In the old days, in the 19th century, the expression “muslin lady” appeared. It meant girls who were not fit for life. Perhaps educated, but they could not do anything. Today we will analyze history, meaning and examples.
Thin and expensive fabric
Kisei is an elite fabric in the 19th century. As you can see, dressing gowns are difficult to sew from. And the same qualities are possessed by a girl of noble origin. No, of course, not in the sense that it is impossible to sew work clothes from it, but in the fact that she, brought up in French novels, naturally does not know anything about a cow or house cleaning with her own hands. To absolute inability to live, a narrow intellectual horizon is also added. In other words, if someone in the 19th century was called a muslin young lady, this was not the most flattering characteristic.
The author of phraseology
History gives the palm to the lead in this dispute to Pomyalovsky, a Russian writer who, two years before his death in 1861, wrote the novel "Petty Bourgeois Happiness." Then the expression "muslin lady" was picked up in his article by the famous literary critic Dmitry Pisarev. He wrote a review about the story of Pomyalovsky. After them was still Nikolai Shelgunov. Then the expression becomes winged and flies from one writer to another.
Rumors of the death of phraseology are greatly exaggerated
Sources claim that the expression "muslin lady" has gone out of active use, and this is probably true. Other books speak of the complete death of sustained expression, and one should argue here.
Indeed, now there are no girls who have received a classic noble education. Thus, in the literal sense, an expression cannot be used, but it is quite actively used when a man behaves “like a girl”: cries, whimpers. Moreover, they may say to him: “Well, what are you, men do not cry! Get together! " or the same version of the same message: "Well, you are stuck up like a muslin lady." Even children know this expression, although we suspect that it is not everywhere, not throughout Russia, as the Weather Forecast once said.
The main thing: phraseology is alive and will live for a long time. The language is not updated as often as models of cars or laptops.
New "muslin ladies" - blondes
The blonde girls replaced the unsuitable bourgeois nobles. You should immediately make a reservation: a blonde is not a hair color, but a state of mind. These are women who also know nothing, are not particularly interested in anything. They have one calling - to be beautiful! But the trouble is that someone else usually contains this beauty. The blonde (the heroine of many modern jokes) is perfectly suited for the role, which can be arbitrarily called "muscular young lady" (phraseological unit, the meaning of which we have already examined).
By the way, about jokes. Sometimes blondes tell stories about themselves and laugh wildly. And all this is not because they have a certain share of self-irony. They just believe that everyone else is living wrong. And all these funny humoresques are composed by not too smart people. Here is such an inversion.
Simulants - “muslin ladies” from sports
Nobody likes those who pretend to be. It doesn’t matter where the events take place: in the school class or on the football field. Imagine a student who, in the eyes of all honest people , would beg the teacher for an assessment with characteristic howls: “Well, put a three”, like a homeless child at the station asking for a copper penny.
This behavior does not cause respect, but someone, observing this picture, could say: “What a muscular young lady he is!” Phraseologism in modern language shows the misbehavior of men, not women.
The same story with football players as with students. Some of them want to influence the judge not so much with their real suffering when a clash happens, but with acting. It is developed in some athletes. But not only penalties are a stumbling block, but also a penalty. When a football player enters the goal area, he immediately begins to feel weakness in his legs and is inevitably drawn to the ground. At one time, Filippo Inzaghi was a specialist in “dives” in the penalty area.
The longing of the muslin lady
Knowing the general nature of the expression, it can be assumed that the languor of the soul of the muslin young lady is such a state of mind when a person languishes over fictitious problems. As we understand it, now this can happen to everyone, gender does not play a role here.
But let’s give an example of a female conversation anyway:
- You know, Michael called me and said that he had a headache. Do you think this is true, or he is lying because he stopped loving me. Or maybe I got myself another, younger and better.
- Calm down, all this is in vain torment. So he will come to you, and ask him. Why now languish pointless?
“What if he doesn't come anymore?”
Potentially, this conversation is eternal. It is easy to imagine about the same roles of young men or teenagers in love. If people have something to occupy themselves with, then such longing does not threaten them. There is simply no time for it.