Hearing the expression "bullshit", the meaning of phraseology is understood by every modern person. But where did this strange phrase come from and where does the mare, besides sivaya? The answer to this question is given in the article.
Saya mare - what is it?
We use common phraseology every time we fundamentally disagree with someone’s point of view. Although many do not even imagine what the notorious mare looks like.
If you look at the list of horse suits, then in modern horse breeding the concept of “gray” does not exist. This is the popular name for the horse's hairline, combining black color with gray hair or just a dark gray color. For example, if you recall the famous Sivka-Burka, then the heroine of the tale is just gray and brown.
However, gray mares were not popular among the people. It was believed that these are horses with a bad character, which spoiled the furrow, and on occasion strove to kick or bite. They were not loved and considered stupid, and if such a mare dreamed of - wait for the deception.
Even in ancient times, gray-haired horses were called gray. Unclean merchants could easily sell an old horse under the guise of a gray one, if a naive buyer forgot to look at the animal in the mouth. And here is one more deception explaining the meaning of phraseology “bullshit”. The new acquisition of the unlucky owners had to wander aimlessly to the courtyard. But what does the nonsense have to do with it?
Wander or roam?
Today, the word "nonsense" refers to any lies or an attempt to mislead. In medical terminology, this concept refers to a pathological disorder of thinking that occurs due to a mental illness.
According to the lexicographer G. A. Krylov, the noun “delirium” came from the verb “wander”, which in the old days meant walking idle or aimlessly staggering, that is, an occupation devoid of meaning. Not surprisingly, over time, delirium has become synonymous with nonsense and nonsense.
And if you add here the disgraced gray suit and the senseless purchase of an old horse, then “bullshit” meaning acquires prosaic and quite appropriate. However, this phraseological unit has a much more interesting variant of origin.
The legend of Mr. von Sievers-Mering
According to the old army bike, an officer served in Tsarist Russia, his story is silent, but his name was von Sievers-Mering. This nobleman was remembered by his colleagues not for feats of arms, but for his amazing ability to lie and tell tales. The phrase “lying like Sivers-Mering” stuck into the officer’s regiment, the meaning of which was understood only by a narrow circle of servicemen.
But the army does not stand still and, picked up by the soldiers, the phrase went for a walk around Russia, without losing its meaning. The people in Russia did not like obscure words, and over time, Sivers-Mering turned into a "gray gelding", and here it is not far from a gray mare. Well, “lying” and “nonsense” were already consonant with synonyms.
You must admit that the amusing version of the origin of phraseology “bullshit”, the meaning of which, in spite of everything, remains unchanged. But there is an even more original version associated with the full name of a little-known scientist.
Brad Steve Cobile
Glorified figures of science and culture are awarded the Nobel Prize, the unlucky - the Shnobel Prize, but at least their names are associated with some achievements.
And a scientist named Brad Steve Cobile, known only in narrow circles, was not at all lucky. He managed to write and publish a delusional article from a scientific point of view. And to interpret his full name in the Russian manner was not difficult.
If this story really took place, then the phrase “bullshit” owes its meaning and origin to him. Now it remains to consider the latest version of the catch phrase, which is not particularly intriguing, but therefore more likely.
