The history of expression hacked to death. Phraseologism "hack to death": meaning and history

Phrase " chop your nose”Means to remember once and for all, to remember tightly.

Take into account the future tense, remember well (Explanatory Dictionary of D.N.Ushakov, 1935-1940)

In the literature, this expression is quite common:

Ostrovsky A.N.
“Thunderstorm” - the merchant Kabanova says to her son: “Well, you remember everything that I told you. Look, remember! Cut on your nose! "
“A profitable place” - Yusov says to Zhadov: - “You should have listened to this person with your mouth open, so as not to utter a word, but to hack his words on your nose, and you are arguing!”
Dostoevsky F.M.
"Idiot" - "hear, not with a request, but with a demand, hack it to yourself!"

As a child, I very often heard this expression from parents and teachers. When the purpose of the conversation with me was to memorize some written or unwritten rule, I was told, and quite strictly: chop your nose! Those. it cannot be done, or it must be done differently.

Do you know where this seemingly meaningless expression came from? And what is the connection between the bow control and the memorization process?

In the Middle Ages, wooden sticks were used as promissory notes. This was due to the fact that debtors and creditors did not know how to write. For example, in Ancient Russia, if a peasant took 2 sacks of flour from a neighbor, then he cut out a stick and made 2 cuts on it. Then, the debtor had to split the stick into 2 longitudinal parts and give one part to the neighbor, and leave the other for himself as proof of recognition of the debt. At the time of calculation, both halves were folded, while the notches had to coincide. Such sticks in Russia were also called "nose" and were always carried with them for memory. Hence the expression “ hack to death».
In England, the same notched tags were used for accounting and collection of taxes until the 17th century. And recently in Germany they found such a wooden IOU. The find was made during the excavation of the town of Wittenberg. The thirty-centimeter stick has 23 incisions, the name and date 1558 are also carved on it. I wonder if this citizen was able to pay off his debts?

Internet marketer, editor of the site "In an accessible language"
Date of publication: 25.09.2018


The phrase "" is familiar to many: it often appears in hearing and in speech, especially if they want a specific person not only to perceive the meaning of what was said, but to understand it very well and remember it for a long time. However, do you think foreigners will understand this phrase in a literal translation? Probably not! Phraseologism is difficult to translate and, as a result, loses its original meaning, it may even seem like a "call to self-harm."

Today we will tell you about what the phrase "Cut in the nose" means now, what meaning it carried before, where it came from, and why its figurative meaning has nothing to do with the organ of smell, which immediately comes to mind when you hear this expression ...

The meaning of phraseological units

In the modern interpretation, the expression "cut yourself on the nose" means to remember once and for all, for life. A phrase can be quite aggressive in nature, depending on the situation, it can play the role of a warning, a warning or a desire to draw certain conclusions, for example, when one of the interlocutors requires his opponent to remember the information he is setting out.

Also, this phrase can be used in a calmer tone, for example, for educational and instructive purposes, when a teacher is trying to convey important material to his students, emphasizing its great meaning.

It may seem to many that “hacking to death” is not aesthetically pleasing and even very harsh. But, the proposal to make a scar on the face has nothing to do with damage to the organ of smell.

The origin of the phraseological unit

Why is the “nose” the central figure of the winged expression? The history of phraseological units began in Russia, when most of the population did not possess the skills of either writing or reading. This lack of a minimum education badly affected trade, people simply could not take part in fairs, properly manage the amounts and make transactions in the market. At that time, it was customary for writing lessons to carry with them wooden tablets on which certain notes were made.

This habit also spread to merchants, who made notes on their boards about transactions and financial transactions. The word "Nose" in the sense in which it makes sense in the phraseological unit under consideration comes from the verb "to wear". Residents not trained in literacy carried signs with them almost everywhere, never parted with them.


Photo: www.kakprosto.ru

The addressed phrase “cut your nose” at that time meant “write it down in your notepad”, and in no way meant marking the organ of smell :).

Another purpose of this kind of notebooks is accounting for debt obligations. Let's say one neighbor borrowed three sacks of grain from another, and in order to fix this operation, the neighbor puts three notches on the board. If the return was made in stages, then such a notebook was divided between neighbors, in each half of which a part of the notches was preserved.

Thus, the phrase "cut yourself on the nose" is relevant in speech to this day, despite the fact that over time it acquired a figurative meaning and a special emotional coloring.

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"

In general, to our great regret, literacy among our ancestors was not held in high esteem. Only after the October coup 1917 year perfect with the help of British and German intelligence began the process of not only electrifying the entire country, but also teaching all its citizens literacy.

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.

Hack on the nose Prost. Express. Remember tightly, forever. - Now is not the time to remember that you were a teacher. For me, you are primarily a fighter. And only a fighter. Hack it into your nose (P. Pustyntsev. Through the lead blizzard).

Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M .: Astrel, AST... A.I. Fedorov. 2008.

See what "Hits in the nose" in other dictionaries:

    nick down - hack on the wall, notice, fix in memory, fix in memory, hack on the forehead, hack on the wall, take notes, hack on the forehead, save in memory, remember, tie a knot for memory, remember, tie a knot, ... ... Synonym dictionary

    nick down - Cut on the nose (on the forehead) Take note, remember forever ... Dictionary of many expressions

    nick down - remember firmly, forever. Initially, turnover meant a joking threat. The nose was also called a tag that was carried with you and on which notches were put to keep track of work, debts, etc. Phraseology reference

    hack to death - ruble /, ru / bish; hardened / abused; flax, ah, oh; St. see also. hack, hack, hack 1) whom To kill with a chopping tool, weapon (ax, saber, saber) Cut / die to death ... Dictionary of many expressions

    hack to death - See remember ... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999 ... Synonym dictionary

    hack to death - Hack down on your forehead or on your nose or on the wall (colloquial fam.) To take into account the future tense, remember it well. Cut it on your nose that I will no longer tolerate this ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian language

    CHARGE - Hack it, hack it, hack it, sover. (to hack to death). 1. who what. Kill with a saber, saber, ax. "I will hack your child, Katerina!" Gogol. 2. what. Make a notch on something (special). 3. what. Make a cut in something (forge). ❖ Hack yourself on ... Ushakov's explanatory dictionary

    CHARGE - CHARGE, kill, kill; slain; sover. 1.who (what). Kill with a saber, saber, ax. 2. what. Make a recess with a chopping tool in what n., On what n. Z. log. Cut it on your nose or forehead (colloquial) remember it for the future. | unverified. hack, ... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

    Spread. Express. The same as a href \u003d "/ dict / frazslov / article / 2 / 3561.htm" hack into your nose / a. And I would tell another cook to hack to death on the wall, So that there speeches do not waste on empty, Where you need to use power (Krylov. Cat and ... ...

    Outdated. Express. The same as a href \u003d "/ dict / frazslov / article / 2 / 3561.htm" hack into your nose / a. In fact, a perfect Box comes out. As soon as he hacked into his head, then nothing can be overcome (Gogol. Dead Souls). I AM… … Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

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Hack expression on the nose means to remember once and for all, to remember tightly. But what is the connection between the nose-cutting and the memorization process?

As a child, I often heard this expression from teachers or from parents. When they tried to instill something in me or make me remember, the adults (as a rule, severely) said: cut your nose! You can't do it like that, or you only need to do it this way. Like, remember, you fool. Now I understand that hardly any of them knew where this seemingly meaningless expression came from.

And it appeared from time immemorial, from those times when the beginnings of writing were already there, but there was no paper yet. And so, in order to remember something important, people made notches on nose - a special wooden plank that they carried with them. This tablet was called nose, they made chisels on it for memory. So that chop your nosemeant just "make a note in your notebook - that is on the nose»!

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Knowing by teeth - this expression is familiar to everyone from school. Know on

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One of the main versions of the origin of the expression If the mountain does not go to Mohammed,

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One more, the last saying, and my chronicle is over ...

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