Everyone at least once in their life heard the expression "Turuses on wheels." So they say, meaning empty talk, a lot of unnecessary words that do not carry any messages to action or valuable information. About a man who speaks a lot, but essentially carries nonsense, and for a long time and tediously, they will say: "Well, well, they say, I went to raise Turuses on wheels!" Or: "Look how the Turus winds up on wheels!"
There are, of course, other variants of the verbs used with this phraseological unit, for example, to talk out or to let in. However, no matter how you say it, the meaning of the expression will remain the same.
Where did this mysterious word “Turus” come from and why are they on wheels?
Etymology
The common version is that in Russia this word appeared a long time ago, back in the days of the Tatar-Mongol invasions. It is known to us from ancient Russian chronicles. Turus or Tura was then called a wooden tower, covered with animal skins, which could move, since it was put on wheels and equipped with an internal engine. It, as well as throwing and wall-hung guns were used to storm the besieged cities.
The peculiarity of the Turus was that in them during the attack, detachments of soldiers could be hiding - a medieval landing. Hidden inside a mobile fortification, it was inaccessible to arrows of archers and generally shells flying from city fortifications. When the Turuses approached the wall close (they were moved either by the hidden ones themselves or by horses “clad” in armor), the attackers went up to the top of the tower, and then, with the help of rocking bridges safe and sound, quickly moved to the city walls.
Thus, the meaning of phraseology “Turuses on wheels” is associated with unusual felt-wooden siege houses on wheels (another name is uluses), which were used by the Mongols to besiege Russian cities.
But the word by its origin, most likely, is still not Tatar, that is, not of Turkic roots. As early as the time of Pushkin, linguists suggested that the Latin turres ambulatorie is the immediate progenitor of the Turuses used in Russia. Similar mobile siege fortifications were used by the ancient Romans. Then they were called "tours" or "turris".
It is known that the first such fortress on wheels was built by the Carthaginians. It was used, for example, as far back as 305 during the siege of the island of Rhodes by the soldiers of Alexander the Great.
A kind of prototype of the siege tower was, as you might guess, the famous Trojan horse.
Meaning and hue
Why did the meaning of phraseology “breed turuses on wheels” acquire a dismissive, ironic connotation over time? And here the fact is that the siege of the cities was, after all, a long occupation. Unceremoniously in the days when firearms had not yet been invented, fortresses were not taken. The siege could last for months.
But warriors, even ancient ones, are impatient people. And here it is necessary to bring logs, work more than one day to build these siege towers and adjust the wheels to them. Heavy monotonous labor and fuss. All this caused discontent of the fighters commanders. So the warriors spoke about such preparatory measures contemptuously - they say, they went to breed turuses on wheels.
New story
But in Russia the meaning of phraseology “Turuses on wheels” acquired an additional connotation. Here is what the Russian historian and geographer Pyotr Keppen wrote in 1825:
Turuses on wheels (turres ambulatorie among the Romans), with us - walk the city (taras on wheels, chopped bulls), machines for the siege of the cities - towers on wheels. The people didn’t lie in the existence of such machines, and they said about all kinds of unbelievable tales: these are turuses on wheels.
In other words, the meaning of phraseology “Turuses on wheels” has expanded over time. It began to mean not only verbosity, but also fantasy, fiction, moreover, stupid, idle.
Over time, it became increasingly difficult for people to believe in the existence of such cunning houses, hence the phrase “Turuses on wheels” came with an additional meaning - this is also unprecedented, incredible stories, fiction, verbose nonsense.
Use of expression in the literature
For a better understanding of the meaning of phraseology “Turuses on wheels”, see the following examples from works of Russian literature.
Here, for example, are the lines from The Tales of Abraham Palitsyn written at the beginning of the 17th century:
In the night of that same one, at the first hour, a lot of footmen of Lithuanian and Russian traitors rushing to the monastery from all countries from the air, and with shields and taras chopped on wheels and playing in many games, starting to proceed to the hail; the citizens biaxia with them from the walls of the city, also of many cannons and squeals, and, quite simply, having beaten many Lithuania and Rus traitors.
(A. Palitsyn, "The Legend of the siege of the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius from the Poles and Lithuania and about the rebellions that were later in Russia").
The cadets came and took me from the newspaper for publication. What wheels on wheels wrote in these newspapers - my head was spinning. And when they staged a revolution, they began to shout that I was an exploiter. Nice thing!
(A. Tolstoy, "The Adventures of Nevzorov, or Ibicus").
In the darkness, I did not see the expression of Lubkov’s face, but in his voice I heard overt contempt: instead of acting, he spreads turuses on wheels.
(V. Tendryakov, "Extraordinary").
And Nikitich can reason in such a manner at least all night - just hang your ears. They would have called their village villagers, but these are listening. Pleasantly. And he himself sometimes thinks about himself: it comes out folding, ulcers. Such Turus will breed that you pop earlier.
(V. Shukshin, "The Hunt to Live").
In the meantime, things must be done. We have one, you understand. And you bred turuses on wheels. Chatting a lot. Superfluous.
(V. Chudakova, "Military happiness").
We talked about the meaning and origin of phraseology "Turuses on wheels."