"Work through the sleeves": the meaning of phraseology

Today we will talk about a sustainable expression "through the sleeves". The meaning of phraseology is directly related to the history of Russian clothing.

A bit of history

What is a sleeve? This is a detail of clothing that covers (completely or partially) our hands. In ancient civilizations, this element in the costume was completely absent. Moda it was introduced by Europeans in the XII century. Since then the sleeve has begun the victorious procession on the world. Gradually, he became one of the main costume decorations. Fashion designers XV-XVI centuries invented dresses with removable sleeves. This innovation allowed to dress up, change costumes with less. In Russia, the sleeves of shirts have traditionally been quite long. In men, they usually covered the first phalanx of the thumb. A representative of the fair sex and did wear a suit, the sleeve in which reached almost one and a half meters. At the wrist the fabric was collected with spectacular folds. In festive outfits, the sleeves were so long that they were fastened with special bracelets. The girl, who came out to dance, unfastened the bracelet. Her hands became like wings of a fairy bird.

Of course, it was extremely inconvenient to perform daily work in such a suit. If you want the business to argue, you need to roll up your sleeves. In comfortable clothes you can work hard, not sparing your strength. About such an employee we say that he is doing something, "rolling up his sleeves", that is, actively, persistently, with great zeal.

"After the sleeves": the meaning of phraseology

Appeared in Rus and the opposite in meaning stable expression. It meant a careless, irresponsible attitude to work, a desire to do all the typing, inaccurately, with laziness, that is, "through the sleeves". The meaning of phraseology today is clear even to a child, as it has become truly winged. It is actively used by writers in literary works, teachers at school and parents for educational purposes. Negligent, lazy people, through their sleeves, read, write, study, take their duties, sew, build, manage - in a word, do any work.

additional information

From the point of view of grammar, the word "after" is an obsolete form of a short participle from the verb "to descend". Today we would say "down the sleeves", using the girw. Since idioms do not require punctuation, we do not single out a stable expression on the letter "through the sleeves" (the meaning of phraseology in this case does not matter).

Synonyms

To the expression "to work after the sleeves" you can choose synonymous turns: do something carelessly, carelessly, negligently, sloppily, unscrupulously, with laziness, with coolness, horrible, through the stump-deck, sham-roll, somehow, if only They got rid of themselves; Hacking; To be lazy; Work from under the cane.

Analogues in other languages

It is always interesting to conduct a comparative analysis of existing analogues of this or that phraseology in other languages of the world. So, instead of the phrase "to do after the sleeves", the Englishman will say That work with the left hand - "work with the left hand". If you are right handed, any case performed by the left hand, indeed, will cause difficulties, and the result will be unsatisfactory. Try to sew a button with your left hand, write a letter, cut out a smooth paper figure!

Language studies suggest that the word "left" in general in many adverbs was often associated with something bad, unsuccessful, even diabolical. By the way, before the advent of Leskov's story, the left-hander was called just an inept worker, who is all falling from his hands. But the writer managed to invest a completely different meaning in the name of the Tula master. By the way, among Russian synonyms of the phraseology under consideration there is also such: "how to make a left foot". It has an even more negative connotation of meaning. The point is that the work is done so badly, as if the person acted not with a hard-working right-hand man, but with little to what suitable left foot.

Other nations also have such a notion of "working through their sleeves". A synonym for expression in the Belarusian language is "Rabić yak wet wretch" (work as it burns wet). The following expressions were also used: "Rabić yak not swami rukami" (to do as if not with one's own hands), "Rabish zaplyushchy shy vochy" (making eyes closed), as well as "Sarvarku adrablyats" (practicing sharvarok - a kind of corvee in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Rzeczpospolita) .

Shades of meaning

A person who is not a native speaker is often difficult to understand the exact meaning of idioms. Working through the sleeves is not the same as kicking the buckets, playing in the pills or sharpening the lashes. These phraseological units are quite close, but the second means complete idleness, the third - the occupation of an empty unnecessary business, the fourth - worthless chatter. And the winged expression we are considering implies that a person does work, albeit badly, somehow, without a light and a desire, sloppy. It should be accurate when using stable phrases.