Proverbs of the Russian language are familiar to us since childhood. Intuitively, their meaning is clear to us, we use familiar idioms mainly in a figurative sense. The direct meaning of some primordially Russian words already causes difficulties in interpretation. One such semi-understandable term is "tug". This word is quite common in classical literature. What does it mean?
Origin
Many Old Russian words originate from common Slavic roots - after all, both the culture and customs of our Slavic ancestors were similar. The Proto-Slavs lived in similar territorial and climatic conditions, used similar tools. Not surprisingly, the names of similar items in a similar environment were almost the same. In various Slavic languages, the meaning of the word "tug" meant a piece of harness - bullock or horse; a wide belt leading from the yoke to the cart.
The word "tug" and its synonyms
The word is closely related to the all-Russian root "bonds" - to bind, to knit. It also echoes the Russian dyuz - which means strong, strong.
Only strong, he althy animals could carry luggage. So gradually the word acquired synonyms: hefty, strong, powerful … In modern literary speech, the word “illness” has been preserved, asthe opposite of "gut". This word in modern Russian is explained as weakness, illness.
Direct and figurative meaning
Tug is a complex concept that covers not only the movement of land cargo. In Russia, a tug is a rope loop for oars that are used in boats or rowing boats. But basically the name was used in the designation of land transport - it is not for nothing that transportation with the help of animals is currently called horse-drawn. Of course, in Russia the labor of the people themselves was often used as a draft force. A classic example is Repin's bleak painting Barge haulers on the Volga.
The picture shows how people are pulling a barge along the Volga using the same tug - although at that time it was called a little differently. The working conditions were inhuman - they had to pull barges for 12-15 hours, and women and children worked on an equal basis with men, and received much less money. Barge haulers had to deliver the barge to its destination on time. If this was not successful, all the pullers received only a part of the earnings or did not receive it at all. Therefore, it was necessary to take on the tug with a firm goal: to complete the assigned work on time and to the end.
Tug in proverbs
Perhaps, it was from barge haulers that the expression "grab the tug" came to us - it means to start doing hard, laborious work that cannot be left halfway. Hence the numerous proverbs confirming this definition. The most common and popular of these is "took ontug - don't say that it's not a hefty. This means: if you have already taken up any work, then it must be completed to the end. Interestingly, in the time of V. Dahl, the proverb was explained somewhat differently - this word must be kept. And now the proverb implies an act rather than a word.
