There are different ways to evaluate a job well done. If the situation is conducive to informal communication, you can say: “Well, Ivanov (in this case, any person can hide under this pseudonym), you did the work so that the mosquito will not undermine your nose!” But what the last expression means, we will analyze using accessible and understandable examples.
A mosquito bite and a job well done
In this idiom "to undermine" does not mean "to make sharp". In the old days, the word "grind" was synonymous with the word "bite".
It is also well known that mosquitoes bite in unprotected places on the body. Thus, if the mosquito has room to roam, then there are many open areas on the body.
And now let's imagine that the body is a business (absolutely any). And, for example, we say about him: "a mosquito will not undermine the nose." It is easy to guess that this is the highest assessment of the result, i.e. the work is done so well and accurately that it is impossible evenmake the slightest claim, comparable to a mosquito bite for a person.
Favorite smugglers in the service of the Russian language
Many probably guessed that we are talking about the masterpiece of Leonid Gaidai - "The Diamond Arm". There is a colorful character Lelik. Toward the end of the film, when S. S. Gorbunkov calls a taxi, not a policeman arrives, but a bandit. The protagonist of the film, most likely, realizing who came for him, began to talk about diamonds, the police.
Further, many people know the development of events: Lelik jumps out of the car, calls his boss, consults with him, returns to Gorbunkov and says to him: “You will come to your wife like a cucumber, without plaster, without dust, without noise. Michal Ivanych allowed the cast to be removed today!” But purely theoretically, of course, to the detriment of the unique author's style, Lelik could add: "Let's do everything so that the mosquito does not undermine the nose!"
Cultural work environment and idiom
It's no secret that in Soviet times there was a certain cult of the working man. In the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, such a character was very popular in the films of those years. If you look at those films, the viewer will see a resilient, young factory worker who does everything so that the mosquito does not undermine his nose. And this applies not only to work, but to life in general. No question could knock such a hero out of the saddle. The Soviet government wanted her to have just such a young and cheerful face.
If we look at modern film masterpieces, then in our time it becomes a little scary, because the heroes of "Zhmurok", "Boomer"or “Brigade” I don’t want to ask any questions at all, it’s anxious to talk to them.
Perfectionism and the expression about the mosquito (the moral of phraseology)
Each idiom teaches something. This one, for example, instructs a person to do everything so that there is not the slightest claim to quality. By the way, our world insists on this state of affairs. According to modern criteria, it is necessary to work as efficiently as possible, that is, quickly, efficiently and with full dedication.
One might ask oneself, why was the mosquito chosen for the symbol of perfect work? We only offer our version.
It seems that a mosquito bite is a trifling thing, you think, a pimple will jump up … Yes, it is, but in fact this pimple can be combed to such an extent that a person loses all "presentation".
So it is with a case that people are working on. It should be perfect not for the sake of abstract concepts of quality or for some other reason, but because small flaws spoil the whole look of the final result.
Someone will yell, "That's perfectionism!" No, absolutely not. Perfectionists chase after an abstract goal - a perfectly made object that does not exist in nature. And the expression "a mosquito will not undermine the nose" (phraseologism) instructs a person to do everything so that there are not even the slightest flaws, because it is they who can sometimes ruin the whole thing.
And this advice is good because it is completely universal. It doesn't matter how a person earns his living, whether he is an office worker or maybebe a housewife. Only one thing matters - the work must be done at a high level.
So, we have analyzed the meaning of the phraseological unit. "The mosquito will not undermine the nose" has been occupied with us all this time.
