Phraseologisms are set expressions with which you can evaluate people, their behavior, words, actions, deeds, etc. However, before using them in your speech, you should know their meaning, in what style they can be consumed.
Many idioms should not be taken literally. They are figurative, which means that their interpretation can be completely different than you might think. In addition, some expressions are so expressive that they should be used only in an informal setting or for artistry in journalism.
In this article we will consider such a stable turnover as “a mosquito will not undermine the nose”: the meaning of a phraseological unit, the history of its origin, words that are close in meaning and their combinations. Let's find out where it is appropriate to use such an expression.
"The mosquito will not undermine the nose": the meaning of phraseology
Tested, well-known, authoritative dictionaries that you can trust will help us most accurately determine this expression. This is sensible S. I. Ozhegova and phraseological M. I. Stepanova.
Sergey Ivanovich in his collection givesthe following definition of the expression: "you can not find fault, as it is done very well." Worth a note - "conversational style".
The meaning of the phraseological unit "a mosquito will not undermine the nose" in the dictionary of stable turns edited by M. I. Stepanova: "something is done well, carefully, there is nothing to complain about."
As we can see, the expression in question characterizes the perfectly done work. But what about the mosquito nose? The etymology of phraseology will reveal this riddle to us.
History of the origin of the expression
How do sustainable turnovers appear? They come to us from the Bible, mythology, fiction, historical events. They are folk art, someone's statements.
Let's dwell on the sayings of our ancestors. It is thanks to them that many stable expressions appeared. They noticed various actions, phenomena and generated phraseological units with their statements. They were so bright and capacious that they became popular. They were remembered and passed down from generation to generation. And linguists like Dahl collected them, created dictionaries of fixed expressions, from which we now learn their interpretation and etymology.
In the same way, the expression in question appeared. It does not have a specific author. Our ancestors often included observations on the behavior of animals in their wise sayings. In this case, an insect. The mosquito has a sharp sting, so miniature that it is nowhere thinner. When the work was perfectly done, they said that this insect would not undermine the nose here. That is, there is nowhere better.
There is also a version that the mosquito nose was mentioned in connection with such a strong, good work, as a result of which even the sting of a mosquito will not crawl through. Everything is so even and smooth that there is not the slightest gap. And so the expression “a mosquito will not undermine the nose” appeared.
The meaning of the phraseologism and its origin we have considered. Let's choose expressions that are close in meaning.
Synonyms
Among the popular, similar in meaning combinations, one can distinguish such as “no hitch”, “you won’t dig”, “above all praise.”
They have the same interpretation as the meaning of the phraseological unit "a mosquito will not undermine the nose." These expressions can be used to describe a job well done.
Use
Where is it appropriate to use the idiom "a mosquito won't undermine your nose"? The expression will enrich colloquial speech, journalistic texts, works of writers. It is in literature and the media that one can often find steady turns.
When someone's work is pleasing to the eye and there is nothing to complain about, the masters of the word write about such work: "a mosquito will not undermine the nose." The meaning of a phraseological unit expresses praise better than any words.
