Phraseological units are ready-made expressions that contain the wisdom of our ancestors. They are able to convey a lot, including characterizing objects, actions, phenomena, people. With them, you can talk about someone with a few words, for example, using the expression "without a king in your head." The meaning and origin of phraseologism will be discussed in this article. And one more stable expression will be added to our piggy bank of the riches of the Russian language.
The meaning of a phraseological unit without a king in the head
For a precise definition of this expression, let's turn to authoritative sources - explanatory and phraseological dictionaries of famous linguists. Thanks to them, we will also learn about the etymology of the stable phrase.
The meaning of the phraseological unit "without a king in the head" in the collection of S. I. Ozhegov is "about who is stupid, eccentric." There is a stylistic mark "colloquial".
In the dictionary of set expressions by M. I. Stepanova, the meaning of the phraseological unit “without a king in the head” is “someone without an internal moral core, without the main life goal; about a stupid, inconsistent person. It is noted that the phrase is used incolloquial style and has a disapproving tone.
In the phraseological dictionary of T. V. Roze it is indicated that the meaning of the phraseological unit "without a king in the head" is associated with a stupid, unintelligent, unintelligent person.
Based on their definitions, we can draw the following conclusion. The phraseologism we are considering characterizes a stupid and eccentric person.
Origin of expression
The formation of a phraseological unit is explained by linguist T. V. Rose. Her dictionary indicates that this stable turn came from the proverb: “Everyone has his own king in his head,” in which the king is the mind and mind, which means “without a king in the head” is “without a mind.”
Such a short saying appeared not by chance. In Russia, the tsar for the people was the one who wisely manages his state, its inhabitants, and decides things reasonably. If the people lose their ruler, there will be no control and chaos will begin. With the absence of the king, the mind of people seems to be lost. And so a proverb was formed, and from it - a phraseological unit.
Synonyms and antonyms
"With greetings" they say about someone who is "without a king in his head." The meaning is the same - a stupid person. Among the words that are close in meaning, one can also distinguish such as stupid, not brilliant with the mind, eccentric, fool, tyrant, etc. Among the expressions are “head and two ears”, “garden head”, “copper forehead” and “stupid king of heaven "".
The antonym of that expression is the idiom "mind chamber".
Use
Phraseologisms are most often found infiction. For example, N. V. Gogol in his work "The Inspector General" characterizes his hero Khlestakov as a man without a king in his head. And other writers describe their stupid characters with this figurative expression.
Journalists do not neglect this idiom. They, like real masters of the word, often use set expressions. The phraseological unit we are considering can be found in the print media, on radio and television.
In the dialogues, monologues of the heroes of various films, you can also hear this phrase. Yes, and in everyday speech it is often found.
