wind on a mustache, take notes

Phraseologisms-antonyms: get out of my head, listen half-heartedly (partially)

In foreign languages, there are expressions similar in meaning. Among them:

• put it into your pipe and smoke it (English)
• se mettre qch dans la tête (French)
• sich etw. hinter die Ohren schreiben (German)

The origin of the phraseological unit

As often happens, the overwhelming majority of articles and dictionaries set out one single version of the origin of this phraseological unit, which states that it has nothing to do with the human nose. In principle, this is a completely normal situation, but I was confused by this: the main phraseological units-synonyms just refer to various parts of the body (hack (to myself) on the forehead, hack (to myself) in the head, to wind (myself) on a mustache).

Of course, it's nice to put forward an alternative version myself, justifying it with a fairly obvious argument, but I wanted to find it in some authoritative source. And I found it. But let's go over each version in order:

• According to the main version, under the nose in the expression "hack on the nose" was meant a "commemorative plaque" for notches. And the word itself comes from the word "carry", since they were usually carried with them as a reminder of affairs and mutual obligations. It is believed that for the almost universally illiterate population of old Russia, such plates with notches were the simplest substitute for writing. And in the case of writing down the debt, the board was split and one half was given to the debtor so that he remembered his debt. This kind of practice, when a whole object was divided into two halves (given to two parties to the agreement), which then had to be exactly connected to confirm mutual rights, was used already in ancient civilizations. And the main thing here was not the replacement of writing, but the high degree of protection of such "contracts" from forgeries.
• In turn, V. Makienko in the work “Do we speak Russian correctly? Sayings. What we know about them, where they came from, how to understand and use them correctly ”casts doubt on the above version. At the same time, he refers to the presence of phraseological units-synonyms with other parts of the body both in Russian (see above) and in a number of European languages \u200b\u200b(for example, the literal meaning of the above German expression "sich etw. Hinter die Ohren schreiben" - write that behind the ears). Thus, he insists on the origin of the phraseologism "hack to death" from an ordinary human nose. So that this version does not look too bloody (we do not take Buratino into account), it should be clarified that the meaning of the verb hack is not limited to “make a notch”, but can also be interpreted as “take note, remember forever” (Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2009). In favor of this version, one can make such an argument that making a mark on your body is the most reliable way to preserve it (the tablet can be lost or stolen). It is not without reason that even now scattered people prefer to write down important information to remember in the palm of their hand.

Examples from the works of writers

In fact, a perfect Box comes out. As he hacked into his head, then nothing can overpower him. (N.V. Gogol, "Dead Souls")

You should have listened to this man with your mouth open, so as not to utter a word, but to hack his words on the nose, and you argue! (A. N. Ostrovsky, "A profitable place") - by the way, quotes by Alexander Ostrovsky

Yes, it is true, we entered not humbly, not as your hangers-on and your seekers, but lifting our heads, like free people, and by no means with a request, but with a free and proud demand (hear, not with a request, but a demand, hack it to yourself !). (F.M.Dostoevsky, "The Idiot")

You, Efim, cut your nose too, and tell everyone here - if I hear some obscene word about her - a log over the head! (M. Gorky, "Foma Gordeev")

By golly, you're just a boy at twenty-two. Or vice versa - an old man, a bigot. That's right, prude. Don't you understand that my relationship with Nikolai Ivanovich is built on something completely different? I consider him, considered and will always consider him the best person on earth, hack it on your nose. Is it clear to you or not? (V.P. Nekrasov, "Kira Georgievna")

The Russian language includes many meanings which are perfectly understood by its native speakers, but it puzzles foreigners. "Hitting on the nose" is bright, the translation of which is difficult for linguists from other countries. The origin of the phraseological unit, as is typical for such expressions, has a simple and at the same time interesting explanation.

Hack on the nose: the meaning of the phrase

The winged expression is so well established that it is used unconsciously by native speakers. Phraseologism "hack to death" comes to a person's aid when he wants his interlocutor to remember his words forever. For example, this statement can be afforded by parents or teachers, scolding. It is also used by adults who quarrel with each other.

This phrase is one of the visual proofs of the emotional richness of the Russian language. The expression "hack to death" better conveys the speaker's emotions and the importance of his words than a simple request to remember something. However, it does not at all conceal the threat of physical harm, as it might seem to a foreigner trying to translate the statement verbatim.

The origin of the phraseological unit

Oddly enough, the winged expression did not initially have any emotional connotation. It was completely unrelated to damage to the human body. By offering to hack to death on the nose, the speaker did not mean at all an organ of smell, as one might think. This name was popularly acquired by the people several centuries ago, which served as a lifesaver for a person not trained in literacy.

How are these devices related to one of the body parts? Absolutely not, since their name comes from the verb "wear". Given the importance of writing instruments, many residents of that time practically did not part with them. In fact, "hacking on the nose" meant making notches on the "notepads-noses" that were always with you.

Why do we need "noses"

Almost until the overthrow of the tsarist regime in 1917, literacy remained the privilege of high society. Most of the Russian population did not even possess elementary writing skills. Serious educational gaps did not prevent people from actively participating in the trade that flourished in the country. New trading houses were constantly established, fairs were launched, caravans flourished. Transactions were made every minute and were sometimes associated with large amounts.

Planks, which owes its own existence to the phraseologism "hack to death", were invented to help illiterate traders. With their help, they recorded their own financial transactions in memory, making notches. Decryption of the "notebook" was carried out by counting the number of created "sticks". It does not seem convenient, but it is worth remembering that people did not have electronic gadgets in those days.

It is interesting that such adaptations were widespread in medieval Europe as well, since there the situation with the literacy of the population at that time was deplorable.

Emotional color

Why do people these days threaten their opponents, jokingly or seriously, when they ask them to hack to death? The significance has acquired an emotional color in connection with the main purpose of the tablets, which have successfully replaced modern notebooks. They have become a means of fixing debt obligations.

It is easy to give an example of recording such an operation on a commemorative tag. A man borrows three sacks of flour from a friend. To remember the fact of the loan and to repay it in a timely manner, three notches are made on the board. A partial return of the resulting debt was not ruled out. In this case, the "notebook" was divided into parts between partners, and on each half of the notches made were saved.

Obviously, they may be fraught with a certain threat to the debtor. This is connected with the gradual acquisition of an inoffensive expression of emotional coloring.

Other phraseological units "with a nose"

There are other original catch phrases that seem to be or are actually associated with the organ of smell. Among them there are phraseological units that have a simple explanation, and expressions formed in a complex way. An example of a “light” stable phrase is the characteristic “with a gulkin's nose,” meaning a small amount of something. Under a gulkin's nose, the speaker means a pigeon's beak, which is small in size.

The phrase "get away with the nose" has as long a history as "hack it on the nose." The offer dates back to the days when bribery flourished in the country. For example, it was difficult to hope for a positive solution to your issue in court if a gift was not prepared for a representative of the authorities. Of course, such a gift was not called a bribe: it was designated as a nose, bringing. If a person is left with a nose, this indicates that his gift was refused. Therefore, the achievement of the goal seems unrealistic.

Many catch phrases from the past have been forgotten, but the phraseologism "hack to death" continues to be actively used in Russian.

In ancient times, the peasants did not know either literacy or counting. And if one asked the other to borrow several sacks of grain or flour, they could not make notes or draw up receipts. And in order to avoid controversy during the settlement, the borrower brought with him a long wooden plank, which was called the "nose."

On this board, transverse notches were made according to the number of bags borrowed, then the board was split from top to bottom, and each had a half with notches. When the debtor came to return the bags, both parties to the transaction put their halves of the nose together. If the notches matched, and the number of sacks was equal to the number of notches, this meant that none of the peasants forgot or confused anything.

The same custom existed in medieval Europe. In the Czech Republic, for example, in the 15-16 centuries. the innkeepers widely used special sticks - "cuttings", on which they applied, "cut down" with a knife marks on the amount of drinks or eaten by visitors.

Homonymy

The word "nose" in the expression "on your nose" does not mean the organ of smell. Strange as it may seem, it is a "plaque", a "note tag". The name of the plaque itself obviously comes from the Old Slavonic verb "wear" - to be useful from the notches, this plaque always had to be carried with you. And when it is desirable not to forget or confuse anything, and they say: "Cut it on your nose!"

In addition, the word "nose" was previously used in the meaning of an offering, a bribe, and if someone could not agree with the person to whom this nose was intended, this unlucky person, as you might guess, stayed with this very nose.

Thus, "cut yourself on the nose" lives to this day, and its original meaning has lost its meaning.

Interest of scientists

Of particular interest to etymologists is the relationship of the alleged homonyms nose "olfactory organ" and nose "tag with notches for memory." Trying to completely reject the association with the first homonym as absurd, E.A. Vartanyan notes that understanding would indicate cruelty: “it’s not very pleasant if you are asked to make nicks on your own face,” and, reassuring readers from this “unnecessary fear,” proceeds to an exposition of traditional etymology.

In a slightly different way, without denying the completely natural in everyday perception of the associative connection of the turnover "on the nose" with the nose as "the organ of smell", V.I. Koval. He includes material from the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian languages \u200b\u200bin his analysis. Recognizing the original meaning of "tag for records", he emphasizes that gradually this word began to correlate with the well-known meaning, which led to the loss of the original image. Due to this, a person supposedly perceives it as "an image of a notch on the nose (the organ of smell)."