According to Senka and the hat, the origin of the phraseological unit. The meaning of the proverb “It’s not Senka’s hat,” or the Rules of worldly wisdom

According to tradition, men in Rus', when entering a church, took off their hats and folded them at the entrance, and at the end of the service they took them back. The one who was late had already arrived to the preliminary analysis, and since then this expression has been fixed in the meaning of “arriving somewhere too late, when everything is already over.” And the expression "nodding acquaintance", meaning a superficial and cursory acquaintance with someone, is also associated with the old custom. When acquaintances or friends met, they raised their hats in greeting, and only friends shook hands.

The custom of covering hair came to us from ancient times. It was then that the idea was born that hair is a repository of magical life force.
In Rus', a hat, more than any other item of clothing, testified to a person’s belonging to one class or another. Perhaps the saying appeared in those days “After Senka and the hat”. Famous proverb“According to Senka and a hat” was first recorded in Russian writing back in the 17th century. Senka, from the proverb, had a wide selection of hats, but his property resources allowed him to wear a felt cap and a sheepskin hat. The boyar dressed richer: in winter he wore a sable hat with a warm cap under it, in summer he wore a feather hat, and at home he rested in an elegantly embroidered slipper.

Word a cap arose in Russian from the French borrowing shap, igap, although it has been suggested that Turkic origin this word. In the texts of the 17th century. along with the common cap, they also used shapa, shapa, which can be considered historically the original for cap (shap + k + a with the original diminutive meaning, which soon disappears): “The Novgorodian Anufrey Artemyev revealed the son of 110 shapa muskie”; “Mikhail didn’t give me his hat and he’s here with me, so I’ll give you your hat.” These examples are taken from historical sources XVII century
All Russians men's hats divided into several types. “Ordinary citizens have hats made of white felt in summer, and in winter they are made of cloth, lined with fur,” noted Olearius. These hats were called kolpak, although the name itself appeared only in the 17th century; before that, the hats were felted and were called felt boots.

The nobility of the boyar family in old Rus' could be easily determined by the height of their fur “gorlatny” (they were called gorlatny because the fur for them was taken from the throat of a killed animal) hats. The more noble and dignified the nobleman was, the higher such a hat rose above his head. The common people did not have the right (or even the means) to wear these luxurious hats made of marten, beaver or sable fur. This is where the proverbs were born: “According to Senka and the hat” or “According to Erem and the cap”, that is: to each honor according to his deserts.

The wealth of a particular citizen, his authority in society, and nobility could be recognized by the height of his hat.
Simple people We never dreamed of such caps; at that time, simpler hats existed for the lumpen. They looked like modern earflaps, made of felt or woven from fabric, with a flat or round crown. In addition, fur products were deservedly popular. For example, hare's three-pieces with a large, rigid fur visor and with a downward or turning away back part.

“Our ancestors loved high caps made of beaver, sable or marten fur. The more aristocratic and noble the boyar’s ancestors were, the higher his cap was.” ("Essay on morals and home life Great Russian people in the 16th and 17th centuries" N. Kostomarov)

Analogues of the saying “a hat after Senka” in English

"To fit like a glove" - means "fits like a glove"

"The cobbler should stick to his last", which can be translated as "the shoemaker needs to hold on to his sole"

“It’s not Senka’s hat” synonyms of the proverb

May God give honor to the one who knows how to demolish it;

According to Erema and the cap;

You don’t take it according to rank;

According to the slave and the master;

According to merit and honor;

To each his own;

Wealth cannot buy intelligence.

Use of the expression in literature

“The captain’s building was located on a hill... disgusting desolation could be seen everywhere - the mezzanine had no glass, the columns were leaning, the roof was almost rotten. “It’s like Senka’s hat,” said Lekandra, climbing the cracked steps of the broken porch.” (“We all eat bread” by D. Mamin-Sibiryak)

“I feel that you and I are rivals Eulalia Andrevna. I want to tell you to give me Artemy Vasilich. After all, I know that only people who feel deeply will suit you surrounding life, and it will suit me just like that. According to Senka and the hat" ("Slaves" by A. Ostrovsky)

“Klavka argued with a smile, easily greatly alarming the old people... - That’s who you are, Aunt Daria. You yourself can barely breathe and choose life according to yourself. However, Senka’s hat is the same.” (“Farewell to Matera” by V. Rasputin)

“Oh my God! Ryleev was strangled, Lermonotov was killed, Pisarev was drowned, Pushkin was killed... Do you think the government is to blame for this? But after all, after Senka, the cap is like the master, and the slave is the master.” ("Village" by I. Bunin)

In Rus', boyars wore high hats made of marten, sable or beaver fur; The more noble and ancient the boyar family was considered, the higher the hat was. (N. Kostomarov “Essay on the home life and morals of the Great Russian people in the 16th and 17th centuries”)

English analogues of the phraseological unit “Hat for Senka”

• The cobbler should stick to his last - the shoemaker should hold on to his last
• The higher the ape goes, the more he shows his tail - the higher the monkey climbs, the more visible its tail
• To fit like a glove - fits like a glove

Synonyms of the saying “It’s not Senka’s hat”

• You're not taking it according to rank
• Wealth cannot buy intelligence
• According to Erema and the cap
• To each his own
• May God give honor to the one who knows how to take it down
• According to merit and honor
• They honored Savva neither in honor nor in glory
• By slave and master

Use of the phrase in literature

- “Good God! Pushkin was killed, Lermontov was killed, Pisarev was drowned, Ryleev was strangled... Would you say that the government is to blame? But after all, a master is like a slave, and a hat is like Senka" ( I. Bunin “Village”)
- “Klavka, having excited the old people, began to argue easily, with a smile: “Aunt Daria, that’s who you are.” Breathe on your own and choose to live your own life. Senka's hat" ( V. Rasputin “Farewell to Matera”)
- “Eulalia Andrevna, I see that we are rivals. Listen, give me Artemy Vasilich without a doubt. You need ideal people, with sublime feelings, and that’s what he’s like for me, this one suits me too. According to Senka and the hat" ( A. Ostrovsky “Slaves”)
- “The captain’s house stood on a hill... the abomination of desolation was visible everywhere: the columns were askew, the roof was rotten, the mezzanine stood with broken glass. “It’s like Senka,” said Lekandra, climbing the shaky steps of the collapsed porch” ( D. Mamin-Sibiryak “We all eat bread”).
- “And after a few minutes I became convinced that now that she was gone, the need to think about her had lost its urgency..- In the end, her death was not so mysterious, something... something like that had to happen. According to Senka - a hat" ( M. Gorky “The Life of Klim Samgin”)

According to Senka and the hat(meaning) - worthy not Furthermore what it has, deserves just that (Explanatory Dictionary, 1935-1940)

IN modern language“It’s not Senka’s hat” is also used, meaning it’s too difficult a task for anyone.

In the old days, the nobility of the boyar family could be easily determined by the height of the fur “gorlat” hats. The higher the “throated” hat (made from soft, expensive fur from the throat of a killed animal: marten, sable, beaver), the more noble the family. Ordinary people did not wear such hats because of the high cost.

The proverb “For Senka and the hat” was first recorded in the Russian language in the 17th century. The peasants wore a felt cap and a sheepskin hat. The boyars wore a sable hat in winter, with a warm cap underneath, and a feather hat in summer.

“What you go for is what you will find,” 1, 4: “Mama, it’s not a good idea! The rich will marry the rich, the poor will marry the poor. If I were a king, I would pass such a law that the rich would marry the poor, and the poor - on the rich. (Until such a law comes from you) everything will be according to the old Russian institution: a hat after Senka, a caftan after Eremka."

Letter to A.S. SUVORIN March 11, 1889 Moscow - “I only need your card; my cards are not needed by me, but by those people who pretend that they really, really need my card. After all, I also have admirers! There is no Senka for whom it would be impossible to choose a hat."

“Modern idyll” (1877) - Prudentov argues:
"-About folk wisdom“You can say so,” he objected, “it is useful for the rabble, but for high-ranking officials it can hardly serve as a guide.” Our oral tradition is still the same: as many as you like! - so after all, this legend is already listed where it should be, as material. As for sayings, sometimes they are not at all suitable for our business. Let's take, for example, the following. The people say: according to Senka - hat, but according to the circumstances of the case, it turns out that this saying, on the contrary, must be understood.
- Why is that so?
- Because because, sir. The bosses are the reason! That’s a lot of sentiments, sir, so if everyone requires a special hat for themselves... And here we have this custom: to reduce correspondence, everyone should have one measure! So we're bringing it in, sir. And this is correct, I’ll tell you, because the people are stupid, sir.”

"Signs of the Times" 4: "Where has a beautiful proverb been seen" by Senka hat"Was it applied the other way around? Where can you find an example of first arranging a hat, and then fitting Senka into it? Fooling Senka by the hat is contrary even to all the rules of philanthropy."

"Contemporaries", 2. Heroes of time:

Borrowed money everywhere

And, “attach” them in a hurry,

He's looking for Senka's hat...

This expression According to Senka, a hat means that what you deserve is what you got, and you shouldn’t hope for more.

And this expression was invented back in the days of the Russian boyars, who wore beautiful fur hats. By these hats one could determine how rich and noble he was. But the common people could not afford to wear such hats.

This expression has been known since pre-Petrine times. In the Boyar Duma, everyone was very proud of their origin and nobility. One of external signs Such nobility was the height of the boyar’s hat; the higher and richer the hat was, the more noble the family.

According to Senka, a hat means something corresponds to something. Senka is an abstract, allegorical image. My grandmother always said: There is always a hat for Senka when it comes to the fact that someone cannot get married due to some kind of shortcoming. That is, sooner or later this person will find a suitable match anyway.

I think that the expression according to Senka's hat means that a person is on his well-deserved revenge. That is, when a person is poor and lazy, then his hat is appropriate, and vice versa, when a person is rich and hardworking, then the hat is good.

A popular expression according to Senka and a hat means that life presents to each person what he deserved or earned, thanks to his work or position in society. This expression dates back to the times of the Russian boyars. It was customary for them to wear high hats, and the higher and more expensive the hat, the richer the boyar. In turn, ordinary people could not wear such a headdress.

The expression means that everyone receives honor according to their merits.

And merit - this, especially in the past, was a noble origin, first of all. And the height of this origin could be determined precisely by the headdress - the hat, by its height. The more dignified, noble, and representative the nobleman was, the higher his headdress was.

These hats were called gorlatny, from the word throat. They were made from sable, beaver, marten, the fur was taken from the throat, so they were throaty.

The common people could not afford such chic, they had neither the necessary funds nor the right to do so, it was not tailored for Senka, he was not worthy to wear it.

By the way, SenKi, ManKi, VanKi, PetKi were from the people, from the nobles there were Semyon, Ivan, Ptra and Marya, by the name one could also determine the position of its bearer on the hierarchical ladder.

Everybody knows popular expression The hat is not according to Senka, it means that the person occupies a position that is beyond his strength.

In old Rus', the nobility of the boyar family was determined by height fur hats that they wore. The more noble the nobleman was, the higher the hat was, sewn with sable, marten, and beaver fur.

The common man not only did not have the means to buy such a hat, but also did not have the right to wear them. Thanks to this circumstance, such proverbs as According to Senka and the hat And By Erma and cap, which confirmed that everyone deserves honor.

The expression was rightly noticed by the people and became a proverb: According to Senka and the hat.... It is appropriate to use it when you mean the state of things and people in 100% corresponding places. That is, for example, if someone was put in his place, and before that the situation was different: a MGIMO graduate became an attaché at the embassy, ​​and a poor student from school became a thief or a drunk. But there was a time when both were equal.

This saying used to be - Senka’s hat is not made for him. Ren-ka, man-ka was the name of the common people. And there were noble ones - Semn, Marya. Nobles wore hats made of expensive furs, but commoners could not afford them. Then it migrated to - According to Senka and the hat, that is, everyone deserves something.

This saying was born before the revolution. Then the boyars wore gorlat hats.

They looked like this:

Commoners were forbidden to wear such a headdress. The more significant the boyar was, the higher his hat was and the more expensive the fur from which it was made.

This is where this statement comes from.

Now the meaning of this phrase is that all people and phenomena are different, each has its own level and magnitude, therefore different approaches are required. For example, when hunting for some small animal, they take a small mongrel with them, and when hunting for a wolf, they take a wolfhound with them. According to Senka and the hat. In this example, Senka is a wolf, and the wolfhound is a hat.