"Ariadne's thread": the meaning of phraseology, origin, examples

There is such an expression - "Ariadne's thread". The meaning of phraseology we consider today, as well as find out an extremely entertaining story, which is associated with it. As usual, there will be examples for a better understanding of the meaning of a sustainable phrase.

Origin

Speech turnover came to us from ancient Greek myths, and it goes back to the adventures of the hero Theseus.

Somehow after the regular exploits, Theseus arrived in Athens. The city-state was sad. Still would! After all, he had to equip another parcel for a terrible monster - the Minotaur (a man with a bull's head). It included seven young men and seven girls. Such was the payment for the fact that the Athenians killed the son of the Cretan king - Androgeia. The very same king was called Minos.

Readers will have to have patience to learn the meaning of the expression "Ariadne's thread" (the meaning of phraseology is further, now is the time of the story).

Theseus, as a true hero, could not allow injustice to happen and begged his father (the mayor of Athens, Agey) to send him along with a tribute to Crete on a visit to the Minotaur. Of course, the father was not eager to send his only son for breakfast or lunch to a monster, but what can you do about it, such a share is not easy for heroes - they should all help out.

Meeting with Ariadna

To the great happiness of Theseus, Minos had another daughter, Ariadne, who as soon as she saw Theseus, immediately fell in love with him. And in this there is nothing surprising, because Theseus favored the very goddess of love.

Of course, like any girl who had just found love, Ariadne did not want to lose her, so she gave Theseus a thread, gathered in a ball, and punished her to tie her beginning to the entrance to the Labyrinth (the dwelling of the minotaur), so that after the young man has dealt with the Minotaur, He easily found the way back. As they say in Russian fairy tales, it is said - done.

True, the finale of this story is a bit sad. If the reader is interested not only in the meaning of the phrase "Ariadne's thread" (the meaning of phraseology, in other words), but also the denouement of history, then we direct it to the remarkable book "Myths of Ancient Greece" NA. Kuhn. In turn, we are ready to open the secret of the meaning of phraseology and illustrate it with an example from everyday life.

Value

An intelligent reader will easily guess everything himself. The expression "Ariadne's thread" means some key that will allow you to exit from the predicament. For example, books - this is the thread of Ariadne, because they allow you to get out of the labyrinth of your own ignorance.

Crib as a string of Ariadne in the exam

A famous story. A student (or schoolchild) does not sleep all night and thinks about the upcoming mathematics exam. Our hero - a diligent student, one misfortune - his memory is bad, and the student can not remember the complicated computational formulas.

The mother of the hero comes to the rescue and tells him: "Son, write a cheat sheet. This invention of human thought has two indisputable advantages: first, when you write it, you simultaneously memorize the material, and secondly, you feel confident with it on the exam. "

No sooner said than done. The exam was taken. The Minotaur is defeated. Everyone is happy. And we finally figured out the meaning of the expression "Ariadne's thread". The meaning of phraseology is no longer a mystery to us.

What does phraseology teach us?

The first thing that comes to mind when we read a story about Theseus is, of course, that it helps the strong and the brave. The second is that even the strongest are sometimes required to help in their exploits. And third, and most importantly: from any even the most difficult situation there is a way out. This is the versatility of the expression "Ariadne's thread". We consider the meaning of the word combination from a moral (didactic) point of view.

There is no "lucky" in the full sense of the word in the world. Reality does not make gifts. Each person has to pay for his success and win it with work and patience. And either of us sometimes needs a "thread of Ariadne." Phraseology, leading its genealogy from the myths and legends of ancient Greece, has become an integral part of the Russian language.