Book and colloquial idioms: examples

The time comes when schoolchildren begin to study what phraseological units are. Their study has become an integral part of the school curriculum. Knowledge of what phraseological units are and how they are used will be useful not only in the lessons of the Russian language and literature, but also in life. Figurative speech is a sign of at least a well-read person.

What is phraseologism?

Phraseologism is an expression with a certain content of words, which in this combination have a different meaning than when using these words separately. That is, phraseologism can be called a stable expression.

Phraseological turns in Russian have found widespread use. The linguist Vinogradov was engaged in the study of phraseological units, and it was thanks to him that they began to be widely used. In foreign languages, there are also phraseological units, they just call them idioms. Linguists are still arguing whether there is a difference between idiom and idiom, but have not yet found the exact answer.

The most popular are colloquial phraseological units. Examples of their use can be found below.

Signs of phraseological units

Phraseologisms have several important features and characteristics:

1. Phraseologism is a finished linguistic unit. This means that the person who uses it in his speech or in writing, extracts this expression from his memory, and does not invent it on the go.
2. They have a permanent structure.
3. For phraseology, you can always pick up a synonymous word (sometimes antonym).
4. Phraseologism is an expression that cannot consist of less than two words.
5. Almost all phraseological units are expressive, prompt an interlocutor or reader to display vivid emotions.

Functions of phraseological units in Russian

Each phraseologism has one main function - to give speech brightness, liveliness, expressiveness and, of course, to express the author’s attitude to something. In order to imagine how much speech becomes brighter when using phraseological units, imagine how a comedian or writer makes fun of someone using phraseological units. Speech is becoming more interesting.

Phraseological styles

The classification of phraseological units by style is a very important feature of them. In total, there are 4 basic styles of stable expressions: interstyle, book, colloquial and vernacular. Each phraseologism belongs to one of these groups, depending on its meaning.

Spoken phraseological units are the largest group of expressions. Some believe that interstitial and colloquial phraseological units should be in the same group as colloquial ones. Then only two groups of stable expressions stand out: colloquial and book.

The differences between book and colloquial phraseological units

Each style of phraseological units differs from each other, and the most striking difference is demonstrated by book and colloquial phraseological units. Examples: not worth a penny and a fool a fool . The first stable expression is bookish, because it can be used in any work of art, in a scientific journalistic article, in an official business conversation, etc. While the expression " fool is a fool" is widely used in conversations, but not in books.

Book phraseologisms

Book phraseologisms are stable expressions that are much more often used in writing than in conversation. They are not characterized by pronounced aggression and negativity. Book phraseologisms are widely used in journalism, scientific articles, and fiction.

Examples of phraseological units and their meanings:

1. In time, it means something that happened a very long time ago. The expression is Old Slavonic, often used in literary works.
2. Pulling the gimp is the meaning of a long process. In the old days, a long metal thread was called a cantle, it was pulled out with tongs from a metal wire. Gimp embroidered on velvet, it was a long and very painstaking work. So, pulling the gimp is a long and extremely boring job.
3. To play with fire is to do something extremely dangerous, to be on the cutting edge.
4. To stay with the nose is to remain without something that I really wanted.
5. Kazan orphan is a phraseology about a person who impersonates a beggar or a patient, while having the goal of gaining profit.
6. You won’t drive up on a goat - that’s how they used to say about girls who could not be amused by buffoons and buffoons during the holidays.
7. Bring to clean water - to expose the commission of something unpleasant.

There are a lot of book phraseologisms.

Interstyle phraseological turns

Interstyle phraseological turns are sometimes called neutral colloquial, because both from the stylistic and from the emotional point of view they are neutral. Neutral colloquial and book phraseological units are confused, because interstyle is also not particularly emotionally colored. An important feature of interstyle revolutions is that they do not express human emotions.

Examples of phraseological units and their meanings:

1. Not a drop - means the complete absence of anything.
2. To play a role is to somehow influence one or another event, to become the cause of something.

Interstyle phraseological turns are not very many in the Russian language, but they are used in speech more often than others.

Spoken phraseological turns

The most popular expressions are colloquial idioms. Examples of their use can be very diverse, from expressing emotions to describing a person. Spoken phraseological phrases are perhaps the most expressive of all. There are so many of them that you can give examples ad infinitum. Spoken phraseological units (examples) are listed below. Some of them may sound different, but at the same time have a similar meaning (that is, they are synonyms). And other expressions, on the contrary, have the same word in their composition, but they are vivid antonyms.

Synonymous colloquial idioms, examples:

1. Without exception, the meaning of generalization: everything as one; both old and young; from small to large.
2. Very fast: in an instant; did not have time to look back; in an instant; did not have time to blink an eye.
3. Work hard and diligently: tirelessly; up a sweat; roll up your sleeves; in the sweat of the face.
4. Significance of proximity: two steps away; to be at your side; at hand.
5. Run fast: headlong; what is strength; at full speed; what urine is; in all shoulder blades; from all legs; only heels sparkles.
6. The meaning of similarity: all as one; everything, as a selection; one to one; well done to well done.

Anthony colloquial phraseological units, examples:

1. The cat wept (a little) - Hens do not peck (a lot).
2. No zgi is visible (dark, hard to see) - Though you need to pick up the needles (light, clearly visible).
3. Lose your head (think hard) - Head on the shoulders (reasonable person).
4. Like a cat with a dog (happy people) - Do not spill water, Siamese twins; soul to soul (close, very friendly or similar people).
5. Two steps (near) - For distant lands (far).
6. To soar in the clouds (a pensive, dreaming and unfocused person) - Look at both, keep your eyes open (attentive person).
7. Scratching the tongue (talking, dissolving gossip) - Swallow the tongue (silent).
8. Uma Chamber (smart man) - Without a king in your head, live by someone else's mind (stupid or reckless person).

Conversational-style phraseological units , examples with explanation:

1. An American uncle is a man who very unexpectedly helps out of a financially difficult situation.
2. To beat like a fish on ice - to do unnecessary, useless actions that do not lead to any result.
3. To hit the back door is to mess around.
4. Throw the glove - enter into an argument with someone, challenge.
5. Return to your rams - return to the main topic of conversation or business.
6. Drive by the nose - deceive someone, mislead.
7. The Flood is a disaster that has affected everyone.
8. A deaf aunt is a hard of hearing person.
9. To make an elephant out of a fly is to greatly exaggerate, to unreasonably betray something insignificant to great importance.
10. Egyptian labor is a very hard work, exhausting a person.
11. To get a barrel organ - repeat the same thing several times.
12. Golden youth - children of wealthy parents, spending time at their pleasure and spending money.
13. Play pranks - do unnecessary things, mess around.
14. Ilya Muromets is a man of large physique, very tall and strong.
15. How Mamai went is a mess.
16. To sink into oblivion - to be forgotten, suddenly and without a trace to disappear.
17. Sit at a round table - to develop a discussion or negotiations, a meeting with a person on equal rights and authority.
18. Martyshkin labor - useless work, useless to anyone.
19. To throw thunder and lightning - to threaten someone, scold for something, to be angry and annoyed.
20. Neither the stake nor the yard is a very poor and poor person.

Colloquial idioms

Colloquial turns are easily confused with colloquial ones. However, colloquial expressions are used in speech, as well as colloquial ones. They are more emotional, vibrant, ignorant, have an even more reduced stylistic character and are most often characterized by extremely negative colors. They are used to commit threats, describe a person from a negative position and describe something in a bad and dismissive light.

Conversational and colloquial phraseological units, examples:

1. Show mother Kuzkin.
2. To tear a goat.
3. Screaming with good obscenities.
4. Small fry.
5. The booby king of heaven.
6. The nut is weak.
7. Clerical press.

Conversational household phraseological turns

Colloquial phraseological units, examples with the meaning:

1. To fill a pocket - to gain richly dishonestly way, to receive big incomes.
2. Sharpen your skis - get together quickly and unexpectedly for everyone.
3. Like a herring in a barrel - closely, a lot (most often about a huge crowd of people, a crowd),
4. To starve a worm is to have a bite quickly and a little.
5. Put a pig - to arrange a big nuisance.

Phraseologisms and their meanings

Examples of book and colloquial phraseological units and their meanings:

1. Augean stables - these days they call it a very dirty room or a very neglected business.
2. Achilles' heel is a weak, weak spot of a person.
3. The crow is a person who is very different from others in appearance or behavior.
4. Bartholomew’s night is an event remembered by cruelty.
5. The voice of one crying in the wilderness is useless and constant requests, calls that are ignored.
6. Keep in a black body - treat someone like a slave, treat people severely.
7. To live in a big way - do not deny yourself anything, to live richly and luxuriantly.
8. Forbidden fruit (sweet) - phraseology based on biblical myth. It says something desirable, but forbidden.
9. Going all-in is to act with great courage, to take risks in the name of something.
10. The stumbling block is an almost insurmountable obstacle.