The allegorical meaning of the proverb strike while the iron is hot. What is the meaning of the phrase "strike while the iron is hot"

Sprinkle ashes on your head

Sprinkle ashes on your head
From the Bible. Found in many places in the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.). Everywhere means ancient custom Jews sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning their misfortune or their loved ones. Thus, the Book of Esther (chapter 4, art. I) talks about how a certain man named Mordecai, having learned that King Artaxerxes had issued a decree on the extermination of all the Jews, “torn his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes ; and he went out into the middle of the city and cried out with a great and bitter cry...”
"Vretishe" translated from Old Slavonic language means “rags” and “old, shabby clothes.”
Queen Esther did the same, having learned about this news (Book of Esther, chapter 4, v. 17): “And Queen Esther ran to the Lord, overwhelmed with mortal grief, and, taking off the clothes of her glory, put on clothes of sorrow and lamentation, and, instead of valuable colors, she sprinkled ashes and dust on her head...”
Used: as an allegory for extreme grief, sadness or disappointment, to regret one’s wrong actions.
Analogue of another famous expression- “tearing out your hair.”

encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

See what “Sprinkle ashes on your head” is in other dictionaries:

sprinkle ashes on one's head- book. indulge in extreme grief on the occasion of any loss or disaster. The expression goes back to the Bible, which describes the custom of Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads during mourning or about some misfortune. This custom was... Phraseology Guide

See Sprinkle ashes on your head (HEAD) ...

Sprinkle ashes on your head- SPREAD YOUR HEAD (HEAD) WITH ASH. SPREAD YOUR HEAD (HEAD) WITH ASH. Book Indulge in deep grief (usually over a bereavement). And the people are dying! Is it really possible to live like this? We discuss the situation of the people, and scourge, scourge ourselves endlessly, sprinkle... ... Phrasebook Russian literary language

Book 1. Indulge in grief over misfortune, bereavement. 2. Repentantly admitting your guilt and mistakes, promising to improve. FSRY, 347. /i> Goes back to the Bible. BMS 1998, 110 ... Big dictionary Russian sayings

The expression originated from the Bible, which talks about the ancient custom of Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning the misfortune of themselves or loved ones (Job, 2, 12; Esther, 4, 1). Used in the meaning: to deeply grieve over some... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

Sprinkle ashes on the head- wing. sl. The expression originated from the Bible, which talks about the ancient custom of Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning the misfortune of themselves or loved ones (Job, 2, 12; Esther, 4, 1). Used to mean: deeply grieve over... ... Universal additional practical Dictionary I. Mostitsky

Sprinkle ashes on the head (foreign language) as a sign of sadness, sorrow (mourn). Wed. To make my present confession complete, that is, to once again sprinkle ashes on my whitened head, I must repent of three more... hobbies... N. Makarov. Confession. 2,… … Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

sprinkle ashes on the head- Sprinkle pe/plom chapter (head), book. Indulge in extreme grief, sadness on the occasion of some event. loss, disaster, etc. (originally: a Hebrew rite symbolizing general mourning) ... Dictionary of many expressions

1) sprinkle with ivy, bald spots; owls 1. transfer (what and what). Pour in a little something. Sparrows immediately appeared: they sprinkled cereals on the boat; they ate and flew away. I. Goncharov, Frigate “Pallada” [Pavel] carefully sprinkled salt on a piece of bread. M.... ... Small academic dictionary

- (foreign) a sign of sadness, grief (mourn) Wed. To make my present confession complete, i.e. Having once again sprinkled ashes on my whitened head, I must repent of three more... hobbies... N. Makarov. Confession. 2, 4. Wed. I sprinkled ashes on the head, From... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

This article will talk about the expression that each of us had to listen to: “sprinkle ashes on your head.” What does this expression mean and where did this expression come to us, the meaning of which is so deep and ambiguous that it will not leave any person indifferent?

As they say, a person can turn gray in one night, so the ashes in the hair on the head symbolize seal and sorrow. This is repentance and taking all the torment on your shoulders.

History of origin

Sprinkling ashes on their heads was customary in ancient times among representatives Jewish nationality. Moreover, the described action can be found in the Bible. The book of Esther tells about Mordecai, who, as a sign of grief and despair from the grief that overtook him, sprinkled ashes on his head when he learned about the death of the Jewish people, slaughtered by order of King Artaxerxes.

In ancient times, the Jewish people had the following custom: as a sign of grief in connection with the death of relatives and friends, they sprinkled earth or ashes on their heads. On the day of the funeral or at the moment of receiving terrible news, it was customary to express one’s feelings violently: scream loudly, cry. Perhaps the feeling of guilt consumes a person who has suffered a loss, so sprinkling ashes on the head was regarded as a final “I’m sorry.” Reluctance to part with family and friends who are leaving for damp earth, looked like a ritual of possible connection with the deceased.

Meaning

To sprinkle ashes on one's head is in other words: to grieve, to grieve, to cry loudly about death loved one, the loss of which causes two strong emotions that act alternately, in waves: sadness and grief. Grief spills out violently, it protests, rebels against the loss, demands to return everything to normal, and sadness is a feeling of humility and awareness of the grief that has overtaken. Sadness is passive, it holds a person captive for a long time, grief is like a wave hitting a rock with incredible strength, which immediately releases its prey, but completely deprives it of self-control.

The meaning of the expression “to sprinkle ashes on one’s head” is similar to the feeling of sadness. It is possible to survive this difficult period only in the presence of those people who together are able to share the bitterness of loss. The meaning of this sad event becomes deep and significant if you tell other people about it and see their reaction to what happened. The interpretation of the meaning of “sprinkling ashes on one’s head” can be extremely important; it is like a signal that a person is reacting “normally, and most importantly, correctly” to grief. What should cause anxiety is not crying and tears, but the absence of them, which indicates a lack of awareness of the fact of the loss of a loved one, which can lead to further psychological problems.

Today's day

Currently, it is not customary to vigorously or openly express your emotions about the loss of a loved one. It seems inappropriate for us to do as our ancestors did: tearing our clothes or sprinkling ashes on our heads. What people haven’t come up with, what they haven’t invented! But no one will give clear instructions on how to survive grief, what to do, what to do? As they say: life goes on and cannot be stopped, the sun rises, children are born, young people laugh. A feeling of humility and repentance take over the soul.

It is worth mentioning that the expression this kind Although it is used in a colloquial form, its semantic meaning is distorted in comparison with ancient times. When they say “sprinkle ashes on your head,” they may mean that a person takes on a deliberately unhappy appearance, puts his grief on display as one of the options in order to pity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to summarize what has been said, I would like to note that a person’s life consists of ups and downs, happiness and grief, losses and gains. Experiencing difficult times in life, people have learned to convey in a few words the abyss of grief that everyone living on Earth will have to experience at least once in their life. No one will be able to alleviate this feeling, but it is worth knowing that suffering for a deceased loved one is a process of acceptance and awareness.

As is known, some stable phrases contain information about various folk traditions that were performed or are being performed to this day. These include the expression “sprinkling ashes on your head.” In this article we will look at what it means, how it appeared, where, when and why it is used in speech and whether it is possible to find synonymous phrases for it.

“Sprinkle ashes on your head”: the meaning of phraseology

The interpretation of the expression is to grieve greatly because of a misfortune that has happened, the loss of something valuable. This is what it means to “sprinkle ashes on your head.” This expression conveys deep sorrow at loss or misfortune. For example, if some great grief has occurred, be it the death of a loved one or another major loss.

It shouldn't be taken literally. To understand their meaning, it is necessary to consider the etymology of the phrase. With its help, the expression acquires meaning and becomes understandable.

The history of the origin of this phraseological unit

To find out where this stable phrase came from in our speech, you need to open the Bible. In it we will learn about unusual tradition Jews, which they committed upon the death or other great misfortune of their loved ones, as well as upon own troubles. At such moments, they sprinkled ashes or earth on their heads. Such a ritual showed their grief and despair. It was iconic and contained deep meaning.

Now, after familiarizing ourselves with the etymology of the expression “sprinkle ashes on your head,” the meaning of the phraseological unit seems to us quite clear and explainable.

Synonyms of a set phrase

The phraseological unit we are considering can be replaced with various verbs and expressions. For example, use the following words and combinations instead: grieve, grieve, yearn, become despondent. Or you can replace it with another stable expression: “tear your clothes.” Its meaning is the same as the phrase “sprinkle ashes on your head.” The meaning of the phraseological unit also expresses the extreme degree of despair and sorrow. Moreover, its origin is also connected with folk tradition. Only it no longer belongs to the Jews, but to the ancient Greeks and Slavs. It was also borrowed by some other nations. As a sign of grief, they tore their clothes.

Oddly enough, such an archaic tradition is still observed by some peoples. It is also worth noting that they tore not only clothes, but also hair. It expressed complete despair. It is no coincidence that there is such an expression as “pulling your hair out.” It is also a synonymous phraseological unit for the phrase we are considering.

Use of expression

Hardly in modern times colloquial speech we can hear the phrase “sprinkle ashes on your head.” The meaning of a phraseological unit, even if it is known to someone, few will dare to use such a phrase. It can embellish their speech and can just as easily put the other person in an awkward position. Rather, this phraseological unit should be used in the media and fiction.

Journalists and writers love to insert various stable phrases into their works. In this way they enliven their works, making the language brighter and the descriptions deeper. As an example, we can cite an excerpt from the story by writer Yuri Nagibin “Rise and Go.” “And the fact that after my father’s arrest I was deprived of my Sunday ruble was more of a ritual gesture, like sprinkling ashes on the head, than a necessity.” As we see, the writer used the expression we are considering in his story. In this way, he was able to show readers that the gesture was ritual, that is, although it was not justified, it was obligatory, like the tradition of sprinkling ashes on the head, like the ancient Jews.

Conclusion

Having examined this expression, we learned its meaning, history of origin, selected synonyms for it and found out the scope of its application.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

Ash Wednesday for Catholics

Many people know that at the end of Maslenitsa, fasting begins, which continues until Easter. Christians of both directions (Catholics and Orthodox) adhere to it until the day of the Resurrection of Christ. However, Catholics and Orthodox fast starts at different days and has its own name.

Thomas Eliot's work, written in verse in 1930, is dedicated to this day. To understand what exactly Eliot described as Ash Wednesday, it is important to know the essence of the day itself.

The meaning of the holiday

For Catholics, Lent begins on Wednesday. We’ll find out why this happens a little later, but first let’s look at why Ash Wednesday is called that. At the beginning of Lent, the priest in the church places a cross on the forehead of the parishioners with blessed ashes. This reminds people that their bodies are but dust. The priest carries out the procedure with the words: “Remember, O man, that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

The ash used is not simple, it must be from palm branches that have been preserved from the last holiday of Palm Sunday (the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem). In European countries, willow branches are used. People often call them cats. Many parishioners believe that blessed ashes contribute to a good harvest.

There are other names for this day:

• Bad environment.
• Black Wednesday.
• Adam's day.
• Crooked environment.
• Crazy Wednesday.

All of these names refer to the same day and begin a fast that is supposed to last 46 days.

Story

The custom itself initially involved sprinkling ashes on the head, but over time it changed in some countries. It has an ancient biblical origin. Even in the Old Testament, such an action meant repentance and humility of a person.

It is already known that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. This tradition arose in the 4th century. Moreover, at first its duration was 40 days, and by the 8th century it was decided to add a few more days. From that time on, fasting began on Wednesday.

Easter does not have a set date, which is repeated year after year. It is celebrated every year on different time, which is why Ash Wednesday starts differently. For example, in 2015 it was held on February 18.

Why does Adam's day begin 46 days before Easter?

The answer lies in the fact that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and it lasts 40 days, that is, 6 weeks. But Catholics do not adhere to it on Sundays, so these days fall out. That's why they start it earlier, that is, on Wednesday, and not on Monday.

For the Orthodox, fasting is continuous and lasts for 40 days in a row. Therefore, it begins on Monday, which is called Clean.

Interestingly, Catholics call the last day before Lent Fat Tuesday. The Orthodox know it as Forgiveness Sunday.

Mad Wednesday days until 2020

The dates presented are calculated using an algorithm developed by the Catholic denomination. IN next years Ash Wednesday for Catholics will be held:

• 2016 – February 10;
• 2017 – March 1;
• 2018 – February 14;
• 2019 – March 6;
• 2020 – February 26.

Ash Wednesday in Slavic traditions

It is always very difficult for ordinary people to resist any prohibitions, so not everyone can adhere to fasting. If today priests talk more about the spiritual side, and not about abstaining from food, then in the last century it was about strict adherence to Christian dogmas.

In European countries these days it was customary to wear dark clothes, it was allowed to eat only a certain list of foods and drinking alcohol was not allowed. However, the last point was quite severe for the male half of the population, so many found an excuse for their weaknesses. In general, Ash Wednesday is the same for Catholics everywhere, although some countries have their own rituals.

For example, in the Czech Republic, after serving on Crooked Wednesday, men believed that a glass of alcohol drunk on this day would save them from mosquito bites and other insects in the summer. In some areas they even said: “Wash down the ashes.”

Because Ash Wednesday divided people's lives between celebrations and prolonged abstinence, it was treated in a special way. Thus, it was believed that threads should not be spun on this day. Failure to comply with the ban can lead to a poor harvest of flax and hemp, and misfortune will fall on the one who gets such clothes.

In Slovakia, you cannot place eggs under hens at this time, so that they do not hatch crookedly. Women also cooked long noodles to make tall ears of corn, and baked large pies to make pigs grow fat.

In Poland there was a tradition according to which on this day a person could steal something from the owner of the house, and then sell it back to the owner in the tavern.

Traditions with soot

In addition to sprinkling and anointing with ashes in the church, the Slavs performed their own rituals. So, in Slovakia, guys tried to anoint young girls with soot, women also anointed themselves with it. The Poles hung a sieve with ashes over the entrance to the house so that everyone entering the house would be showered with it.

Many Catholic Slavs collected meat ashes from the oven to sprinkle them on seeds, homes, and fields. This was supposed to protect against fires, pests, and natural disasters.

Ash Wednesday, photos of the celebration of which are presented in the article, has many traditions that complement it. Most often, people came up with them on their own, so in different countries and even areas they may differ.

Reasons for Easter discrepancies between Catholics and Orthodox Christians

It just so happens that the celebration of Christian Easter among Orthodox and Catholics does not coincide. This did not happen because of a split and not on purpose. The fact is that the celebration is calculated by studying the phase of the moon. More specifically, this should be on the 14th day of the phase after the day spring equinox. Many ancient countries had their own calculation for this day, so Gaul, Italy, and Egypt had their own Easter date back in the 4th century.

Another contradiction was the calendar split that occurred in the 16th century. Was introduced Gregorian calendar, and the world was divided into those who lived according to the New and Old styles. Orthodox Church left in rituals Julian calendar, so all holidays continue to be celebrated according to the Old Style.

Most often, the difference between Easters is from one to five weeks. But it can't be two or three weeks. All these calculations are carried out using a special algorithm. Moreover, once every few years, Easter may coincide for both faiths. For example, this was the case in 2014. The next match will be in 2017. The main condition is that the Christian Easter does not coincide with the Jewish one.

What does the expression “Sprinkle ashes on your head” mean and where did it come from?

SPREAD ASHES ON YOUR HEAD
When you are overwhelmed by grief or despair, you, like everyone around you, begin to cry, “wring your hands,” and sigh heavily. Sometimes it comes to loud sobs... It happens that a person falls into complete stupor.
Ancient people expressed their grief much more violently. According to ritual custom, deeply grieving over misfortune, it was customary to tear one’s clothes, tear out one’s hair, and sprinkle earth or ashes on one’s head.
Here, for example, is how Homer describes in the Iliad the grief that gripped Achilles (or Achilles) when he died in battle best friend Patroclus:



They themselves, the great one, covered the great space in dust,


Language has preserved for us, in our everyday life, traces of the time when our ancestors behaved in grief, like Achilles. We say “spread ashes on our heads,” “tear out our hair,” “tear our clothes” (or “robes”) when we want to express an extreme degree of grief or despair.

Jancha

Sprinkle ashes on your head
From the Bible. Found in many places in the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.) Everywhere refers to the ancient custom of the Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning their misfortune or their loved ones. Thus, the Book of Esther (chapter 4, verse 1) talks about how a certain man named Mordecai, having learned that King Artaxerxes had issued a decree on the extermination of all the Jews, “torn his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and he went out into the middle of the city and cried out with a great and bitter cry..."
"Sackcloth" translated from the Old Church Slavonic language means "rags" and "old, shabby clothes."

Eduard Yagant

This expression came from the Jews as a sign of repentance and sadness. They are still
have been eating bread and eggs sprinkled with ashes on July 9th, the anniversary of the
destruction of ancient JERUSALEM.
Remember the self-immolation of the Phoenix bird - the bird of immortality, longevity
Tia. It is not without reason that, in the beliefs of the peoples of the world, it feeds on DEW. Russia
Now this path of ashes and rebirth is just passing, so that sooner
dawn came to Rus' and the Russians began to think, to live dewy, clean,
which will later lead everyone to real immortality. No wonder the current
R.F.'s coat of arms contains a Mutant eagle with hints of processes "X", time "X"!
Whoever does not burn his dirt will not see longevity like his ears.

Where did the expression “sprinkle ashes on your head” come from? And what does it mean?

♑❇ Lɐǝɹ ʌ ɐvmʎ ❇♑

Expression value:
to be in despair, sadness, great sorrow or regret for one's wrong actions

Ancient people expressed their grief very violently. According to ritual custom, deeply grieving over misfortune, it was customary to tear one’s clothes, tear out one’s hair, and sprinkle earth or ashes on one’s head.

Here, for example, is how Homer describes in the Iliad the grief that gripped Achilles (or Achilles) when his best friend Patroclus died in battle:

He quickly grabbed the unclean ashes in both hands,
He showered it all over his head and desecrated his beautiful face;
His fragrant robe was all blackened under the ashes.
He himself, the great one, having covered the great space, in dust,
Silently he prostrated himself and tore out his hair, hideously tormenting...

From the Bible. Found in many places in the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.). Everywhere we refer to the ancient custom of Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning their misfortune or that of their loved ones. Thus, the Book of Esther (chapter 4, art. I) talks about how a certain man named Mordecai, having learned that King Artaxerxes had issued a decree on the extermination of all the Jews, “torn his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes ; and he went out into the middle of the city and cried out with a great and bitter cry...” Queen Esther did the same, having learned about this news (Book of Esther, chapter 4, v. 17): “And Queen Esther ran to the Lord, overwhelmed with mortal grief, and, taking off the clothes of her glory, put on clothes of sorrow and lamentation, and, instead of valuable colors, she sprinkled ashes and dust on her head..."

All these strange, from our point of view, actions were (and still remain among some peoples of the South and East) a natural expression of their grief and extreme despair.

Language has preserved for us, in our everyday life, traces of the time when our ancestors behaved in grief, like Achilles. We say “spread ashes on our heads,” “tear out our hair,” “tear our clothes” (or “robes”) when we want to express an extreme degree of grief or despair.

Wiktionary
http://www.otrezal.ru/catch-words/356.html

Neznaika

From the Bible. Found in many places in the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.). Everywhere we refer to the ancient custom of Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning their misfortune or that of their loved ones.

Strike while the iron is hot- Russian proverb meaning: You need to act when circumstances favor it.

The proverb arose from the life of blacksmiths - when exposed to heat, metal becomes softer. Therefore, the metal was heated with blacksmith bellows, and forged until it began to harden.

The expression also applies in English language- strike while the iron is hot. It is indicated in American dictionary American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer, 1992, which notes that the expression has been used in English since the late 14th century.

Examples

(1891-1940)

"The Life of Monsieur de Molière"- "- Fickle the mighty of the world this! - Moliere said to Madeleine. - And I would give advice to all comedians. If you find yourself in mercy, immediately grab everything you are entitled to. Don't waste time strike while the iron is hot. And go away yourself, don’t wait until they kick you out!”

(1749 - 1832)

"Faust" (translation by B. Pasternak)

"War is not your shoulder to work with,
Do not confuse questions from strangers with her.
And if there is an opportunity, seize the moment,
Strike while the iron is hot,"

(1897-1937) and (1903-1942)

" " (1927), part 2 ch. 25: "For concessionaires, the time of suffering. Ostap claimed that chairs need to be forged while they are hot."

" " (1931), part 2 ch. 16: "The accountant, seeing that the iron is hot, I began to forge it. He pushed the good doctor and let out a long scream, which alarmed all the patients, especially the little idiot, who sat down on the floor..."

(1823 - 1886)

“Your own dogs are fighting, don’t bother someone else’s”: - Young Balzaminov is looking for a rich bride. The young widow sent him a letter inviting him to meet. The matchmaker (Krasavina) tells him: “strike while the iron is hot,” urging him to meet as quickly as possible.

(1738—1833)

“The life and adventures of Andrei Bolotov, described by himself for his descendants,” 1771:

About the King of Prussia - “He did not have time to reach Prague and unite with all his separate corps, no matter how much hesitation and despite all the advantageous location occupied by the Caesars and their very trenches and batteries with which they were surrounded, he decided to attack them, telling his generals, who advised against it, what is necessary strike while the iron is hot."

“Here at the general’s place we have nothing more to do. The piece has already been cut off and will not stick, and so we need to hurry and try, while the idea about us has not yet been written, and how to write it for anyone else, as I need, then I will try already Meanwhile, how long can they hesitate? Go, go, and there’s no point in delaying, gentlemen! strike while the iron is hot. Look for benefactors and patrons and come to me again tomorrow and much earlier."