What is the meaning of the phrase “strike while the iron is hot?” The meaning of “strike while the iron is hot” and examples of use. The figurative meaning of the proverb strike while the iron is hot.
Strike while the iron is hot. Everything truly new is invented only in youth. Albert Einstein Despite all the disappointments that accompanied the beginning of his scientific career, Einstein did not give up or retreat in his most important battle - the fight for answers to questions.
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October 27, 2016Life is a stream of constantly slipping opportunities. That’s why it’s so important to understand the essence of the saying (its meaning) “strike while the iron is hot,” because it will help you understand what life is, but first let’s look at history.
Origin
The saying was born among blacksmiths. We don’t know how it is now, but previously artisans worked only with water and fire. The product was obtained due to the temperature difference. Iron could be shaped into any shape when it was hot. The problem was that the iron hardened quickly, so it was necessary to work deftly. Knowing the history of its origin, it is not difficult to understand the saying and its meaning (“strike while the iron is hot” is meant): a person should not hesitate or doubt when he sees that the situation is developing in the most favorable way for him. In modern language, you need to seize the moment before the red-hot steel of life becomes dull everyday life.
As always, the semantic content of proverbs and sayings is best learned through specific examples. Let's move on to them.
Boy and girl
Let's say there is a good guy Vanya who likes a girl Katya. He's too shy to talk to her. And she is too beautiful to wait for him to make up his mind. And now a great opportunity is presented for the boy to overcome his fear - an evening of dancing. Let's also imagine that Katya likes the slightly boring and smart guy Vanya, so at a dance evening she props up the wall and waits for the young man to invite her. The further development of events depends only on Vanya. Life provides him with an excellent opportunity to get the most wonderful girl in the world, the main thing is not to hesitate, not to doubt. If the hero knew the meaning of the saying “strike while the iron is hot,” then he would have helped him make up his mind. True, only if he came to the dance party, Vanya could study, read and forget, without assuming that his fate was being decided very close by, and it would be good for the young man to take a direct part in this. We are not worried about Katya, she will be happy one way or another. But fate does not favor boring “smart guys”.
The film, beloved by more than one generation of viewers, offers us our own version of the saying. It is noteworthy that its authors are bandits whose life does not imply relaxation even for a minute. Some may think that such a life is too tiring and nervous, but it all depends on temperament. Okay, enough preamble. The modification is as follows: “strike iron without leaving the cash register.” By the way, the popularity of the film has misled people: some people think that this is the original form of the saying. Although we know not only the true form, but also the meaning of the saying “strike while the iron is hot.”
When Semyon Semenovich Gorbunkov is running away from the bandits, he meets a driver in a Muscovite, he stops, asks what happened, Yuri Nikulin’s hero reports: “A matter of national importance, perhaps a pursuit!” The owner of the Muscovite says that he will take him, Gorbunkov asks him to hurry up, desperately shouts: “What are you talking about, time!”, and the unexpected savior answers him with a ready-made aphorism: “Time is money, as they say, when you see money, don’t waste time. Strike iron without leaving the cash register.” Witty filmmakers merged the proverb in question and the Soviet phrase that adorned all the country's retail outlets: “Count your money without leaving the cash register” or “Count your change without leaving your cash register.” At one time, the same wording adorned Russian markets and distribution centers for products and things, but when the popularity of plastic cards began to grow, everyone forgot about it. When a person does not pay in cash, change is not an urgent problem for him; the latter simply does not exist. Everything is taken into account.
It must be said that the proverb and its original meaning (“strike while the iron is hot” we are still considering) have not suffered. In the Soviet humorous interpretation, it means the same thing: you should not miss opportunities, especially when they concern money. There is a saying that money is no joke.
The proverb is useful not only for blacksmiths and bandits
The reader thinks: “Well, this doesn’t concern me. There is nothing interesting in my life. Work-home, vacation at sea in the summer, and that’s it. That’s the game plan for the next thirty years.” As Arnold Schwarzenegger said in one of his films: “Thinking like that is a big mistake!”
In fact, the cozy everyday life that a person painstakingly builds is embedded with its roots in a bustling life, and it only seems to him that nothing is changing, but it also takes a lot of effort to maintain stability. People follow the semantic content of the proverb every hour. The proverb “strike while the iron is hot” can be a good choice for the motto of our life. Man these days tends to constantly look for new opportunities. And not because he wants to do it, but because if you don’t do it, you will lose what you have, just like in “Alice in Wonderland: “You have to run very fast in order to stay in place all the time.” Who would have thought that the book would become not only a cult, but also prophetic.
If I may say so, then the saying “strike while the iron is hot” (we discussed the meaning of the proverb above) is the hero of our time, and heroes need to be known by sight.
Life is a stream of constantly slipping opportunities. That’s why it’s so important to understand the essence of the saying (its meaning) “strike while the iron is hot,” because it will help you understand what life is, but first let’s look at history.
Origin
The saying was born among blacksmiths. We don’t know how it is now, but previously artisans worked only with water and fire. The product was obtained due to the temperature difference. Iron could be shaped into any shape when it was hot. The problem was that the iron hardened quickly, so it was necessary to work deftly. Knowing the history of its origin, it is not difficult to understand the saying and its meaning (“strike while the iron is hot” is meant): a person should not hesitate or doubt when he sees that the situation is developing in the most favorable way for him. In modern language, you need to seize the moment before the red-hot steel of life becomes dull everyday life.
As always, the semantic content of proverbs and sayings is best learned through specific examples. Let's move on to them.
Boy and girl
Let's say there is a good guy Vanya who likes a girl Katya. He's too shy to talk to her. And she is too beautiful to wait for him to make up his mind. And now a great opportunity is presented for the boy to overcome his fear - an evening of dancing. Let's also imagine that Katya likes the slightly boring and smart guy Vanya, so at a dance evening she props up the wall and waits for the young man to invite her. The further development of events depends only on Vanya. Life provides him with an excellent opportunity to get the most wonderful girl in the world, the main thing is not to hesitate, not to doubt. If the hero knew the meaning of the saying “strike while the iron is hot,” then he would have helped him make up his mind. True, only if he came to the dance party, Vanya could study, read and forget, without assuming that his fate was being decided very close by, and it would be good for the young man to take a direct part in this. We are not worried about Katya, she will be happy one way or another. But fate does not favor boring “smart guys”.
The film, beloved by more than one generation of viewers, offers us our own version of the saying. It is noteworthy that its authors are bandits whose life does not imply relaxation even for a minute. Some may think that such a life is too tiring and nervous, but it all depends on temperament. Okay, enough preamble. The modification is as follows: “strike iron without leaving the cash register.” By the way, the popularity of the film has misled people: some people think that this is the original form of the saying. Although we know not only the true form, but also the meaning of the saying “strike while the iron is hot.”
When Semyon Semenovich Gorbunkov is running away from the bandits, he meets a driver in a Muscovite, he stops, asks what happened, Yuri Nikulin’s hero reports: “A matter of national importance, perhaps a pursuit!” The owner of the Muscovite says that he will take him, Gorbunkov asks him to hurry up, desperately shouts: “What are you talking about, time!”, and the unexpected savior answers him with a ready-made aphorism: “Time is money, as they say, when you see money, don’t waste time. Strike iron without leaving the cash register.” Witty filmmakers merged the proverb in question and the Soviet phrase that adorned all the country's retail outlets: “Count your money without leaving the cash register” or “Count your change without leaving your cash register.” At one time, the same wording adorned Russian markets and distribution centers for products and things, but when the popularity of plastic cards began to grow, everyone forgot about it. When a person does not pay in cash, change is not an urgent problem for him; the latter simply does not exist. Everything is taken into account.
It must be said that the proverb and its original meaning (“strike while the iron is hot” we are still considering) have not suffered. In the Soviet humorous interpretation, it means the same thing: you should not miss opportunities, especially when they concern money. There is a saying that money is no joke.
The proverb is useful not only for blacksmiths and bandits
The reader thinks: “Well, this doesn’t concern me. There is nothing interesting in my life. Work-home, vacation at sea in the summer, and that’s it. That’s the game plan for the next thirty years.” As Arnold Schwarzenegger said in one of his films: “Thinking like that is a big mistake!”
In fact, the cozy everyday life that a person painstakingly builds is embedded with its roots in a bustling life, and it only seems to him that nothing is changing, but it also takes a lot of effort to maintain stability. People follow the semantic content of the proverb every hour. The proverb “strike while the iron is hot” can be a good choice for the motto of our life. Man these days tends to constantly look for new opportunities. And not because he wants to do it, but because if you don’t do it, you will lose what you have, just like in “Alice in Wonderland: “You have to run very fast in order to stay in place all the time.” Who would have thought that the book would become not only a cult, but also prophetic.
If I may say so, then the saying “strike while the iron is hot” (we discussed the meaning of the proverb above) is the hero of our time, and heroes need to be known by sight.
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 is also used in English - strike while the iron is hot. It is listed in the 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"- “The powers of this world are fickle!” Moliere said to Madeleine. “And I would give advice to all comedians. If you fall into favor, immediately grab everything that is due to you. 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: “A time of suffering has begun for the concessionaires. Ostap argued 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."
“Strike while the iron is hot” is a common saying that has a real basis in the imagery used.
Literal meaning
Forging is a method of processing various types of metal, during which a specialist, called a blacksmith, obtains artistic, industrial, household or other necessary metal products from raw materials. The processing of the metal blank from which the final product is made is carried out under the influence of high temperature, due to which the metal becomes plastic and is easily exposed to external influences that change its shape. Thus, work on forging metal is feasible only during the period of time while it has the so-called forging temperature, that is, a sufficiently high temperature.Figurative sense
The figurative meaning that the speaker usually puts into his words when using the expression “Strike while the iron is hot” indirectly uses the original meaning of forging work. It is used to encourage another person to take advantage of favorable circumstances while they still have power, that is, to seize a successful situation, to take advantage of the moment. At the same time, it is advisable to use this saying specifically for situations characterized by high variability, that is, those in which favorable circumstances can quickly change to the exact opposite.The specified meaning in Russian can also be conveyed using other words and figurative expressions that have a similar semantic background. For example, it can be replaced with the phrase “Take the bull by the horns”, “Catch luck by the tail” and the like. At the same time, the original version of the saying itself has several variations, which, however, are less common: “Strike while the iron boils,” “Strike while the iron is red.”
This saying has quite a long history, so it was used by figures of art and literature in Russia at various periods of time. Moreover, it can be found in literature, cinema and other genres of art, both in its original and modified form. For example, this saying can be found in the works of the famous Russian writer Alexander Ostrovsky. It was used in personal correspondence by Emperor Peter I. And in modern times it is known in a slightly modified form: the phrase “Strike iron without leaving the cash register,” obviously based on the original source in the form of the proverb in question, was used in his famous film “The Diamond Arm” by the famous Soviet director Leonid Gaidai.
