Today, the idiom "to shoe a flea" can be heard quite rarely. Fortunately, this original fixed expression, introduced into use with the light hand of the writer Leskov at the end of the 19th century, was not completely forgotten. In what cases do people remember a vivid turn of speech, what meaning is traditionally attached to it?
Phraseologism "shoe a flea": meaning
As you know, a flea is a parasitic insect with a microscopic size. Of course, when talking about this or that person that he can "shoe a flea", people do not at all mean his ability to put a horseshoe on a parasite. This stable expression has a completely different meaning.
This phraseological unit is traditionally pronounced when they want to note the unique talent that a person possesses, his ability to solve the most difficult and even impossible task.
Backstory
The emergence of the speech turnover "to shoe a flea" is directly related tothe situation that developed in Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Representatives of the highest nobility treated with disdain everything that was produced by local craftsmen. Works of art, household goods were criticized. It was believed that only abroad they know how to work with high quality, and Russian craftsmen are only able to imitate foreign colleagues, producing low-quality fakes.
Of course, the common people did not like such an attitude of high society representatives to local goods. Constant attempts were made to change the situation, to demonstrate the high quality of Russian products. This topic is touched upon in many stories and fairy tales written at that time. These works describe the crushing victories of Russian masters, leaving foreigners in the cold.
Nikolai Leskov's story
Who is the author of the phraseologism "to shoe a flea", when did the original set expression appear? It is known that this speech turnover was first used by the writer Nikolai Leskov. In 1881, his story "Lefty" was presented to the readers, which quickly gained popularity.
The central character of the story is a folk craftsman from Tula, whose fame spread throughout the Russian Empire. This craftsman was so talented that he was able to create horseshoes for a microscopic iron flea made in the West. Moreover, he decorated each horseshoe with a branded brand, whichused by him in the production of his own products.
Leskov's readers liked the story invented by the author so much that the phrase "to shoe a flea" began to be used everywhere. It was used not only by people from the people, but also by representatives of the highest nobility.
Myth or reality
Of course, the master from Tula, who managed to solve a task that seems impossible, was invented by Nikolai Leskov. However, a miniature steel flea is not at all the fruit of the author's imagination. The writer in his story used an event that took place in a real story.
The Russian Emperor Alexander the First once became the owner of a metal flea of microscopic size. This happened when the autocrat made a trip to England. From one of the local craftsmen, the king bought a steel fake depicting a flea, which he really liked.
A bold experiment
The meaning of the speech turnover “to shoe a flea” is revealed above, the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit are also revealed. But has anyone managed to cope with this difficult task in real life? That person was Nikolai Aldunin, an experienced microminiaturist who lived in Tula.
The story written by Nikolai Leskov made a huge impression on Aldunin. The master wanted not only to repeat the success of the craftsman from Tula invented by the writer, but to surpass him by putting horseshoes on a living parasite. Nikolay knew how to work with metal brilliantly, acquiringexperience while working as a locksmith and turner.
Obviously, there were obstacles in Master Aldunin's path that might have seemed insurmountable. The main problem is the hairs that cover the legs of a real insect. Nikolai managed to eliminate this obstacle by removing some of the hairs and trimming the rest. The craftsman also had to invent miniature tools that could be used in the work. The manufacture of such devices alone required two years of work. It is also known that when conjuring a flea, Aldunin used a super-strong microscope.
Master Victory
Phraseologism "shine sideways" made such an impression on Aldunin that he managed to cope with this task. This man became the first craftsman in the world who managed to put horseshoes on a living parasite. This happened only 150 years after Nikolai Leskov presented his work “Lefty” to the readers.
Of course, it is also interesting what kind of metal was used by a talented craftsman in the manufacture of miniature horseshoes. Small horseshoes, as well as carnations for them, were created from gold. Interestingly, the weight of each horseshoe does not exceed 0.00000004419 grams, Aldunin made six of them in total.
What does it mean to "shoe a flea"? As already mentioned, this phraseological unit is used when people want to express their admiration for the talent of a particular person. Nikolai Aldunin can be called an excellent example of a master who can “shoe a flea”. By the way, this geniuswho managed to put horseshoes on a miniature insect, did not limit himself to this outstanding achievement. Aldunin left a huge number of interesting microminiatures to his heirs. For example, he created a traditional Tula samovar, the height of which barely exceeds a millimeter. He also made a portrait of the famous writer Pushkin on a grain of rice.
This talented person passed away in September 2009.
Famous gift
As follows from the above, the expression can also have a direct meaning. Not only Nikolai Aldunin from Tula managed to shoe a flea. Cope with this difficult task and a resident of the Omsk region. Anatoly Konenko presented his product as a gift to Vladimir Putin, and he made an exact copy for exhibitions.
By the way, a miniature flea with horseshoes is not the only achievement of this talented master. Anatoly is the creator of illustrated books that have a miniature format. Information about his work even got into the famous Guinness Book of Records. It is interesting that these little books can not only be admired, but with a microscope they are also suitable for reading, they contain works by various famous writers. Konenko and other outstanding works belonging to the genre of miniatures were created. The master's works are currently represented in many museums.
