It is no secret that one of the features of the “living” language is its variability, mobility and adaptability. Time passes, the world changes, and these processes are reflected in the language.
The Russian language is no exception. The complexity of the Russian language and plenty of grammatical aspects do not make it less flexible. The idioms, so-called “catchphrases,” constitute the whole cultural layer and make it easier to understand not only the Russian language and culture but also Russian mentality. Learn the idioms and you will pass for a native speaker.
Today we will help you boost your Russian, looking into the popular expression “nakrylsia mednym tazom” (literally “got covered with a brass bowl”). Why “covered”? Why “bowl”? Is it of critical importance that the bowl is made of brass? What is it all about? Hoooow? Here are only a few questions learners of Russian as a foreign language ask when they hear this expression for the first time.
So. Meaning
If you hear that something “nakrylsia mednym tazom,” it means that something has gone off script / has been disrupted / has broken down / has gone down the drain.
Origin
Now, when we know what it means, let’s find out where it came from. There are several versions of the origin of this widespread phrase.
1. According to the first version, which is the main one, we should thank Miguel de Cervantes and his famous hero Don Quixote who took the brass bowl from the barber and wore it as a helmet in one of the episodes.
2. The second version refers to the outstanding Russian poet and writer Korney Chukovsky and his famous work Wash`em clean. By the way, we suggest that you get acquainted with it because it is funny and informative. This children’s fairy tale also features a brass bowl that leads to very strange and dramatic consequences.
Then he smote his bowl of brass,
And he cried: "Kara-baras!"
...and then, in short, there was a tumult and a clatter, and everything was happening in a most unexpected way.
3. The third version, which is the historical one, refers us to the Tsarist times when people used to cover perishable foods with brass bowls. They were unreliable and did not always help.
Usage
The phrase is widely used in the spoken language. It is not a slang phrase, so you can comfortably integrate it into your active vocabulary as well. And for example, if you forgot to submit your end-of-year paper, it is highly likely that your weekend “nakrylsia mednym tazom” because you have to resubmit your paper.
Besides, a shortened version of the phrase –“nakrylsia” is used in the same meaning.
For example, if your phone “nakrylsia,” it means that it has broken down completely and needs repairing.
Your things, plans, hopes and almost everything can “nakrytsia.”
Synonyms
- break down
- go down the drain
- go off script
- go bankrupt
- be disrupted
- go down in flames
- end in a fiasco
- go kaput
- go to the dogs
In our regular RFL column, we plan to tell you about other idioms and specific rules of the Russian language, complex issues, and exercises to consolidate pronunciation and language norms as well as about literature and music that can help learn the language.
If you study Russian as a foreign language and come across some strange and/or incomprehensible linguistic phenomena, please contact us at dir@hedclub.com, and we will explain the problem in the simplest terms.
30.10.2024
