Russian is the richest language in the world. That is why even the everyday speech of a Russian person is filled with apt comparisons and phraseological units. This allows a person to more figuratively convey emotions, feelings and states of mind. Therefore, popular expressions are widespread in large numbers in our country.
What is phraseologism?
These are stable phrases that do not have an author. They can be used by anyone and are a sign of literacy and intellectual enlightenment of the interlocutor. If the speaker uses popular expressions to the point, such as, for example, “Sit in a puddle”, “Sharpen a tooth”, then we can say with confidence that such a person is well-read.
Not any phrase or expression subsequently becomes a phraseological unit. To do this, it must have several features, the main of which are figurativeness and brevity. A group of words should accurately describe the sign of an object or action in order to firmly enter the lexicon of people.
Phraseologisms are turns of speech. This means that with their help a person tries to convey his thought more clearly and correctly, as well as to achieveunderstanding when talking to other people. Often we do not even notice that we use popular expressions in everyday life. This proves the fact that phraseologisms are tightly integrated into our speech and are an independent part of the language.
The expression "to sharpen your teeth"
This phrase is an idiom. This can be proved using the signs of any catch phrase as arguments.
So, the following features will help distinguish phraseologisms from phrases:
- Phraseologism is a complete semantic unit of the language. This means that it is used ready-made, and not invented by a person in the course of a letter or conversation. People use the expression "Sharpen a tooth", and the interlocutors immediately understand what it is about.
- Phraseologisms are designed to encourage the interlocutor to some action or evoke certain emotions in him.
- Phraseological units consist of two or more words, their structure is constant.
Based on the presented list of signs, we can say with confidence that the presented phrase is a phraseological unit.
"The tooth sharpens": the meaning of the expression
Many popular expressions have several interpretations. And the idiom "sharpen your teeth" is no exception.
The first and main meaning of the phrase is used to say about a person who is angry with another, accumulates rage and harbors evil intent against someone. You can also say that "to sharpen your teeth" means to hatesomeone and seek to harm that person.
The second interpretation is almost completely opposite to the first. So, another meaning of the phrase "sharpening a tooth": to covet, to have a great desire to get something.
Origin of expression
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Many idioms came to us from ancient times. They were created by folk wisdom. For this reason, phraseological units are taken from folk tales, songs, proverbs and sayings. For centuries, expressions were passed from mouth to mouth, and so they became common. Now it is impossible to name with certainty the reason for the origin of this or that phraseological unit, but linguists and scientists put forward versions and theories about the appearance of phrases in the Russian language.
In turn, the idiom "to sharpen a tooth" has not only several meanings, but also several theories of origin.
The first theory. During the hunt, traps were set to catch bears. The trap must be working so that the non-hunter does not endanger himself. To prevent the bear from escaping, the teeth of the trap were sharpened very sharply. From here came the idiom "to sharpen teeth", which meant that an attack was being prepared against someone, putting his life in danger.
Another theory is related to the Viking tribe, who lived in ancient times. When excavating their mass graves, one interesting, but at the same time terrifying feature was discovered. On the teeth of every buried Viking werenotches, notches, damage. Archaeologists have suggested that this is how the enemies of the Vikings "marked" their prey, indicating who committed a certain act. Therefore, it is likely that this phraseological unit originated from a terrible ritual of ancient times.
Thus, it is impossible to say exactly how and when the expression appeared, but both theories prove that the meaning of the phrase "to sharpen a tooth on a person" is rather negative.
Speech examples
Phraseologism "to sharpen a tooth" is often used in speech. Moreover, this expression cannot be unconditionally attributed to either colloquial or book style. This means that given it can be used both in a work of art and in ordinary everyday communication.
Ekaterina Vilmont in her book "The Secret of the Green Monkey" wrote:
"But instead of going to the movies, discos and walks, she finds herself in a whirlpool of strange and frightening events. Someone clearly sharpens a tooth on her and Matilda."
Here you can see how phraseology is used in the meaning of "get angry at someone, seek to harm".
The following example by N. Leikin illustrates the use of the same phraseological unit, but in a different meaning:
"He's a good guy. Our entire village has a grudge against him."
Phraseology here means trying to get someone or something.
