The main meaning of the expression is to surpass someone in something. But how is this to be understood? Literally? Hardly. Then how did this interesting allegory come about?

There are several possible explanations for the expression plug in the belt and all of them are rooted in national history.

One of these explanations is the habit of many artisans to tuck into their belts that are not needed in this moment tool - hammer, ax, etc. It begs the comparison that to put it in your belt means to deal with someone unceremoniously, as with something not very necessary ...

Researchers of Russian phraseology give another example from the classic:

"But the wife is not a mitten:

You can't shake off a white pen

Yes, you can’t plug your belt ... "

The Swan Princess speaks to Gvidon in Pushkin's Tale of Tsar Saltan.

From here it is clear that for the belt could plug not only tools, but also mittens, again at a time when they are not needed or you can do without them.

There is another version of the appearance of the expression plug into the belt, originating from the ancient Russian fun "belt wrestling". In this case the phrase plug into the belt you can try to interpret how "to win, to prove to someone your advantage."

But it seems to me that all these versions do not say something, that perhaps there was some other tradition that we do not know and that has gone into the past, taking with it an explanation for the appearance of the expression, plug into the belt.

Perhaps the winner in the belt wrestling tucked some trophy into his belt, some object of the vanquished, or something that was as a prize in the duel.

Do you have other versions? Write...

To know by heart - this expression is familiar to everyone from school. Know on

The expression tooth for tooth is quite simple and clear, like Newton's third law. Means

One of the main versions of the origin of the expression If the mountain does not go to Mohammed,

Expression There is life in the old dog yet With to a large extent probabilities gone

One more, last tale, and my chronicle is over...

Here and there we hear the expression "plug in the belt." The meaning of phraseologism will be the focus of our attention today. We will analyze its origin and meaning.

Origin

There are several versions of the origin of phraseology. They are united by the fact that they are all rooted in the life of the people. The meaning is not too tricky. The reader himself can guess its meaning. Until now, workers are stuffing tools into their belts that are not yet needed, but may soon be needed. Hence the expression "plug in the belt." The meaning of a phraseological unit can be interpreted as "leaving behind or surpassing in some way."

The next hypothesis is that in Russia there was such fun - belt wrestling. Apparently, this is the ancestor of modern sambo. Young people fought and won. Perhaps the awards that they won, they also stuck in their belts as a symbol of triumph. But it’s more likely that this struggle gave life to the expression “plug in the belt” (the meaning of the phraseological unit becomes clear as day).

The meaning of the saying

From the previous section, the meaning of the expression "plug in the belt" is clear. Nevertheless, we will give a few more examples. It seems that when our country was arranging a “five-year plan in four years” or an arms race with the United States, one could hear from our rulers, who were less refined (N.S. Khrushchev immediately comes to mind) than the current ones, at meetings and meetings with people something about the belt. For example: “We were able to plug in the belt ( the meaning of the phraseologism was clear to the listeners without explanation) USA!” The public went wild.

Or imagine, there is a celebration of the workers of the month or the year at some factory. The director gets up and says: “Sidorov is a wonderful worker and a good friend!” "Why is he so good?" - ask other board members who do not know anything about Sidorov's labor exploits. The director turns to them and says: “What, you don’t know what Comrade Sidorov is famous for?! He was able to heroically overfulfill the plan for six months ahead and plug it into his belt ( the meaning of phraseologism is always about the same, as you can see) Comrade Petrov! Isn't that a deed, isn't that a merit?"

Yes, "there were people in our time, not like the current tribe." In the Soviet period, there were leaders who wholeheartedly cared for their cause, the cause of the country. However, we digress.

Modern life of phraseology

Now, when most of the factories and Stakhanovites are in the past, it is difficult to talk about production achievements. But phraseologism lives on and is actively used by Russian-speaking people. There is still competition in society, and if so, the expression “to shut up the belt” (the meaning of a phraseological unit is “to surpass someone in something”) will live and will not be forgotten.

If a person does not compete with someone, then he must constantly plug himself into his belt - this is development. As F. Nietzsche said: "Man is something that must be surpassed."

who whom

To be the best, to surpass someone. It means that person, less often - a group of persons ( X), thanks to their abilities and natural qualities, learning smth. or doing some work, are able to do or do it much more successfully than another person or group of people ( Y), often more experienced and respected.

Spoken with approval. informal ✦ X plugs into the belt Y-a. Nominal part unchangeablevb. more often in bud. temp.(wherein phraseol. It has value capabilities). Cast skaz.Component word order unfixed

⊛ And he, hiding a familiar smirk in his beard, will start to object: - Why is [Nastya] bad? Working, even with horses, even with a guy's pitchfork shut up by the belt. V. Tendryakov, Tight knot.- And what, Sorokopudov was removed from it [from the installation]? ... Come on, Ershov, this guy of any engineer shut up by the belt. I. Gerasimov, Space in the calendar.

He would be taught to read and write - everyone shut up by the belt. A. Bezuglov, Yu. Klarov, Inhabitant of the "free city".

Why do you need Italians! Shuvalov objected. - I can recommend our sculptor, who, perhaps, plugs into the belt Italians. K. Konichev, The Tale of Fedot Shubin.

Each era gives birth to its Lefties, who are not averse to proving to the whole world that Russians plugged into the belt foreigners not only in the business of shoeing fleas, but also in the creation of ... cars. Smolenskaya newspaper, 2003.

And here is a couple of all stuck in the belt: squeezed or tied sheaves more than twice. F. Gladkov, Masha from Zapolye.

The children were ten years old, their mother gave them to science: they soon learned to read and write, and boyar and merchant children stuck in the belt- no one will be able to read, write, or give an answer better than them. A. Afanasiev, Two Ivan soldiers' sons.

On the hunt Chelyabinsk Elena Tkach can " plug into the belt"any experienced shooter. And this is understandable: Lena is a master of sports international class skeet shooting. According to experts, she took the first step towards the 2000 Olympics. Chelyabinsk worker, 1997.

⊜ - So, it's time to leave the university. - What are you, Mikhail Mikhailovich! The academic council has a completely different opinion .... Who will you leave the chair for? - That, you know, is not a problem. There are two professors in the department besides me. Both are much younger. You will have a great choice. You have to make way for the young. - We give, we give. But you are any shut up by the belt! Yes, you, I remember, are not yet seventy. A. Smolyan, Don't you dare!

⊝ - Maybe this brat-technician really wanted to show off. Look, they say, what I am: all engineers stuck in the belt! V. Tevekelyan, Granite does not melt.

cultural commentary: Origin phraseol., probably due to the peculiarity of outerwear: in the old days there were no pockets on clothes, therefore, in order for some kind of l. the thing did not interfere with work, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was not lost, it stuck in the belt. For the belt, for example , it could be shut up hat or gloves. cf. lines from "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by A.S. Pushkin: "Yes! There is such a girl. / But the wife is not a mitten: / You can’t shake off a white pen / Yes, you can’t plug it into a belt." In the old days, work, as a rule, was of a collective nature (building a house, bridge, road, harvesting, mowing etc.), which introduced into it an element of competition, excitement . Component phraseol. shut up corresponds to the activity code of the culture, and the component belt- with real code. phraseol. as a whole acts as a stereotypical idea of ​​victory, superiority of someone. when performing teamwork, in competition. S. V. Kabakova

See more words in "

Phraseologism "plug in the belt" is intuitive to us.

But with its original meaning - rather plug.

Let's look at the meaning and origin, synonyms-antonyms, as well as sentences with phraseological units from the works of writers.

The meaning of phraseology

Plug in the belt - completely surpass someone

Phraseologisms-synonyms: wipe your nose, take away the palm, be a head taller, take over, knock out of the saddle, put on both shoulder blades

Phraseologisms-antonyms: not good for soles, he attacked the wrong one

AT foreign languages there are similar expressions. Among them:

• knock someone into a cocket hat (English)
• avoir (qn) dans sa poche (French)
• in die Tasche stecken (German)

The origin of phraseology

The origin of this expression is obscure. This is evidenced by the presence of several versions:

• The main version draws an analogy between plugging an opponent into the belt and plugging certain tools or things (axe, mittens, etc.) into the belt. At the same time, there are variations in the explanation of the logic of this analogy: he defeated his opponent with great superiority, it was as easy as plugging an ax into his belt; or - since something unnecessary was thrust into the belt at the current moment, then they treated the opponent unceremoniously, as with something unnecessary, getting in the way under their feet; or - since by plugging the object into the belt, possession of it, its subordination is affirmed, then the victory over the opponent (by plugging it into the belt) affirms his subordinate position in relation to the winner (plugged into the belt). An additional argument in favor of this version is the information that in the old days the belt replaced pockets on people's outerwear and generally played an important status role and served as a talisman against evil spirits and the evil eye. So, there are many variations, but none of them gives a completely convincing explanation of why victory is a gag.
• Another version appeals to the immediate situation of the struggle of two rivals, namely, the struggle "on the belts". The wrestler had to put his hands behind the opponent's belt, grab him tightly, and then try to throw him to the ground. In some publications, belt wrestling is called Russian folk wrestling, but this is where a serious question arises. According to Wikipedia, the first written mention of this struggle in Russia falls on the first half of the 19th century (memoirs of the Oryol landowner N. I. Tolubeev). Historically, this struggle is typical mainly for nomadic peoples (horsemen) and in Russia had wide use only among the Tatars and Bashkirs. In this regard, this version is unlikely to explain the initial appearance of this expression in Russia. In addition, in it, a direct connection between victory and plugging an opponent into the belt is not obvious. One can come across the hypothesis that the winner in the belt wrestling received some kind of prize, which he plugged into the belt, but, as far as I know, there is no actual confirmation of this.
• Finally, I will give an even less convincing version, stating that we are talking about the typical hunting habit of sticking prey in the belt. From here, they say, to plug into the belt, to win means to make prey, a trophy. To be honest, the version is basically doubtful. For example, imagine a hunter taking down a wild boar or an elk. Well, or at least - shot a dozen ducks. Somehow the belt is not very handy here.

It would seem that the presence of at least three versions of the emergence of phraseological units (by the way, about phraseological units) should lead to a feeling of some redundancy of possibilities. Nevertheless, some of their insufficiency is rather felt: none of the versions sufficiently corresponds to the intuitively understandable and, so to speak, direct meaning of the phraseological unit (to plug an opponent in the belt).

Examples from the works of writers

But the wife is not a mitten:
You can't shake off a white pen
Yes, you can’t shut your belt. (A.S. Pushkin, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan")

O! Yes, this one will eventually be a good colonel! - said old Taras. - Hey, there will be a good colonel, and even such that even the dad will shut up in his belt! (N.V. Gogol, "Taras Bulba")

She is a noble woman, a widow, with two children; a single brother lives with her: a head, not like this one that sits here in the corner, - he said, pointing to Alekseev, - they will shut us up by the belt (I.A. Goncharov, Oblomov)

It's healthy to bathe, well done Isai Fomich! the prisoners shout to him from below. Isai Fomich himself feels that at that moment he is above everyone else and plugged them all into his belt (F.M. Dostoevsky, Notes from the House of the Dead)

PLUG IN THE BELT

In this chapter, I would like to tell the reader how fascinating the search is in numismatics, or rather, with the help of numismatics, which often serves as the key to "secret doors". Downright detective stories make you think, worry, suffer in conjecture, look for reliable "evidence".

So, once a guess flashed: are the origins of this figurative expression in numismatics?

"Phraseological Dictionary" does not give the origin of this expression. The Dictionary of the Russian Language did not help either. A. Preobrazhensky is silent. M. Fasmer's dictionary gives an interpretation of two original words: "zatursut" and "zasatari". Both words are Terek, meaning - to hurt, shove; and Vasmer promptly adds, "Unclear." However, he gives a translation of the word "zatursuchit": from tursuk - waterskin, i.e. capacity. It's already something.

The thought worries, makes one look for evidence, forms versions ... One of them is this: what if the original expression "plug in the belt" meant to deceive, to gain the upper hand, say, in trade, or, as they used to say in the old days, to cheat?

And now the imagination is already drawing a picture of an oriental bazaar, such as, for example, the famous “son of sin and the defiler of Islam” saw in Bukhara, whose head was valued at three thousand fogs - Khoja Nasreddin ... Remember, he shouts: “The road! The road! ", hardly distinguishing his voice, for everyone is shouting - merchants, drovers, water carriers, barbers, wandering dervishes, beggars, bazaar tooth pullers ... Multi-colored robes, turbans, blankets, carpets, Chinese speech, Arabic, Hindu, Mongolian and many more all sorts of dialects - everything merged together, swayed, moved, buzzed ...

And now let's mentally move to the old bazaar somewhere on the banks of the Oka, along which eastern merchants delivered their goods to Russian lands. Of course, here the bazaar is not so loud, not so colorful, but still quite lively and discordant...

Here is an Eastern merchant trading with a Russian; How many exclamations, expressive gestures!

Ten tangas! - Finally, a guest from the East in a rich dressing gown, girded with a bright wide belt, points to the fingers.

Ten dengas? - the Russian trading man asks him again. - Uh, hands! - And he counts ten silver coins and gives them to the guest, who hides them in his belt... Stop!

Let's take L. Solovyov's "The Tale of Khoja Nasreddin" off the shelf:

"... From horror, the merchants lost their tongues. Two minutes later, the inspection ended. The guards lined up behind their boss. Their robes bristled and puffed out. The collection of duties for goods and for entering the city began. Khoja Nasreddin had no goods ...

Where did you come from and why? asked the assembler. The scribe dipped a quill pen into the inkwell and prepared to write down the answer.

I have come from Ispahan, O most illustrious lord. Here, in Bukhara, my relatives live.

Yes, said the builder. You are going to visit your relatives. So you have to pay the guest fee.

But I'm not going to visit my relatives, - Khoja Nasreddin objected. - I'm on important business.

On business! cried the assembler, and a gleam flashed in his eyes. - So, you are going to visit and at the same time on business! Pay the guest tax, business tax and donate to decorate mosques for the glory of Allah, who saved you from the robbers on the way.

“It would be better if he saved me now,” thought Khoja, but said nothing: he managed to calculate that in this conversation each word costs him more than ten tanga. He untied his belt and, under the predatory gaze of the guards, began counting the duty..."

Here! The guess is confirmed, although not scientifically. And why not believe the writer, who was born in Tripoli (now Lebanon) in the family of an inspector of Russian-Arab schools! He retained his interest in the East throughout his life. In 1920 his family moved to Kokand. The life of the Uzbek and Tajik peoples was the subject of his first stories, poems, essays ... Maxim Gorky became interested in the young writer and in his "Conversation with the Young" he recalled L. Solovyov's prose.

The writer with amazing skill "beats" money, with its help reveals the essence of people and does all this with subtle humor. Using fairy tales, folk jokes, including Russian folklore, he created an outstanding image of the commoner Khoja Nasreddin, equal to the image of Don Quixote, Pushkin's Balda, Gogol's blacksmith Vakula, Vasily Terkin, who became truly folk heroes.

The reader noticed that L. Solovyov mentioned two types of coins - fogs and tanga. What's this? Real coins of that time or the writer's fantasy? The answer is unequivocal: there were such coins, although, alas, there are no “mists” in numismatic dictionaries, and instead of “tanga” there are “tamgas” ... We will look into the collection “Numismatics and Epigraphy” (V. XI. - M., 1974). "Fog was a unit of account and was equal to 10 thousand silver dinars, or 60 thousand dirhems" (article by Seyfeddini M.A. Monetary system in Azerbaijan in the XIV century and the first half of the XV century).

In the book of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani "On the Wisdom of Fiction" (M., 1951), a medieval Georgian thinker, it is written: "Fog is a gold piece."

Plug it in the belt - "... this expression, like many seemingly simple sayings, had not one, but several possible explanations," E. Vartanyan wrote in his book "From the Life of Words" (M., 1960), - it is often are associated with the habit of many artisans, artisans, and even just peasants, to put an instrument that is unnecessary at the moment into their belts ... "The author says that in this case the expression means: to deal with someone in the same unceremoniously, in a businesslike manner, to deal with joking with someone. And he gives an example: in A. S. Pushkin's "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," Princess Swan says to Gvidon:

But the wife is not a mitten: You can’t shake off a white pen. Yes, you can’t shut your belt ...

E. Vartanyan Further writes: "... there is one more guess, maybe a closer one: many decisive methods of Russian folk wrestling were associated with" plugging (hands) in the belt" of the enemy; it is known that there is even a special kind of sport "wrestling on the belts."

Let us doubt, especially in the second part, since the fight with a belt grab goes back to the traditional oriental types of wrestling, in Russia, on the contrary, at the beginning of the fight they threw off their belts for freedom of movement - "unbelted".

So, if you look at the "thing" with interested eyes, you can see what others do not notice, and, in particular, remember that in Russia there were belt purses, which were called "cats", as they were made from the durable skin of cats. And in the East they said: best friend on the way - money behind the belt!

And one more proof: in the Bible, when Christ sends his disciples to preach the kingdom of heaven, he said to them: "Take no gold, no silver, no copper in your belts..."