We all once heard the expression "Found a scythe on a stone." Those who have never held this agricultural tool in their hands do not know that the subtlety of its use is sharpening and beating. Not everyone can competently and correctly produce them; skill is required. First, a hammer is knocked on the canvas so that small nicks appear, which are then sharpened with a bar. Then the scythe turns sharp, cuts the grass like a razor blade. But you need to beat carefully so that there are no dents, which you can’t get rid of later. So the work is subtle.
The mower's work is sweeping, you should not strain much, otherwise you will quickly get tired, but you need to act energetically. And suddenly - bam! - found a scythe on a stone. After hitting a solid object, the tool fails, sometimes editing is necessary, and irreparable damage often happens.
This happens not only during field work. A person will be quick to do something, but suddenly an unexpected hindrance arises. The consequences of the ill-conceived habitual and routine actions lead to the most deplorable results. Where resistance was not expected, it was suddenly provided, and quite effectively.
There are many examples. Here is a rude boss who habitually rude his subordinates, forced to endure his tyranny, suddenly receives change, moreover, from some newcomer who has been working for a week without a year. He is furious, wants to inflict cruel reprisals on the rebellious, but suddenly it turns out that top management has his own views on the newly hired employee and stands up for him. There are whispers in the collective - "found a scythe on a stone." The meaning of this expression is symbolic, two material objects - merciless and sharp steel, never experienced by such loads, and the solid, also in its own way ruthless essence of the stone, which collisions with iron do not care. This actually expresses the essence of personality conflict.
Or here's another example, this time from politics and history. Acting brazenly and decisively, Adolf Hitler captured most of Europe, using the same technique - swift maneuver and the coverage of his opponents with mobile motorized tank formations. While relatively small countries with weak economic potential and limited resources were attacked, everything went smoothly. But the Führer decided to attack the USSR. At first, the usual strategy yielded results, but then it found a scythe on the stone, the Union turned out to be stronger than expected, and it turned out that Germany was not doing very well, one might even say bad ones. How this ended is known to all.
So, the meaning of the idiom in general terms is clear. The fact that the braid more often symbolizes aggression, and the stone is a rebuff, is explained by its figurative meaning, in real life “litovka” is rather a useful tool, and a boulder is a harmful hindrance. There may be a certain contradiction in this. Therefore, the expression “scythe on a stone” is also used in cases where both conflicting parties are wrong. An example is a mother-in-law, accustomed to commanding in a house, encounters a son-in-law who does not want to give in to anything and demonstrates his independence by contradicting it in everything, even when one could agree. A lot of jokes go on this subject … By the way, such relations also exist with a daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law.
In any case, when they say that they have found a braid on a stone, they mean a conflict, the reason for which was the lack of flexibility of opponents and their unwillingness to make mutual concessions. Let’s be softer and kinder!
