Expression "like a bull in a china shop" has become firmly established. What does this expression mean and in what cases can it be used to avoid getting into trouble?
Linguists note that the roots of the words “elephant” and “lean” are of related origin. Apparently the elephant was named so out of love for sleeping, leaning against something.
Values
Typically, “a bull in a china shop” is used to metaphorically frame and describe the image of an extremely clumsy and awkward person for whom everything is falling out of hand.
In addition, this is the name given to people who often speak irrelevantly, outside the topic of discussion, disrupting the flow of the discussion, demonstrating incompetence.
An interesting interpretation of the phraseological unit was found in the fable of our contemporary Aglaya Dateshidze “Dear respected elephant...”. Aglaya’s work is dedicated to the issues of self-realization and finding a calling. The sound of the phrase takes on a slightly different meaning, which boils down to the fact that there is no such thing as a “big elephant”, there is only a “small shop”. The work instantly became popular among bloggers and trainers of classes. personal growth. Here the phraseological unit is used as a synonym for “a big ship has a long voyage” and in the meaning of retraining.
Origin of phraseology
Linguists have been arguing about the origin of this phrase for decades.
There is an opinion that the expression appeared in our language by accident, through incorrect and incomplete translation. The point is that in colloquial German There is a similar absurd expression that has a similar meaning.
There is an idiom similar in meaning in English language. It sounds like “Bull in a china shop,” which translated means “bull in a china shop.” This idiom, according to sources, was first mentioned in the work of Mariat Jacob in 1834. The exact origin of the phrase is unknown.
In Russian works, phraseological units are first encountered in the poem “About Elephants and Porcelain” by Nikolai Agnivtsev in early XIX century.
Synonyms
- bearish
- clumsy
- unhurried
- calf
- seal
- bag
- bumpkin
- Pentyukh
- awkward
- lob
Usage examples
— The enemy troops behaved like a bull in a china shop.
— Realtors and agents worked like a bull in a china shop.
“I felt like the owner of a china shop waiting for the elephant to visit.”
— Peter was like a bull in a china shop at the meeting.
— The process optimization expert who arrived on site, assessing the dire state of the business and feeling the complete indifference of his superiors to the changes, felt like a bull in a china shop.
Depending on the context, the expression takes different meanings and allows you to enrich speech and make it interesting and imaginative.
Replace these fixed expressions with words or phrases that are similar in meaning (for example, lay down your head - die)Pulling out your hair -________
From the letters of each pair or three of words, make up a dish or the name of a fruit:
Spruce+garden+cancer=_______
Rice+cap=______
“Winged words” are figurative, apt expressions, sayings that have come into general use. Restore phrases from Krylov’s fables, write the names of the works from which these “winged words” are taken.
And you, friends, no matter how you sit down..._______
___________yes it hurts._______
When there is no agreement among comrades, _______________________
_______________________
Isn’t it better to turn into a godfather for yourself?
________________
So go and dance!
Complete the proverbs based on this beginning.
With his right hand he builds..._____
Learn-light...______________
Who wants to know a lot...___________
The root of learning is bitter..._____________
Anagrams, or simply “inversions”, are words or phrases with different meanings, made up of the same letters. Try, using all the letters of only these words, to create new words
Caprice-____
Prayer-____
Karateka-_______
From the letters of each pair of words, make up the name of the animals
Field+gift=_______
Shawl+do=______
Explain the meaning of the word language in each phrase:
I bit my tongue painfully_____
Language will take you to Kyiv._______
The scouts took the tongue.______
Without tongue and bell German._____
Bite your tongue!______
Tongue with garlic sauce._____
From the letters of each three words, make up the name of the mushroom:
Marvel+pony+juice=_______
Waist+hip+pique=_________
Replace stable combinations with one word.
Beat your head -______
Down the sleeves-______
Nick down-_______
Insert prepositions instead of *
I * am * walking in the forest * in the morning, * I’m all wet with dew. But now I know * birch and * moss, * raspberries, blackberries, * hedgehog and hedgehog,
*whose* are hedging
All the needles are shaking.
Complete the catchphrase taken from the fairy tale.
This is all a saying,___________.
man, he is on his own mind.
Choose a stable expression and write down the letter:
A. I’m not blind.
B. Two pair of boots.
V. The boots are asking for porridge.
Help please!!! Don't sit..., think, decide!!!
on your feet. WORD LIST: cure, doze, get rich, run away, chat, quickly.
Rewrite By inserting the missing letters, explain the meaning of phraseological units and prove that it is a phraseological unit.Sample reasoning. Combinations of words (nod off) is a phraseological unit because - it is stable (you cannot insert a word into it without changing the meaning); - figurative expressive - close in meaning to one word (doze off) - is one member of a sentence (predicate).
1. An officer must always have (presence of spirit).
2.You (sat in a puddle) again.
3. I tightly (kept myself in hand).
4. Despite his heavy appearance, he was (easy to climb) and mobile.
5. HE WILL (BREAK) EVERYONE (TO CLEAN WATER) (RIP) FROM THE BOTTOM (MASKS)
everything that is highlighted in brackets is a phraseology, help me find out their meaning, please
Ekaterina Pleshka
A game« Phraseological zoo» .
A game provides an opportunity to enrich lexicon children phraseological units containing the names of animals. A game promotes the development of thinking, accustoms reasoning, develops the ability to analyze and draw conclusions, and enriches children's vocabulary.
Explanations of meanings are provided to help. phraseological units.
Rules of the game
Option 1: the teacher calls phraseological unit, but omits the name of the animal. Children must choose the appropriate picture of an animal.
Option 2: the teacher shows a picture of an animal, the children name one phraseological unit or several, explain it (their) meaning.
When you first get acquainted with the game, you should understand the direct and figurative meaning everyone phraseology.
Values phraseological units
Cunning like a fox - the fox's cunning is widely known, which helps it evade hunters.
Dirty as a pig - a dirty, unkempt person, a slob.
Like a fish in water - free, at ease, good.
Cowardly as a hare - everyone knows about the cowardice of the hare, who shakes with fear under every bush; the expression characterizes a person’s lack of courage.
Stubborn as a donkey - extremely unyielding, not amenable to persuasion, insisting only on his own.
Working like a horse means working very hard.
Prickly like a hedgehog - angry-tongued, mocking
Healthy as an ox - healthy and strong, although obviously not a very smart person.
Puffed up like a turkey - it speaks of a person who is excessively proud, important, and noticing others around him.
Dodgy as it is - used to people who dodge, lie, try to somehow get out. Connected with how one would behave (in theory) in a frying pan.
He chatters like a magpie - he speaks quickly and loudly, not to the point.
Hungry like a wolf - very hungry (allusion to the wolf, which is especially fierce during times of famine).
Like a bull in a china shop - used to describe someone who behaves clumsily, touches something, drops it, breaks it, destroys it. The elephant in the china shop, due to its size and the size of the average china shop, behaves extremely awkwardly.
The bear stepped on the ear - there is no hearing for music.
They live like a cat and a dog - they live, treat someone, etc. unfriendly, constantly quarreling, swearing
A mosquito won’t erode your nose – there’s nothing to complain about.
Red as a lobster - this is what they say about an embarrassed or simply flushed person. The expression comes from the fact that gray crayfish suddenly turn red when cooked.
Loyal as a dog - devoted, reliable.
Like water off a duck's back - completely indifferent, has no effect, does not affect anyone in any way; at least something.
Pulling the cat by the tail means delaying the matter, procrastinating, postponing something for a long time.
Writing like a chicken with its paw is sloppy, ugly, crooked.
Like a cow licked it with its tongue - it disappeared without a trace and is difficult or almost impossible to find.
Like a sleepy fly - sluggishly, leisurely, barely (do something).
Spinning like a squirrel in a wheel means being in constant trouble; fuss.
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Many of us like to use various popular expressions and sayings in our everyday speech. After all, they make the conversation brighter and more prominent. However, not many people are able to understand their meaning; usually the meaning of the phrase becomes clear only from the context. So that you can" don't lose face in the dirt", and always be on top, we recommend you our new website. Don’t forget to bookmark it, because we will have a lot more useful information. Today we will reveal the meaning of another funny expression, this is the phraseological unit Elephant in a china shop you will find out the meaning a little later.
However, before I continue, I would like to show you a couple more sensible news on the topic of proverbs and sayings. For example, what does it mean to wet Corky; meaning Like two fingers on the asphalt; which means Bursting at the seams; what is Sprinkling ashes on the head, etc.
So let's continue Elephant in a china shop meaning phraseology?
Elephant in a china shop- this is the behavior of an absent-minded and clumsy person, in a place where accuracy is required
Elephant in a china shop- this is what they say about someone who inadvertently hurts the feelings of other people, breaks hearts
Synonym for the expression Elephant in a china shop: clumsy, clumsy, bumpkin, bear, clumsy, clumsy, unstumped.
Example:
Damn bro, why did you overturn the table, you're like a bull in a china shop.
Look how the cat turned the whole apartment upside down, so small, but acts like a bull in a china shop.
A tank on the federal highway, like a bull in a china shop, rushes along without looking around.
I"m like a bull in a china shop who likes to burn things in a barbeque. (I'm like a bull in a china shop who likes to burn everything in a barbecue.)
If we try to find this turn of phrase in dictionaries, then unfortunately, the explanation for this expression cannot be found there. I usually use Dictionary Ushakova(1935-1940), and imagine my surprise when I did not find this popular proverb there. Then I turned my gaze to the master of literature V.I. Dahl(1863-1866), “I’ll find what I’m looking for from him,” I thought, but that was not the case, and in the book “Proverbs of the Russian People” my search was not crowned with success.
Perhaps this phrase came into everyday speech thanks to an old fable " About elephants and porcelain", which was written by the poet Nikolai Yakovlevich Agnivtsev (1888-1932).
"...The moral of this story lies ahead,
She is sharper than a pin:
If you are an elephant, then don't go
To the porcelain shops."
Recently, I became interested in German comics, and suddenly I unexpectedly discovered that this phraseological unit is found there too. From this we can conclude that this phrase is international in nature.
By the way, in English the expression " Bull in a china shop" ("
