The younger generation is prone to exaggeration. Evaluation of any phenomenon, action or object often goes to extremes. And if an adult looks at a momentary problem with doubt and decides to return to it a little later, then the teenager will certainly declare that it's all over. And what word does he use? Most likely, this is "kapets" or its synonyms. Behind a short expression lies a whole storm of emotions and disbelief in a positive outcome. But how did the slang word come about?
Mysterious origins
Some experts find a direct connection with the word "kopets". The difference is only one letter, but you can immediately go to the Belarusian, Polish and Czech counterparts. There is a similar term in Ukrainian. If you follow this version, then kapets is something associated with death:
- burial ground;
- mound;
- heap (of earth).
As a result, the phrase "You're screwed!" takes on the meaning of a real threat or warning. Alsothere is a parallel with the word "end", distorted by approaching a vulgar euphemism for concepts:
- disaster;
- failure;
- failure.
There are also original variants of borrowings from German and Latvian. In the first case, the meaning of "kapets" comes from a mixture of the Russian "end" and the German "kaput", which actually mean the same thing. In the second, they point to NKVD workers from Latvia, who became famous for the question “Why?”, Which is written in Latin as capec and pronounced accordingly.
Ambiguous spelling
You can choose absolutely any version. But how to be? Write in the root "o" or "a"? Dictionaries of colloquial Russian record both spellings. Most often, the option with “o” is found among residents of Belarus and Ukraine, while “This is a kapets!” to the liking of everyone else.
Exact transcript
It doesn't matter how close a word is to a curse word as long as it implies something trivial, harmless. And this is our case! When a child or student suddenly expresses negative emotions, do not rush to take up education. They just refer to one of three meanings:
- negative assessment of the situation;
- complete end, catastrophe;
- emotional exclamation.
The first interpretation is identical to the statement "Everything is bad, there is no way out!" and needs moral support. The next one states a fait accompli,it remains only to deal with the consequences. The meaning of the concept demonstrates the speaker's excitement, but does not indicate the direction of his emotions.
Daily communication
For some kapets - this is an introductory word to diversify speech. Others show them surprise or sincere empathy for their comrades. Still others use instead of or together with swear words. The meaning always depends on the context, so try to react calmly if you suddenly hear a capacious exclamation!
