2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
"If the mountain does not go to Mohammed", "On a silver platter", "And you, Brutus!" - how firmly these phrases have entered our lives. And each of them very briefly and accurately, in just a few words, can describe the current situation or convey the feelings experienced.
What is this?
Catchwords or expressions are phraseological units that are drawn from historical events, folklore and various literary sources - artistic, journalistic, scientific. They often contain the names of literary characters, historical figures, geographical names. These can be quotes from speeches of famous people.
Most catchphrases lose their original meaning and are already used in relation to current realities.
Winged words can have the features of an aphorism or simply be figurative or used in a figurative sense. They, like proverbs, are known to many, are often and everywhere used, have special expressiveness and accurately convey the idea.
Where did this name come from?
The very phrase "winged words"belongs to Homer and has by no means the meaning that is attributed to it now. The Greek poet in his Odyssey meant loud speech. Later, however, the expression "winged words" acquired a slightly different meaning in the mouth of Homer. It has come to mean fluid speech, the words of which fly from the mouth of the speaker to the ear of the listener.
This phrase got its current meaning thanks to the publication in 1864 of a collection of popular quotes compiled by the German scientist Georg Buchmann. Since then, the expression has become a term used in stylistics and linguistics.
The history of some catchphrases dates back to ancient times. Some of them relate to mythology, others to historical events or speeches of prominent figures and philosophers of the past. Translated from Latin and Greek, catchphrases have firmly entered our lives, although they have lost their original meaning. And expressions drawn from mythology are generally used only in a figurative sense.
Sources
A special place is occupied by winged words, the source of which is the Bible. Separate phrases or even whole sentences - biblical expressions - are often found in everyday speech and give it a special color and meaning. The most famous of them are “Judge not, lest you be judged”, “a book with seven seals”, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” and many others.
In addition to biblical quotes, a separate niche is occupied by literary sayings found in the works of Russian and Ukrainian classics - N. V. Gogol, A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov. Hugethe source of popular expressions are the fables of I. A. Krylov and “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboyedov. Much later, quotes from the works of Ilf and Petrov replenished the piggy bank of such phrases.
Losing their original meaning, partially changing under the influence of time, winged words, nevertheless, decorate our speech, make it richer and more interesting. Some expressions are instructive in nature, others give a humorous coloring to words. Increasingly, popular expressions can be found in the titles of books and articles.
Conclusion
However, some phrases in different countries may have a slightly different meaning, although taken from the same source. There are expressions that have no analogues in another language at all, and when translated, they will seem completely meaningless. This is worth knowing for people who want to show off their speech and knowledge abroad, so as not to get into an awkward position. It’s better to memorize a few catchphrases that are actively used in this country. This will be the best proof of a genuine interest in the culture and history of the host country.
