Various stable combinations of words enrich our speech . They are formed from popular sayings or created by one author. Among them are proverbs and sayings. Some of them become phraseological units. For example, the grandmother said in two.
In this article we will consider this stable expression. Define the interpretation, the history of the origin of the phrase.
“Grandma said in two”: the meaning of phraseology. Appeal to phraseological and explanatory dictionaries
Sometimes it is unclear how life will turn out, what will come of this or that action. In such cases, the expression "grandmother said in two" is used. What does it mean?
To answer, we turn to the phraseological dictionary compiled by Stepanova M. I. The following definition is given in it: “It is not known whether something will happen or not.” This means that to say in two is to say streamlined, to say neither yes nor no.
S. I. Ozhegov also gives a definition of expression in his explanatory dictionary. It states that this is a saying (Dahl wrote it in his work) and it means "it is not yet known what will happen, maybe it will be so, and otherwise."
Thus, the stable combination of words we are considering can be replaced by words such as “not clear”, “not defined”.
"Grandma in two said": the origin of the expression
This phrase is a saying. So, this is a popular saying. It appeared by chance. People used to be pagans. To find out their fate, the future, went to grandmother fortunetellers.
In fact, the saying we are considering is longer. In part, it is the expression "grandmother wondered, but said in two." It feels irony. What the grandmother had guessed did not always come true. Many understood that the prediction could not be completely reliable. Therefore, when they did not know whether the alleged would be realized or not, they said, "Grandma said in two." This expression was popular and became winged.
Use of the phrase in question
The expression was used by various Russian writers: Turgenev in Fathers and Sons, Saltykov-Shchedrin in Amidst Moderation and Accuracy, Shishkov in Emelyan Pugachev, Mstislavsky in Rook - Spring Bird, Sedykh in Dauria, Pisemsky in “Petty bourgeois”, Reshetnikov in “The Protégé”, Uspensky in “The Unprecedented Case” and other writers in their works.
The directors also used this saying. For example, in 1979, the Soviet film “Grandmothers in two said.”
Politicians, journalists are still actively using this catchphrase. For example, if they do not believe in any messages, promises, cast doubt on them.
Conclusion
We looked at the steady combination of the words "grandmother said in two." With the help of dictionaries, we learned that expression is part of a saying. It means an indefinite answer, an unclear situation: neither yes nor no; anyway.
We found the roots of the origin of the saying. It turned out that she was connected with fortune telling grandmothers. It is hardly worth believing in their reliability and being sure of the results of such a pagan way of knowing the future. Therefore, this saying calls into question what could supposedly be.
Due to its significance, this catchphrase has been actively used and is used in various fields: in literature, the media, cinema, and politics. It is used in cases when something is in doubt, when it is not known what will happen and how everything will turn out.
This is how stable combinations appear. Our ancestors were able to display different life phenomena in capacious words. Thanks to them, our speech has become rich and vibrant. We can express a deep thought with just a combination of words, convey our point of view and show our attitude.