Great and powerful Russian language. And he is also very rich in proverbs and sayings, winged expressions, phraseological units and other phrases that make our speech more expressive, vivid, memorable, but also more incomprehensible.
In order not to get into trouble, using any stable metaphorical expressions in a conversation, you need to know their meaning and features of use in speech. This knowledge is also necessary in order to understand what your interlocutor is talking about. What does the expression "selfish interest" mean, where did it come from and when is it appropriate to use it?
Value
First, let's look at what it is - selfish interest. According to one of the newest dictionaries of the Russian language edited by V. N. Trishin, this phraseology means thirst for personal gain. When we mean that a person’s actions are not motivated by a sincere and disinterested desire to help, but are caused by the desire to receive any profit, material profit, or even just any benefit for himself, we are talking about selfish interest.
Etymology, or what have the skins to do with it?
What does this mean - "selfish interest", it is already clear, now we learn the origin of the phrase. There are at least two versions of the etymology of this idiom. Selfish interest, that is, your own, personal interest - one that is close to the body, like a skin (a similar metaphor can be seen in the saying "your shirt is closer to the body"). This is if we consider the part of the meaning of phraseology, which is associated precisely with personal interest, selfishness.
But there is another meaning in the phrase, namely, monetary gain, profit. Then you should turn to the history of money. Many people know that symbolic money, the ones that we use now, did not appear immediately. Previously, they paid with something material, material, useful. The purchase was a kind of exchange of values. One of these values were skins, furs. In exchange for them, residents of the northern settlements, where hunting was developed, received food, fabrics, and much more from merchants. Later there was a need for symbolic money, which would have a certain face value. Therefore, skins are the progenitors of modern money. So, selfish is one that is somehow connected with money or any commodity exchange.
In support of this version of the origin of the phrase "selfish interest, " one can cite the interpretation of Russian root argotisms. So, one of the meanings of the word "skin" in the dictionary of Russian argo is "corrupt man."
Features of use
Despite the rather neutral history of phraseology (it, for example, is not of biblical origin, which would indicate a book stylistic coloring of the idiom) and the fact that the phrase does not contain any rude or expressive words with a bright negative connotation, still it is worth forgetting that the meaning of the phrase is negative. Its meaning contains a certain amount of reproach, because mercantile spirit always provoked rejection and condemnation in society and was defined as a negative character trait.
Therefore, the use of phraseology "selfish interest" has some limitations, defined as recommendations on the culture of speech. A well-mannered person will not allow himself to make such a statement in relation, for example, to superiors. In small talk, this expression will also sound inappropriate. So it is better to use it in communication with people with whom you are, so to speak, on a short leg. Otherwise, you can replace this phraseological unit with synonyms that will be softer and more polite in their stylistic coloring.
