How can one tell a person to be attentive and watchful? One option is the expression “take care as the apple of an eye”. The value of phraseology is analyzed today.
What is the apple of an eye?
Everything is very simple: the “apple of the eye” is the pupil of the eye in an outdated version. For any person, even an ordinary, even outstanding, the organs of vision are very important. A person is very afraid of losing his sight, because it means to be in complete darkness. That is why the expression “protect as the apple of your eye” (the meaning of phraseology follows) is deciphered as follows: “protect something as the most valuable thing you have.” The passage is originally from the Bible. If the reader opens Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 10, he will discover it.
Letter from father
Considering the expression "to cherish like the apple of an eye," what sentence sentence with phraseology can you make? The answer to this question is easy. For example, a boy is given a letter that his father wrote and they say to him: "Take care of him like the apple of an eye." Why? Perhaps the letter is endowed with special value, because it is the last from the father. And if the boy correctly understands the idiomatic expression, then he will keep the letter as the greatest value.
First love
And someone keeps a photo of school love. Because youth is a magical time, and the first strong feeling is something unforgettable. Photography in this case serves as a portal at that time, of course, not real, metaphysical. Thanks to the picture, the person mentally returns at that time and again experiences those feelings. In general, it is clear what it is to “cherish like the apple of an eye” (the meaning of phraseology is no longer difficult).
The keys to the apartment
Until now, the conversation has been about intangible values. But phraseologism can also be used to ask a comrade to monitor the safety of material treasures, for example, an apartment that will be empty for a long time. One friend calls another and says:
- Seryoga, hello! I have to go on a business trip here. Sent for 2 months. You look after my apartment. There is a new repair, a stereo system, expensive furniture. I will give you the keys, and you take care of them like the apple of an eye.
- Wait, I don’t know what to “cherish like the apple of an eye,” explain the meaning of phraseology to me?
- Okay, don't pretend. Even a child knows the meaning of this expression. I'll call you in the evening.
- Do not worry, your apartment will be under reliable protection.
Literary example
It is known that Franz Kafka ordered his friend Max Broad to burn his entire literary heritage, but the friend did not listen to the great German-speaking writer, and, on the contrary, kept everything that Kafka wrote. Max Broad did a good or bad thing, we don’t know. The main thing is that his behavior is suitable as an example, which illustrates the phraseology "to cherish like the apple of an eye."
Many people in the history of literature who did not obey the writers and eventually published, made their heritage public. Imagine, for example, M.A. Bulgakov did not plan to publish the novel "The Master and Margarita" and wrote it on the table. Now, of course, this is hard to believe. But during the life of Stalin, despite all the favors of the latter to Bulgakov, the novel could not be published for ideological reasons. The novel was first truncated in 1966. The full text appeared only in 1969.
What would happen to the literature, if there were no people who internally formulated their life program as follows: to cherish the writer's legacy at all costs as the apple of an eye (the origin of phraseology was considered at the very beginning, or rather the source is indicated - the Bible).
Value is a subjective concept
From the previous reasoning, it is clear that it is impossible to precisely determine the class of things that is worth or not worth it to be stored more than your own eyes. Because value is a subjective concept. A child cherishes a candy wrapper or a very rare liner from chewing gum. A teenager records a favorite group, an adult records a car, an apartment or something else, such as a golden watch. Each person decides whether something is as expensive as the apple of his eye or not.
The tone and informality of phraseology
Despite the fact that the expression belongs to a high style, like all phraseological units, the source of which is the Bible, it cannot be used at a meeting in ties. For such meetings it is too informal. But in the circle of family and friends, the expression is acceptable. Close people can easily understand what a person wants to say. They will not have a question about what it means to “cherish like the apple of an eye”.
The reader will not have such a question, because the meaning of phraseologism has been analyzed with various examples. It was also established that expression plays a special role in the history of domestic and foreign literature. In particular, if it weren’t for people who not only knew, but also put into practice the wisdom of speech, then we, modern people, would have lost many masterpieces of literary creation.
Phraseology Lesson
What the phraseologism “to cherish as the apple of an eye” means is, of course, important, but even more important is the way the speech guides people. If you think about it, then it contains a whole moral program: firstly, to be able to distinguish the great from the insignificant; secondly, save the first and discard the second. Sometimes the meaning of phraseology is more mundane, but we hope that in any case the lesson will be learned.
If you learn to unfold lapidary folk wisdom, then you will not need to read any other books except the phraseological dictionary in order to be saturated with the experience of centuries. True, to learn how to deploy stable phrases, you need to know a lot. So far, the only reliable source for storing and transmitting information is books. The circle closes, and the man has no choice but to head to the library or to the bookshelf in the apartment (if there is one).