When they say "you can't see anything", what do they mean? This means: you can’t see anything even two steps away, either because of darkness or poor eyesight.
It is clear that only one word causes the greatest doubt in this expression. It has completely fallen out of use - so much so that most of us will not even remember what "zga" is. Something small, probably, we will say at random, and we will not be mistaken. But what exactly?
What is zga?
The meaning of this word caused a lot of controversy in science back in the days of the notorious Admiral A. S. Shishkov, who once asked "What is the signification of the word "zga" in French?".
Since then, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. But it is worth referring to the dictionary of Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl, and he will tell us that "zga" is darkness, darkness, darkness. In this sense, this word was understood in the old expression "on the street zga zgoyu", which means "it is completely dark."
This value, however, is still considered controversial by some scientists, because if "zga" is darkness, then the combination"do not see a zgi" (or "do not see a zgi") is essentially tautological.
The word "zga" is also used with negation in the combinations "zgi no" or "no zgi" - it doesn't matter if it's light or something else. You can say: "can't see a damn thing" or "the old man can't see a damn thing, he's completely blind." They also say "there is not an inch of bread in the barn." And here we come to the second meaning of the word "zga" - a spark, a glimpse, or a small part of something. As, for example, in the examples of the Ryazan dialect given by the same Dalem, in which the word "zginka" (or "zginochka") was used - in the meaning of "sparkle", "crumb".
The origin of the word. Version One
To date, there are three versions of the origin of this word. According to one of them, more common and reliable, supported by most researchers, the word "zga" owes its origin to the words "stega", "stiga" or "path" in the meaning of "path", "path" or "road". Over time, the letter combination "te" - "t" dropped out of the word, and the sound "s" before the voiced consonant "g" turned into "z". So the word "stega" became "zgoy".
This version is often confirmed by examples of expressions with this word in Russian literature. See, for example, in the poem "Dead Souls" by N. V. Gogol:
Selifan, not seeing zgi,sent the horses straight to the village.
In this sentence, "not to see the zgi" means exactly not to see the road, the path.
Evidence is also provided by the once-existing different versions of the same stable old expression:
Because the blind man cries because he cannot see.
and
Because the blind man cries because he does not see the stegi.
Version two
Here's another opinion. Some researchers associated the origin of this word with the dialect "zga", which meant "spark". This is how, for example, this word is understood in the story of the Russian Soviet writer A. G. Malyshkin "Sutulov's Christmas time":
The blizzard whipped across the face, and blue flashes flashed near the eyes.
"Blue zgi" is, of course, snowflakes, sparks of snow.
Later, these "sparks" completely disappeared as such, and only the understanding of what "zga" is left. It's a very small part of something, baby, and with the negation of "neither" the word turned into nothing at all. As we see it in the phrase belonging to A. P. Chekhov:
There was not a single light color in his letter, everything is completely black.
Version three
And yet, explaining what it means "not visible at all", they said: "It got completely dark - you can't see a ring near the arc." Under the ringlet here was meant the same "ring on the arc of the horse team", through which the reins from the bridle were threaded. Sometimes insteadthe rings spoke of a metal bell hanging under the horse's arch (the so-called "bell bell"), or in general about the gap between this arch and the horse's head.
What is "zga" according to this version? Something small, directly in front of the peasant's eyes.
Here the third assumption brings us back to the very first, because the word "stega" also meant a rod or a whip, that is, what horses are whipped with. It is clear that the whip was in the coachman's hand.
An example from Gogol again:
- What, swindler, which road are you going on, - said Chichikov.
- Well, sir, do it, it's time, you don't see the whip, it's so dark!
That is, such darkness that even the closest object to be seen is not visible.
These are the possible interpretations of the word "zga" and phraseological units with it. The question of the origin of the word among researchers is still considered unresolved, but this will no longer be able to exert a special influence on the essence of the concept.
