Primus repair: where does the phrase "I fix the Primus stove" and what does it mean?

It is commonly believed that getting acquainted with classical literature becomes a kind of atavism, everyone is keen on Hollywood blockbusters and funny videos from the Internet. This is not entirely true, many are happy to rediscover the school curriculum for literature, and those who do not have time to wonder and wonder about where from the conversational speech there are some strange phrases. For example, why do many bloggers say that they can fix the primus, or are they going to do it, or even repair it right now? What is a primus in general and why does it constantly need to be repaired?

"I do not touch anyone, I repair the Primus"

Unique coloring and even some sort of subtle juiciness of this phrase are not subject to doubt. It is pronounced with a special intonation and in most cases does not need explanations and translation. This saying belongs to a cat named Begemot, the character of the novel "Master and Margarita". This novel by Mikhail Bulgakov is considered to be a cult novel, at one time it was considered banned and questionable, it was quite difficult to get it during the Soviet Union, and it was not included in the school program on literature. Only in the eighties of the last century the censorship bans were somewhat weakened, and everyone immediately learned that the Primus can be repaired in a figurative sense.

The novel was screened, performances were staged on it, a wonderful program "The Theater at the Microphone" was on the radio where Vyacheslav Nevinny was reading the book with an expression - an actor with a rich intonational arsenal. "Master and Margarita" first appeared in the lists for extracurricular reading for high school students, then entered the compulsory school curriculum. If before "he read" The Master and Margarita "was a sign of an almost dissident, then by the end of the nineties it became almost a sacred duty of any educated person. According to the novel, dissertations and coursework were written, studies were conducted, discussions were held, and at some point from a reasonable interesting book it turned into almost a "sacred cow". The final chord was the adaptation of the director Vladimir Bortko, which led to the resumption of record sales of the book and caused a wall of conflicting reviews. But the phrase "I fix the Primus", which means "I'm sitting, busy with my own affairs, has nothing to do with anything," still beats the peaks of popularity.

Charming cat Hippopotamus

The character who gave everyone the pleasure from time to time to re-qualify as a master in repairing Primus stoves, in fact, has a special charm. This is recognized even by another character, Azazello. He says to Margarita that it is tedious to negotiate with her, and it would be better to send a charming Behemoth instead.

"I fix the Primus" - a quote from the final part of the novel. What is the cat talking about? The whole phrase looks like this:

Do not shawl, I do not touch anyone, I fix the Primus stove. And I also consider it a duty to warn that the cat is an ancient and inviolable animal.

In this scene, Behemoth frankly scoffs at the secret services, who came to arrest him and the entire company of Woland. And it's hard to blame him: first, he's a cat, and what kind of a cat can be a claim, and secondly, he's a fool. To take to heart the utterances of the jester, maybe, and it is not necessary, but in every joke there is some truth.

Using the phrase in a figurative sense

If you understand the phrase literally, then the Primus stove is not so easy to repair - it is a potentially dangerous household appliance, kerosene or gasoline burner for cooking. But this pearl is used precisely as an established phraseology. As an analogue, the saying "my hut from the edge, I do not know anything" is sometimes mentioned. The meaning is very similar, although if someone is sitting and fixing the Primus stove, then he is not just off to the side, he is also very busy with some of his own business, very important and responsible.

Distribution in the blogosphere

Social networks and the blogosphere is an information space where any winged phrases can be subjected to all sorts of metamorphoses. Perhaps, that is why the expression "primus repair" appeared, although it is a distorted quote, and a direct connection with the novel at first glance can not be traced. The very word "fix" is so capacious and consistent with the spirit of the times, which is described in the novel, that it should not be distorted and replaced with other forms. Rephrasing the quote also introduces confusion.

Quotations are often used as tags, for the expressiveness of speech, in some cases help to give the text the necessary degree of sarcasm. Other "strings of firmly packed syllogisms" from the novel are used as widely and with undisguised pleasure.

The attractiveness of the idea of repairing Primus

Perhaps every person in life had moments when he wanted to get out of some difficult situation, say "I'm sitting, I'm fixing the stove", so as not to interfere with my problems. Psychologists say that this is a valuable skill. If a person can clearly delineate their boundaries and not allow others to take their time, moral and physical strength, then this is not selfishness, but a healthy hygiene of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, if you have an almost irresistible desire to state that you are simply fixing the Primus stove and therefore are not ready to switch to another activity, there is a great chance that it is worth doing.

Other Behemoth Pearls

As well as it is necessary to any decent clown, the cat the Behemoth differs bright figurative speech, witty judgments and pleasant immediacy. So "I fix the primus" - the quotation is not a single one. No less recognizable is the exclamation "The Queen, the ear will swell!", The gastronomic wish "you still put the grapes on top" or "Maestro! Cut the march! "

The problem of the novel "The Master and Margarita" is that he was disassembled into quotations for a long time. Aphorisms went to the people, and many use them, without even thinking about the source or the true meaning. Fortunately, manuscripts do not burn. You can always open a book and find out, for example, why the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the horseman Pontius Pilate , was so dejected .