Depending on the participants in the discussion, table discussions can be calm or quite stormy. But who would have thought that the ordinary terms familiar to every lover of drinking with friends have long been an integral part of Russian culture and history? A small scale is an opportunity to track the borrowing of words from foreign languages, and a piece of life of our ancestors. To understand the beauty of the definition, just look into the explanatory dictionaries.
German footprint
Trying to calculate the etymology, philologists found two valid and equivalent options. The German shale refers exclusively to cutlery, and translates as "bowl, goblet." The Dutch shaale looks a little more interesting, which can be decrypted differently:
In the second case, both the drinking option and the measurement function of the object are felt. What subject?
Russian life
The interpretation is considered outdated, which meant a lighting device: a cup filled with special oil or ordinary fat, into which a wick was inserted and set on fire. The design was stable, as safe as possible and could prolong the darkness. Therefore, they used it even as a decorative element, which can be seen in some literary works. Unfortunately, the version does not answer the question at all: how much is the score? Indeed, at the heart of an impromptu lamp is the basic meaning of the word:
- measure of wine;
- containers of such volume.
Behind the term is the two-hundredth part of a classic bucket or 61.5 ml. Approximately equal to a standard single serving of alcohol. From here came allegorical options. In particular, the studied concept is called glasses, piles. Also, miniature bottles of vodka got a similar name.
Everyday communication
It is impossible to say unequivocally about the appropriateness of a capacious definition in a specific situation. It has not been used for a long time in official documents, since it is not used as a measure of volume. It sounds informal and even playful. Therefore, you need to build on the context: if the conversation is in the store, then for the buyer a small bottle is a scale. But already in a cafe or bar we are talking about alcohol in small glasses.
The word has no offensive subtext, does not hurt the interlocutor. Most often, the speaker implies a certain small portion, and this meaning dominates the rest. But there are too many available values, so build phrases so that the comrades understand.