Phraseologism "dance to the tune of others" is used in the Russian language so often that it has become native to native speakers. But what is the origin and meaning of this phrase? Read the article to the end, and you will learn the story of winged expression.
Phrase meaning
To begin with, let’s figure out what the meaning of the expression “dance to the tune of others” means. As a rule, this is what they say when it comes to people acting on the will of others, obeying someone. And usually this phrase has a negative connotation.
The origin of the expression
If you thought that this was a phrase of Russian or Slavic origin, then you are deeply mistaken. The roots of phraseology lie in ancient Greek history.
The Greek historian Herodotus at one time retold the famous legend about the fisherman and fish as follows: the Persian king Cyrus, went to war against the Greeks in Media. The Medes were defeated by the Persians and offered to conclude an alliance. To confirm the union, the Greek ambassadors arrived at the court of Cyrus, and he told them a parable.
One musician wanted to make the fish dance on the shore, and for this he began to play the flute. But the fish did not live up to his expectations. Then the musician got angry, took the net and threw it into the water, and then, looking at how the fishes are fighting in the nets, said that they were late with the dance, it was necessary to do this while he was playing the pipe.
By this parable, Cyrus made it clear to the messengers that they now began to dance to someone else's tune.
The mentioned expression is also found in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus told people about the holiness of John the Baptist. But the people doubted his righteousness. Then Christ said that those who do not hear his sermons and do not accept John the Baptist are deaf and like passers-by in the streets who are addressed by street musicians: "We play to you, but you don’t dance ..." (i.e. do not want to fulfill our will).
Conclusion
The expression "dance to the tune of others" has a rich history of origin. Now you know where it came from and how to use phraseology correctly.