The Russian language includes many set expressions, the meaning of which is well understood by its native speakers, but puzzles foreigners. “Hack on the nose” is a vivid example of a catchphrase, the translation of which is difficult for linguists from other countries to translate. The origin of a phraseological unit, as is typical for such expressions, has a simple and at the same time interesting explanation.
Hack on the nose: the meaning of the phrase
The winged expression is so well-established that it is used unconsciously by native speakers. Phraseologism "to cut on your nose" comes to the aid of a person when he wants his interlocutor to remember his words forever. For example, parents or teachers who scold a naughty child can afford this statement. It is also used by adults quarreling with each other.
This phrase is one of the clearest proofs of the emotional richness of the Russian language. The expression "hack on the nose" better conveys the emotions of the speaker and the importance of his words than a simple request to remember something. However, it is not at all fraught with the threat of physical violence, as it may seem to a foreigner trying to translate the statement literally.
Origin of phraseologism
Strange as it may seem, the popular expression initially did not have any emotional connotation. It was absolutely unrelated to damage to the human body. Offering to chop on the nose, the speaker did not mean the organ of smell at all, as one might think. Such a name among the people several centuries ago was acquired by tablets that served as a lifesaver for a person who was not trained in literacy.
How are these devices connected to one of the body parts? Absolutely not, since their name comes from the verb "to wear." Given the importance of writing instruments, many residents of that time practically did not part with them. In fact, "hack on the nose" meant to put notches on the "notebooks-nose" that were constantly with you.
Why do we need "noses"
Almost until the overthrow of the tsarist government, which took place in 1917, literacy remained the privilege of high society. Most of the Russian population did not even have basic writing skills. Serious gaps in education did not prevent people from actively participating in the trade that flourished in the country. New trading houses were constantly founded, fairs were launched, caravans flourished. Transactions were made every minute and sometimes involved large sums.
Plates, which owe their existence to the phraseologism "to cut on the nose", were invented to help illiterate merchants. With their help, they fixed their own financial transactions in memory, causing notches. The decoding of the "notebook" was carried out by counting the number of "sticks" created. It does not seem convenient, but it is worth remembering that people did not have electronic gadgets in those days.
It is interesting that such devices were widespread in medieval Europe, as the situation with the literacy of the population in those days was deplorable.
Emotional Color
Why do people nowadays threaten an opponent, jokingly or seriously, when they ask to be hacked on the nose? The meaning acquired an emotional coloring in connection with the main purpose of the tablets, which successfully replaced modern notebooks. They have become a means of fixing debt obligations.
It is easy to give an example of recording such an operation on a commemorative tag. A man borrows three sacks of flour from a friend. In order to remember the fact of the loan and repay it in a timely manner, three notches are applied to the board. Partial repayment of the resulting debt was not excluded. In this case, the "notebook" was divided into parts between the partners, and half of the notches made were saved on each part.
Obviously, debt obligations can pose a certain threat to the debtor. With this, the gradual acquisition of an emotional coloring by a harmless expression is connected.
Other phraseological units "with a nose"
There are other original catch phrases that seem to be related or actually related to the organ of smell. Among them there are phraseological units that have a simple explanation, and expressions formed in a complex way. An exampleA “light” stable phrase can be the characteristic “with a gulkin nose”, meaning a small amount of something. The speaker's nose refers to a pigeon's beak, which is small in size.
The phrase "get away with the nose" has as long a history as "cut down on the nose." The proposal was left over from a time when bribery flourished in the country. For example, it was difficult to hope for a positive resolution of one's issue in court if a gift was not prepared for a representative of the authorities. Of course, such a gift was not called a bribe: it was designated as a nose, a gift. If a person is left with a nose, this indicates that his gift was refused. Therefore, achieving the goal seems unrealistic.
Many catchphrases from the past have been forgotten, but the idiom "to cut on the nose" continues to be actively used in Russian.
