"To go all out" - what does this expression mean? It can often be found both in literature and in everyday speech. Despite this, not everyone knows about its meaning. Moreover, in its use there are some shades. This article will tell about what it means to “go into all serious trouble”, about the versions of its origin.
Several interpretations
About what "breaking bad" means, dictionaries give several explanations:
- Firstly, it is unrestrained and reckless to indulge in something reprehensible: debauchery or drunkenness, extravagance; to burn through life, not knowing any limit, not observing moral standards. Example: “As soon as Sergei became aware that his wife was unfaithful to him, he wanted to go all out: get drunk so as to completely disconnect from the sad reality.”
- Secondly, when achieving your goals, do not shun any means. Example: “In order not to get into the army, he went into all serious trouble: he beganinvent illnesses for themselves, get fake certificates.”
- Third, is to start doing something with full dedication, very intense. Example: “Achieving a record flowering of plants, the gardener went all out, endlessly watering them and feeding them with fertilizers.”
As you can see, in the first two cases, the expression is used in a disparaging and even reprehensible sense, while in the latter it has a more or less neutral connotation.
It should be noted that there is no unambiguous opinion about what the phrase “breaking bad” means. Let's take a look at some of them.
Ringing bells
The linguists who express it, explaining what “breaking bad” means, refer to the lexicon of ringers. There is a special name for the large bells on the belfry. They are called "heavy". The time when you need to hit them is determined by the "Typicon" - the church charter.
In ancient times, bells were made in a variety of sizes and voices, including very large ones. So, for example, the famous bell of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin weighed 4 thousand pounds, which is 65 tons. This explains the above name.
Initially, the expression "strike hard", which meant "to ring all the bells", appeared. In ancient times, with their help, people were informed about important events. Along with the one under consideration, there was also the phrase "to ring all the bells." It, along with the literal meaning, acquired a figurative one and began to denote a noisy discussion of some news.
TaimThus, some etymologists came to the conclusion that it was from ringers and their heavy bells that the studied expression appeared in our language, which in the future was rethought and began to denote behavior characterized by great expression.
Litigation
According to other etymologists, the idiom under study is directly related to the word "litigation". This is an obsolete legal term that refers to a civil lawsuit.
In a figurative sense, in colloquial speech, it means some disagreements, disputes. It is not surprising that litigation does not bring positive emotions to a person, it causes difficult feelings, especially if they drag on for a long time.
In jurisprudence, there is such a term as "querulism", it characterizes people who are called quarrelsome. They tend to start litigation for various reasons. They often fight for their infringed rights and interests, which in reality turn out to be exaggerated or even imaginary.
Querulants file complaints to various instances, statements of claim to the court. The decisions made in their cases are challenged, their failures and refusals lead to their even greater conviction of a biased attitude towards them. Therefore, they continue to file protests and appeal court decisions. As a result, cases can drag on for many years.
This is what some etymologists mean when they explain what "breaking bad" means.
Indulge in sins
According to the third version, the phraseologism under consideration is associated with the expression "to embark on all the difficult", which, in turn, is close to the phrase "difficult suffered." What does the adjective mean in this context? It has long been called "evil spirits", "evil spirits".
This meant otherworldly forces and various evil creatures, such as spirits, devils, demons, undead, werewolves, brownies, goblin, mermaids. What they have in common is belonging to an unearthly, impure, negative, otherworldly world, as well as their inherent maliciousness towards people. Shepherds, millers, blacksmiths, sorcerers and witches were suspected of having links with such powers.
In the Christian religion, fallen angels were understood as evil spirits. According to apocryphal ideas, part of the evil spirit was created by God, and part - by Satan.
Over time, the expression "to go all out" began to be used, where the used adjective is similar to the word "not easy." Along with this, it is implied that the studied phraseological unit also applies to grave sins. That is to say, it assumes that a person completely surrenders to them.
In conclusion of the consideration of the question of what "breaking bad" means, it should be noted that the latest version of its origin is most consistent with the meaning in which it is used today.
