Looking into the dictionary: carom - what is it?

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

Really, the sonorous, beautiful word "carom", what can it mean? Let's study explanatory dictionaries and encyclopedias!

From billiards to scandal

The word is of Gallic origin and came to us from the French language. It is connected primarily with billiards. Therefore, to the question: "Carom - what is it?" - you can safely answer: "Billiard term". And now more.

• Firstly, this is a variation of this game. According to its rules, the ball that was hit with a cue (cue ball) must hit another ball and hit another one with a ricochet. The blow must be targeted, not random.
• Secondly, this is the name of the blow itself, and this is also the correct answer to the question: "Carom - what is it?" In another way, you can define the meaning of the term in this way: a game with three balls and a corresponding stroke.



• Coming out of a highly specific area into the "masses", the word has acquired an additional, figurative meaning. By analogy with a blow in billiards, they began to call this an unpleasant, delicate situation associated with various showdowns and scandals. Thus, the third answer toquestion: "Carom - what is it?" - sounds like this: an unexpected collision, argument, quarrel, often ending in a brawl. In the nobility, this is how a duel was designated. Now the word is outdated, rarely used, but 2-3 centuries ago it was very common. And now only good experts of the language insert it into their speech.
• However, our etymological research does not end there. The Russian language is considered great and powerful because every word in it can shine and play with its facets, no matter which way you turn it. It is on this diversity that metaphors, puns and other artistic tropes are built. So the term that interests us over time has acquired another meaning. Therefore, the fourth answer to the question: “Carambola - what is it?” - is this: an unexpected act, action, an event that no one expected, but it happened. Like the previous one, this value also fell out of active use a long time ago. However, when reading books, we can quite often meet him in works on historical topics. Yes, and our grandmothers, great-grandmothers, who love to express themselves flamboyantly, no, no, yes, and they will insert a word into their stories about distant youth. By the way, one more nuance: the once predicament was also called that way.



• Is it correct to say that carom is a dance? Unfortunately no. This is how the collision of pairs during the execution of a particular figure is indicated. For example, if, whirling in a w altz, you accidentally ran into neighboring dancers - there is carom! It began to be considered a dance after A. Rosenbaum's song inperformed by M. Shufutinsky with the same name. One of her lines sounds like this: "… we danced a gentle carom dance." But there is a state theater in St. Petersburg, musical, for adults and children, under this very name. Who wants to know more about him, visit the "Carambol", the poster is at your service.

Overseas fruit

And finally, the last point of our research. Carom or carambola is an exotic fruit with a ribbed surface. If you cut it into slices, you will get unusual five-pointed stars. The fruit itself is bright green or rich yellow, like a melon. The taste is pleasant, sweet and sour. It is great as a dessert, and for decorating the table - the first thing. Here is such an unusual carom!