The meaning of the phraseology "put your teeth on the shelf" in Russian

Russian language was not for nothing called a classic "great, mighty and truthful": he is able expressively, figuratively, expressly express some state or situation.

The use of phraseological units, proverbs and sayings, idioms and winged expressions makes the speech brighter, more concise and sometimes eliminates unnecessary lengthy explanations. Below we will consider the meaning of the phraseology "Put Your Teeth on the Shelf".

Where do teeth grow from?

The history of the language can help to understand what the expression "put your teeth on the shelf" means. In fact, this is a saying, that is, a folklore genre. So, the expression came from the people's environment, the sources of its meaning can be found in simple everyday life.

The proverb is designed to reflect a certain phenomenon of life. "To feel acute need, starve, limit yourself in everything" - this is the meaning of the phraseology "putting your teeth on the shelf." How does the wisdom of the people advise you to put your teeth?

Teeth in folk work

There are two ways of treating the meaning of the word "teeth" in the proverb. The first - the people's. "Tines" were called tools for spinning. Once lie on the shelf - there is no work, but without work and prosperity there.

In the Russian language there is another humorous proverb that is similar in its theme: "Wait, put your teeth on the shelf." In this case, the council should listen and do the opposite. Synonymous with the meaning of the proverb about the fish, which can not easily be pulled out of the pond. Thus, the characteristic feature of such phraseological units in Russian is visible: hunger is characterized by laziness, not work.

Origin of the word

If you look at the etymology of the word "tooth", it will be clear that this is not only a bone formation in the mouth, but also a surface with sharp edges. So, the meaning of the phraseology "put your teeth on the shelf" can be expanded with other instruments of labor: the teeth have a saw, a rake, a plow. Any work is suitable in sense, after all it was considered for the time being that "the good of people in life, and life in work".

Bloodthirsty Language

A vivid folk expression can outgrow the environment that gave birth to it and enter into the speech of a larger number of speakers of a certain culture. Penetrating into the literary language, a phraseological turn can be understood intuitively, without a clear awareness of its lexical units. It is unlikely that many will now understand with what kind of nose one can stay, but the meaning of the saying is clear to everyone: they say about failure in the undertaking. However, in the old days they called an offering a gift - they brought it to the official. It could be either in money equivalent or in the form of a natural product. If the official did not accept the offer, then the petitioner "stayed with his nose" - he did not get what he wanted.

A different situation occurred with the saying "to put teeth on the shelf." The meaning of phraseology has acquired a new internal form in the literary language, without losing the understanding of the meaning of lexical units. The teeth lost their direct connection with labor and began to be understood in the usual sense: the proverb suggests literally pulling out teeth like a false jaw and putting it on the shelf as superfluous. The proverb acquires a shade of black humor, however truthful: why teeth, there is nothing to chew. Moreover, lying on a shelf, they do not stanch, but live to better times.

The semantic field of the saying

And although the teeth in the proverb changed their meaning, the phraseology remained in the semantic field of the notions of hunger and poverty. The church mouse is remembered: the rodent was placed in the most hungry of possible premises, and, most importantly, its instrument for fighting hunger is teeth. And in the refrigerator again, the mouse can hang from hunger.

The meaning of the phraseology "to put teeth on the shelf" accurately and figuratively reflects the realities of human reality. The relevance and universality of the phenomenon described by the saying made it understandable to all the bearers of culture, although the original meaning of the phraseological phraseology is obsolete and almost forgotten.