"As a ship you will call it, so it will float": from where the expression and its meaning

The expression "how to call the ship, so it floats" belongs to the famous captain Vrungel, the hero of the popular Soviet animated series, which was filmed in the 1970s. It was a screen version of the famous children's story of A. Nekrasov about the adventures of this character. In one of the series, a song was performed on the poems of E. Chapovetsky, put on the music of G. Firtich. In it the brave hero declares that the name of the ship determines his fate, in spite of his technical data. This remark fully justified itself during the fascinating adventure of the captain and his assistant Lom.

First failure

The meaning of the phrase "how to call the ship, so it will float" should be considered in the context of the analysis of the plot of the cartoon, which generally coincides with the contents of the book. In the first episode, Captain Vrungel receives a proposal to participate in a sailing regatta. To this end, he starts building his own ship (in the author's story he uses a ready-made yacht). Then he decides to give his child the appropriate name: "Victory." However, just before the beginning of the round-the-world trip, two letters disappear, and the ship is henceforth called "Bede". The name began to justify itself already at the beginning of the voyage: after entering the open sea, the captain and his assistant fall into the tide and get stuck in the fjord. Then, instead of sailing, both heroes rescue the squirrels from the burning forest, unsuccessfully try to surrender them to the zoo, and only after all these misadventures finally set out to sail.

Further adventures

The phrase "how to call the ship, so it will float" sounded in the animated series so expressive and colorful that it became a real popular aphorism. The fact is that the fun adventures of Captain Vrungel were so liked and remembered by the audience, and the expression so well approached the storyline that many people perceive it literally. And indeed, the name "Trouble" seemed to determine the misadventures of travelers. During their trip they find themselves drawn into the disassembly of the Italian mafia.

One of the gangsters kidnapped a statue of Venus, after which a real hunt begins. By chance, our heroes are involved in this intrigue, since the thief becomes a member of the crew of "Trouble". The captain, having noticed that he absolutely does not know the naval affairs, undertakes to teach him the craft of a sailor, while several gangsters sit down on their tail to intercept the statue. Thus, the ship's name again fully justifies itself.

Chase

The words "how to call the ship, so it will float" are important for the development of the plot in the cartoon, because in many respects explain all the misadventures that fell to the share of the captain and his assistant. Despite the fact that "trouble" breaks out into the leaders, it is temporarily removed from the race because of the squirrels. However, Vrungel finds a way out, demonstrating the capabilities of these animals to speed up the engines. The yacht again goes into the open sea, but it is followed by gangsters and agent 007, who is entrusted with searching for the stolen statue. After a while the travelers fall into a calm, and the gangsters try to take advantage of the situation to intercept Venus. The same goes for the detective. However, thanks to the ingenuity of Loma, the ship again sails, for some time avoiding trouble.

Events at sea

Andrei Nekrasov wrote a fairy tale, which immediately gained popularity among Soviet readers. The cartoon, despite some changes, generally conveys the spirit of the book. Despite the successful maneuver that allowed the captain and his assistant to continue their journey, the misadventures continued to haunt them. In the sea, the bandits again tried to intercept the statue, but they did not succeed. It did not work out for them and completely neutralize the 007 agent who was constantly following their trail. Thus, the captain's phrase continued to fully justify itself: misfortunes chased the boat "Trouble" literally on its heels, preventing the crew from resting or even relaxing for a while.

Further adventures of travelers are transferred almost in the same sequence, as described by Andrei Nekrasov in his book.

Adventures in Africa

Brave sailors decided to make a stop in Egypt, in order to replenish the reserves, and at the same time to inspect the local attractions. In this country, the gangsters again want to intercept a statue from their accomplice Fuchs. The situation is complicated by the agent, who is still following the trail. So the phrase "how to call the ship, so it will float" justifies its meaning. Who said these words - a question that is of great importance for understanding the meaning of everything that happens in the story. Captain Vrungel, as if justifying his own name, falls into such alterations, which, it would seem, were difficult to imagine. In fact, who else, if not him, the traders could sell crocodile eggs instead of ostrich? Thus, the captain's song about the name of the ship came in handy.

Captivity

After the appearance on the Soviet screens of the cartoon about the adventures of Captain Vrungel, the phrase "how to call the ship, so it will float" went to the people. Whence the expression, however, not everyone will remember now, although this aphorism, probably, is known to everyone. Further adventures showed how right the captain was when he attached so much importance to the name of the ship. After some time, the ship gets on an uninhabited island, and the crew becomes captives of smugglers who, at last, receive a statue of Venus. By some miracle they manage to escape, and 007 agent for some time detains the bandits. Then Vrungel keeps a course on Antarctica, but they overtake them here. After a small race, the crew still breaks away from the chase and heads to the equator.

Adventures in the Islands

The expression "how to call a ship, so it will float", the meaning of which is determined by both the text of the song and the plot of the cartoon, runs through the narrative with a red thread. After a while, the crew of the "Bede" rescues a sperm whale from a cold, that sneezes, and the boat somehow improbably lies ahead of all the other participants. However, the bandits continue the persecution, they lure the sailors into an improvised bath. But after the explosion on the island, the case with the statue again leaves the hands of gangsters. Meanwhile, Fuchs confesses to the captain in his origin and crime. Both decided to send the statue back to the museum. After a while, the characters get to the Hawaiian Islands, where the aborigines ask them to take part in a local concert. During the speech bandits kidnap a case with a double bass and run away. Meanwhile, "Trouble", despite its name, comes to the finish line first, and the bandits return to their boss, thinking that they carry a statue with them.

Conclusion

However, the finale of the book and the cartoon are, as it were, contrasted with the words "how to call a ship, so it will float". Vrungel, along with the crew finishes the race, using for this bottle with champagne. At the same time, he manages to expose the chef of the mafia. So, the meaning of the phrase, seemingly justifying itself during the journey, lost its significance. And although the gallant captain sang that the name of the ship determines the success of the voyage, the story says that the outcome of the heroes depended on the outcome.