History of the expression hack on the nose. What does the expression “hack on the nose” mean? Other phraseological units "with a nose"

Internet marketer, editor of the site "In an accessible language"
Publication date:09.25.2018

The phrase “” is familiar to many: it often appears in hearing and speech, especially if you 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, and may even seem like a “call to self-harm.”

Today we will tell you about what the phrase “Hack on the nose” means now, what meaning it had before, where it came from, and why it figurative meaning has nothing to do with the olfactory organ that immediately comes to mind when you hear this expression.

The meaning of phraseology

In the modern interpretation, the expression “get it on your nose” means to remember once and for all, for the rest of your life. The 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 demands that his opponent remember the information he is presenting.

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

Many may think that “cutting 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.

Origin of phraseology

Why is “nose” the central figure of the catchphrase? The history of phraseological units began in Rus', when most of the population did not have the skills of either writing or reading. This lack of minimal education had a bad effect on trade; people simply could not take part in fairs, manage money correctly and make transactions in the market. At that time, it was customary to carry wooden tablets with you to writing lessons, on which certain notes were made.

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

Photo: www.kakprosto.ru

The addressed phrase “notch it on your nose” at that time meant “write it down in your notebook-board” and in no way implied putting a mark on the organ of smell :).

Another purpose of this kind of notebooks is to keep track of debt obligations. Let’s say one neighbor borrows three bags of grain from another, and in order to record 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 it on your nose” is relevant in speech to this day, despite the fact that over time it acquired a figurative meaning and a special emotional connotation.

The expression hack on the nose means to remember once and for all, to remember firmly. But what is the connection between cutting on the nose and the process of memorization?

As a child, I often heard this expression from teachers or parents. When they tried to instill something like that in me or force me to remember, the adults (usually sternly) said: kill it on your nose! Like this cannot be done, or it must be done only this way and not otherwise. Like, remember, you fool. I now understand that hardly any of them knew where this seemingly meaningless expression came from.

And it appeared from the depths of centuries, from those times when the rudiments of writing already existed, but there was no paper yet. And so, in order to remember something important, people made notches on nose- a special wooden tablet that they carried with them. This tablet was called nose, they made memorization marks on it. So cut it on your nose simply meant “make a note in your notebook—that is, On the nose»!

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One more, last legend, and my chronicle is finished...

Russian language includes a large number of set expressions, and their meaning is well understood by its native speakers, but foreigners are often puzzled. An example of this is the catchphrase “cut off on the nose,” the translation of which is very difficult for some countries, while others do not understand at all. The origin of such expressions most often has a simple but interesting explanation.

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The meaning of the phrase "cut on the nose"

It's very sustainable popular expression , and is used most often unconsciously by native speakers of the Russian language. Phraseologisms come to the aid of people when they want their interlocutors to remember their words. For example, such a statement is often made by teachers or parents who reprimand a disobedient child. The phrase is also used by adults who quarrel with each other.

This phraseological unit is clear evidence of the emotional richness of the native Russian language. A phrase conveys the emotions and importance of the speaker’s words better than a simple request to remember something. The expression does not contain a threat of physical violence, as it may seem to many foreigners who translate this statement word by word.

History of the phraseological unit “hack on the nose”

At first, the winged expression did not have any emotional connotation. It had nothing to do with damage to the human body. When offering to hack something, the speaker of this phrase did not mean the organ of smell, as one might initially think. This name was popularly given to tablets several centuries ago, which served as a lifesaver to an untrained person in literacy.

How are these devices connected to the human nose? No way, because their name does not come from this word, but from the verb “to wear.” These writing instruments were very significant for the inhabitants of that time, and they practically never parted with them. The phrase meant to put a notch on a notebook that was always with you.

Why are “noses” needed?

Before the overthrow of the tsarist regime in 1917, only people from high society were literate. And the majority of the population of all of Russia did not have any writing skills. Huge gaps in education did not prevent people from participating in trade, which at that time flourished in the country. Caravans flourished, fairs were launched, and trading houses were founded. Transactions sometimes involved very large sums and were carried out almost every minute.

The tablets we talked about earlier were invented to help illiterate traders. With the help of them, they recorded their own financial transactions in their memory, making notches. The notebook was deciphered by counting the marks created. This is not very convenient, but remember that in those days there were no electronic gadgets of any kind.

IN medieval Europe Such devices were also widespread, because the situation with literacy there was also deplorable at that time.

Emotional color

So why do people today threaten their opponent, either seriously or playfully, when they say the phrase “cut the nose”? The expression acquired an emotional color in connection with the main purpose of the small tablets that replaced the notebook. After all, they were the main means of fixing debts.

An example of such a record is very easy to give.

Other phraseological units

There are others catchphrases , which seem to be associated with the respiratory organ. Among them there are phrases that have a simple explanation, and expressions that were formed in a complex way.

• The characteristic “with a gulkin nose” is an example of light and stable phrase, means it is a small amount of something. When we say “gulkin’s nose,” we mean the beak of a dove, which is small in size.
• You've probably heard the phrase "get away with your nose", which has the same Long story, as in the expression “hack on the nose.” The proposal has survived from the times when bribery was rampant. For example, it was difficult to hope for a positive resolution of the issue in court if you did not prepare a gift for a government official. Such a gift was not called a bribe, but was designated as a nose, a bring. If a person was left with his nose, then this indicated that the gift was refused, which is why achieving the goal seemed unrealistic.

Many catchphrases from the past have been forgotten, but the phraseology “to kill on the nose” is actively used today in the Russian language.

Origin phraseological unit “cut on the nose” lost in distant centuries.

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

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

The meaning of phraseology

Nick down - remember firmly, forever; take into account for the future

Phraseologisms-synonyms: notch it on your forehead, notch it in your head, tie a knot, wrap it around your mustache, take note

Phraseologisms-antonyms: get out of your head, listen with half an ear (partially)

IN foreign languages There are expressions that are 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)

Origin of phraseology

As is often the case, the overwhelming majority of articles and dictionaries present 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 this is what confused me: the main phraseological units-synonyms just refer to various parts of the body (notch (oneself) on the forehead, notch (oneself) in the head, wrap oneself around one’s mustache).

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

• According to the main version, under the nose in the expression “notch on the nose” meant a “memorable tablet” for notching. And the word itself comes from the word “to carry,” since they were usually carried with them as a reminder of business and mutual obligations. It is believed that for the almost completely illiterate population of old Russia, such tablets with notches were the simplest substitute for writing. And in the case of recording a debt, the tablet was split and one half was given to the debtor so that he would remember his debt. This kind of practice, when a whole object was divided into two halves (given to the two parties to the agreement), which then had to be evenly joined to confirm mutual rights, was already used in ancient civilizations. And the main thing here was not in replacing writing, but in high degree protection of such “contracts” from forgery.
• In turn, V. Makienko in his work “Do we speak Russian correctly? Sayings. What do we know about them, where did they come 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 synonymous with other parts of the body both in Russian (see above) and in a number of European languages ​​(for example, the literal meaning of the above German expression “sich etw. hinter die Ohren schreiben” - write that something behind the ears). Thus, he insists on the origin of the phraseological unit “notch on the nose” from the ordinary human nose. So that this version does not look too bloody (we are not taking Pinocchio into account), it should be clarified that the meaning of the verb to hack is not limited to “to make a notch”, but can also be interpreted as “to take note, remember forever” ( encyclopedic Dictionary, 2009). An argument can be made in favor of this version 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 today, absent-minded people prefer to write down important information for memorization in the palm of their hand.

Examples from the works of writers

In fact, it turns out to be a perfect Box. Once you’ve got something in your head, you can’t overpower it with anything. (N.V. Gogol, “Dead Souls”)

You should have listened to this man with your mouth open, so as not to let out a word, but his words would have been cut off on his nose, and you are arguing! (A.N. Ostrovsky, “Profitable Place”) - by the way, quotes from Alexander Ostrovsky

Yes, it’s true, we entered not humbly, not as your hangers-on and seekers, but with our heads raised, like free people, and not at all with a request, but with a free and proud demand (hear, not with a request, but with a demand, kill yourself with this!). (F.M. Dostoevsky, “The Idiot”)

You, Efim, kill yourself on the nose, and tell everyone here - if I hear any obscene word about her - a log on the head! (M. Gorky, “Foma Gordeev”)

By God, at twenty-two you are still just a boy. Or vice versa - an old man, a prude. That's right, prude. Don’t you understand that my relationship with Nikolai Ivanovich is built on something completely different? I count it, counted it and will always count it the best person on the ground, cut it on your nose. Is this clear to you or not? (V.P. Nekrasov, “Kira Georgievna”)

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

In Russia, everyone is familiar with this expression and understands its meaning perfectly. For example, a mother, scolding her child, can say: “Nikolai, don’t ever do that again, get it on your nose.” And the baby fully understands that this is the last warning that cannot be violated, otherwise bad consequences will follow. Although the child is unlikely to understand the meaning of this phrase, he understands the emotional connotation of this expression.

The history of the expression “hack on the nose”

In general, unfortunately, literacy was not held in high esteem among our ancestors. Only after the October Revolution 1917 year, accomplished with the help of English and German intelligence, the process of not only electrifying the entire country, but also teaching all its citizens literacy began.

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

Well, this is all clear, but many will have a question.
What does the nose have to do with it?
Researchers believe that we are not talking about a human organ, but about a derivative of the verb “to wear.” The tablets on which the notches were made were of great importance in ancient Rus', so most citizens carried them with them without leaving them for a minute. After all, it was their money.