Well-known phraseological units are sometimes very difficult to interpret, the expression "lying like a gray gelding" is no exception. It is difficult for those who are not dedicated to the intricacies of the Old Russian language to understand how the gelding (this is a castrated stallion) can lie, why it is not gray or brown, namely gray. In the article we will try to understand the meaning of the expression, who the gelding is and why it is gray.
Versions of the value of this expression
If young people are asked to explain this phraseologism, many will answer that this is an inexplicable, steady expression. Why is lies associated with the “gray gelding”, and not with the black raven, gray goat, or brown dog? There are several versions of the meaning and origin of this expression:
- This expression has absolutely nothing to do with the stallion (gelding), but is connected with the name of Sievers Mehring, who lived in St. Petersburg in the 19th century and became famous for his lies and deceit. But this expression was known and widespread in the countryside, quite far from St. Petersburg. In addition, it is found in the 18th century in the collections of Russian proverbs and sayings. That is, in other words, this phrase already existed in colloquial speech, even before the appearance of Mehring.
The second version of the origin of phrasiologism is associated with work on the ground. When plowing, a furrow was laid with a plow or plow, while the horse had to go smoothly. There were no problems with young horses, and gray geldings (castrated gray stallions) often strayed (spoiled the furrow). The language had the expression "rushing like a gray gelding", and some philologists suggest that this was the original form. But over time, by false consonance, the expression has changed and lost its original meaning and logic.
However, in the “Brief Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language” the comparison “lies like a gray gelding” is the initial version, that is, the initial one, and they explain it this way: the green horse was considered stupid, and with its help the peasants never paved the first furrow. They were sure that the gray (old) horse was lying (wrong) when laying it. But the writer Timofeev B.N. notices an internal contradiction in this version, because there is an expression “the old horse does not spoil the furrow”, which clearly does not correspond to the idea of the old (gray) gelding, which deviates from the furrow.
The option "lying" or "rushing" was suggested by Dal V.I., but in a very cautious form, he says that it is "very likely" that the "rushing" was replaced by "lying." But “shouting” means moving forward, not paying attention to any obstacles, and this meaning has nothing at all to do with the meaning of “lying” - to lie or tell a lie.
The third version, the old gray stallion neighs, as well as the young horse, so he seems to be lying, deceiving young mares, lying to them about his power. Timofeev B.N. is most inclined to this version.
"Lying like a gray gelding": phraseology and its meaning
The dictionaries provide the following explanations of the meaning of this expression:
- in the Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian language "lies like a gray gelding" - means unscrupulously, shamelessly deceives anyone;
- in the Synonyms Dictionary, the words equivalent to this expression are: brazenly, shamelessly;
- in the collection of figurative words and allegories, the phrase is explained as boasting of old or old people on their own, as if they were still full of youth and daring;
- in the Large Phraseological Dictionary, this expression has two meanings:
- "To lie like a gray gelding" - means unscrupulously, shamelessly deceive. This means that a certain person speaks absurdity, clearly and stupidly distorting the real state of affairs in his story.
- "Gray gelding" is "stupid" or "old."
Use in literature
As early as the 19th century, many writers used the expression "gray gelding" as a term of extreme stupidity. In the "Inspector General" the steward was stupid like a gray gelding. This expression was used in the language and in the sense of “just a fool”, for example, in Saltykov-Shchedrin, “Unfinished conversations” contain a combination of the words “gray gelding” in the meaning of “a bunch of old people with silly thoughts”.
The use of an expression in the literature suggests that it is firmly rooted in the Russian language and has become a very common metaphor. Indeed, the very first fixation of this expression in the meaning of “stupid” was in the mid-19th century in the Nizhny Novgorod province N. A. Dobrolyubov. But the older “stupid like a horse” is found together with “lying like a horse” in the collection of A. Bogdanov. I. in the middle of the 18th century and in the collection of Tatishchev V. N.
Over time, the phrase acquired the meaning of "stupid." This expression began to be called an old man who lies about his abilities or deliberately starts talking.
There are also expressions “stubborn as a gray gelding”, “lazy as a gray gelding”, the presence of which indicates that the gray gelding is old, therefore, it is characterized by such weaknesses as stubbornness and laziness.
Who is the gelding?
The word "gelding" came to the Russian language from Mongolian or Kalmyk, in which it meant "horse". First encountered in Russian sources in the 15th century, it enriched the terminology of our language and replenished a number of sayings, comparisons, proverbs, in many of them the gelding appears in an ironic dismissive form, for example, “Morning in the evening is wiser, the gelding is more remote” and so on. Later in the proverbs, the weakness of the old horse began to be emphasized: “It is not the strength that the mare was siva, but that it carried water.”
It is worth noting that in the 18th century brown was a synonym for gray gelding. The fact that such a gelding is old is evidenced by a record in scribe books, where the expression "gelding is brown and bald."
The meaning of the verb "lie"
The verb “lie” had a meaning in the past “to speak absurdity”, “to chat too much”, “to idle talk”. And even earlier, it was generally used to mean "speak." For example, in “The Captain's Daughter” by Pushkin A. S: “Do not lie all that you know” is used in the meaning of “say”. Over time, the verb acquired other meanings, it was popularly believed that the "horse" was stupid, the first furrow was not laid on it, it was believed that it was mistaken and lying, that is, "lying" was used to mean "make mistakes because of stupidity."
