The life of contemporaries consists of constant achievement of goals. An attempt to gain new knowledge, skills, find happiness in love or earn a good place on the career ladder. Someone puts a lot of effort, spends time and money to achieve a result. Others understand that there is always an easy way, a loophole!
This traditional word has been preserved unchanged for centuries, remaining obvious to different generations of Russian-speaking citizens. But what does it mean and in what situations is it appropriate?
Proto-Slavic origin
As the original, philologists point to lazeja, which today is considered obsolete. But even in modern times, the concept was considered dialectal. We used the definition of "hole" in relation to the hole, which allows you to easily penetrate the highest or thickest wall. Passing numerous castles and guards. The term is preserved in proverbs:
The mouse that knows one loophole is bad.
Related Concepts
For native speakers, the presence of the suffix -eyk- is obvious, but what happens if it is removed? The reader will be left with the specialized term "laz". This word has many meanings:
- a narrow opening just enough to get through;
- a well-equipped move somewhere.
In the first interpretation, it is identical to the definition under study. In the second, it is often used in relation to various secret passages in castles or fortifications. Used by the military, often found in thematic literature and adventure novels.
In everyday communication
But what was the suffix for? By itself, -eyk- appears in feminine nouns, while setting a diminutive-pejorative tone. As if the speaker experiences disgust, demonstrates neglect of the mentioned object. And it turns out that “loophole” is a concept with two meanings:
- narrow passage, often secret;
- a trick, a trick to get out of a situation.
The figurative meaning serves as a marker for a not entirely honest way of overcoming difficulties that violates laws, rules or ethical standards. It can be an ordinary cheat sheet in an exam, a cheat code in a computer game. Or a banal bribe given to an official to avoid official legal proceedings.
At the household level
Are there barriers to inclusion in the lexicon? If the conversation turns to a mouse hole or a hole in a fence, there is nothing wrong with using a capacious synonym. However, in the case of an allegorical interpretation, a double interpretation appears: there is no strictly negativeconnotation, but the speaker and the listener understand that they are discussing something dubious, dishonest in relation to others. Even if it's a little! Although exploiting loopholes, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, is considered normal today.