Get off track: the origin and meaning of phraseology

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The rut is the familiar beaten track we follow in our lives. The reasons for "knocking out" can be completely different, but often this is the strongest emotional shock that makes us leave our usual comfort zone.

The expression "get out of the rut". Origin

This stable expression has several related meanings, which differ only in semantic shades and cases of use. In the educational phraseological dictionary, "to get out of the rut" means that a person no longer has the strength to lead a habitual way of life, and in the phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language, this stable expression means the loss of the usual state.

This phrase can often be found in the works of Russian classics, for example, in "War and Peace" by Tolstoy, "Oblomov" by Goncharov, "Dubrovsky" by Pushkin, "The Idiot" and "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoyevsky. The frequent use of this expression isthe fact that at that time unsettlement of a wagon or chariot was a fairly common occurrence - very often this set phrase was used not only figuratively, but also in the literal sense. Nowadays, this well-known expression is often used only in an indirect sense.

What does it mean to "get off track"? Meaning of phraseologism

To understand the meaning of this stable expression in more detail, you need to turn to Russian classical literature. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in his story "Misfortune" tells the story of a lawyer Ilyina who is in love with a married housewife Sofya Petrovna.

Strict morals of that time do not allow a servant of the law to speak openly about his feelings for this woman, although they are mutual. The suddenly overtaken feeling discourages Ilyin so much that he cannot lead his usual existence. "I love you, I love you to the point that I got off track, gave up business and loved ones, forgot my God!" - he writes in letters to Sofya Petrovna. These words for lawyer Ilyin mean the sudden loss of his usual state, to which he had become so accustomed over the years that sudden love for him became not a wonderful feeling, but, above all, the loss of peace, his beloved work and loved ones.

When can this expression be used?

Phraseologism "get out of the rut" can be used in several cases - if we want to indicate a sharp change in our usual way of life, or if we mean stressful for usa situation that has reached an almost absolute peak. In other words, the cases of use are diametrically opposed, and the phrase is one. In some situations, using this expression, we want to emphasize, first of all, a strong degree of stress into which circumstances have driven us, and in some situations, a change in our usual way of life, getting into a non-standard situation.

A widow may say that the death of her husband has unsettled her, and this will mean, first of all, terrible grief. An office worker can also use this idiom, but the emphasis will not be on the colossal degree of suffering caused by problems with public transport, but on changing the usual course of his day.

Analogues abroad

According to the recognition of many people who study one or more languages in depth, the translation of Russian phraseological units into a foreign language causes certain difficulties. In English, there is no definite analogue for the expression "get out of the rut", so it is translated depending on the context. For example, if the sentence says that the processing of grain should remain at the same level, then it is appropriate to say "to keep this process on track", which literally means "keep the process on the road".

If we want to say that the grain is no longer of the same quality as before, then the expression "derailed" is appropriate here, literally - "go off the rails". The phrase "get out"out of a rut" meaning in all languages is approximately the same - a change in the usual course of events is not for the better with the appearance of multiple negative consequences. Their degree can be either small or catastrophically huge. The final interpretation of the sentence often depends on this.

Is this good or bad?

The expression "to get out of the rut" most often implies a negative change in the situation, lifestyle, which has led to a certain level of stress. It is quite difficult to use this phraseological unit in a positive context - a person is arranged in such a way that he perceives any, even the slightest change in his usual schedule and routine, negatively. However, if you look at it more closely, then we can say that in any case, moving forward is closely related to breaking patterns, stress, change.

Of course, we are not talking about unconditional life dramas that are very difficult to survive, however, if, for example, we move to a permanent place of residence in another country that we have been dreaming about for a long time, then this is certainly associated with a certain share stress. We leave our comfort zone. The flight, a huge pile of things in the corridor, an unusual environment … But this is a breakthrough, a new experience! Everything in life is ambiguous, you should not perceive life only in black and white colors. Yes, the usual rut of life is convenient, but not always good. Breaking out of it does not always mean negative life events, the main message of the phraseological unit considered in this article is change.

Lexicalvalue

Russian is one of the most beautiful and rich languages in the world. The original Russian speech turns give it a zest and atypicality. According to their origin, they are divided into several types: common Slavic, East Slavic and actually Russian. The phrase we are talking about is native Russian. The expression "to get out of the rut" is the professional vocabulary of drivers. As often happens, professionalism, which was originally used only in a narrow stratum of the population, turned into literary speech and became a full-fledged language unit. Sometimes this happens even with jargon. Writers who initially set themselves the goal of immersing the reader in the atmosphere they describe contribute to the penetration of various verbal turns into Russian speech.