Remember when you used the phrase "naked like a falcon." Usually people use this phraseological unit when they want to emphasize in an ironic form that a person does not have enough money to exist.

Why "falcon"?

This bird of prey is one of the most dangerous birds on the planet. This heavenly lightning terrifies small birds, because the falcon only eats the prey it kills.
This feathered hunter looks very frightening, its beak and claws inspire fear even in very large animals. If you show a photo of this bird and ask what you associate with it, then you will use words such as: fast, deadly, air hunter, proud wanderer, noble assassin.

The history of the expression "naked like a falcon"

Doesn't it seem strange to you that this proud bird is the key in this saying?
It turns out that this saying does not mean a bird, in the old days there was a cannon, which was called a "falcon". It was a very powerful weapon with which the Russian armies successfully captured cities, destroying walls and knocking out gates.
"Falcon" was a primitive, but very effective tool. It looked like a log upholstered on all sides with iron sheets. Or they used a long cast-iron bar to destroy enemy fortifications. It was suspended on strong iron chains. To break through the gate, it was necessary as this simple mechanism should be shaken. Having accumulated sufficient kinetic energy, the "falcon" in several blows demolished even the most powerful gates.
This mechanism had another name - "ram". This word has French roots.

Another variant of the appearance of this phraseological unit is associated with the word "sukol". Then this idiom should be like this: "naked as a bitch."
Ancient Russia was essentially a wild territory, huge forests alternated with small fields on which cultivated crops were cultivated. A huge number of animals in the forests were looking for food for themselves and these small foci of rural civilization, trying to protect their crops from voracious and hungry creatures. , the peasants began to fence their simple plots with fences made of stakes. Before sticking them into the ground, they were cleared of branches and bark. So that this peasant wall would not collapse from gusts of wind, it was propped up with several stakes, which were located quite close to each other along the entire perimeter of the fence.

Since this building was erected only for a season, then by the fall it completely collapsed, lonely "cloth" stuck out on the field. The field with the harvested crop looked gloomy and wretched. It is for this reason that savvy peasants began to call poor people "bare as a bitch."

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Goal like a falcon

Expression value goal like a falconseems obvious. It characterizes a person who has nothing in his soul, shows an extreme degree of poverty. But here is the origin of the combination goal as falcon doesn't seem so obvious.

Falcon the bird is prominent, predatory, with dense plumage, never associated with poverty and begging. So it's not about the bird. Note that the stress in the phrase goal like a falcon (in the word falcon) falls on the second syllable. So, falcon, this is not a kind of bird of prey, but the name of a Russian medieval siege device, more precisely, a part of a battering machine or a ram.

In the role falcon a smoothly worked log with an iron tip, suspended by chains, worked, it was swayed and struck against the walls or gates of enemy fortifications. The word naked or naked in Russian means not only naked, but also smooth, devoid of vegetation, branches (trunk), etc. In general, it turns out a play on words - goal like a falcon means smooth like falcon, naked, wearing nothing.

There is another version of the origin of the expression goal like a falcon. Falcon or bitch they called corner stakes of hedges, which were strengthened with props for strength, they were also "naked" and evoked associations with nakedness and poverty.

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Falcon on a log.

Very often in relation to a person who does not have enough means of subsistence, one can hear the phrase “ goal like a falcon».

It should be noted that the falcon bird is the most interesting and main feathered predator on the planet. This hunter feeds only on the prey that he himself finds and kills. The bird has an impressive appearance and is associated with speed, pride and nobility.

The origin of the phraseological unit - a goal like a falcon

Therefore, it is especially strange that the falcon is a key figure in an expression with such a meaning. In fact, this does not mean a feathered, but a completely different falcon. This was the name of the ancient weapon with which the Russian armies took the city, destroying the walls and gates. The falcon looked like a large, heavy log upholstered with iron or a bar made of cast iron. He was hung on strong chains and swayed, hitting the barrier. Another name for this weapon is "battering ram". It was very simple to execute, and yet powerful enough. The word itself has French roots and refers to military terms.

The second option may well be associated with the word "sukol". And it is very likely that the phrase should sound like this: “ Goal like a bitch". Previously, in order to protect their crops, peasants made a simple fence of stakes, which were cleared of branches and were completely bare (smooth). And in order for the palisade to be strong, it was supported by pairs of stakes, which were placed close to each other. In the autumn, only lonely bitches remained from the destroyed fences, which looked very sad and lonely. It is such a sad sight that has become the definition of poverty and loneliness.

Goal like a falcon

Goal like a falcon - an idiomatic expression denoting a state of extreme poverty.

Etymology

The phraseological unit has nothing to do with the financial position of the bird, and the emphasis is on the last syllable, the falcon. The latter in the old days was called a tool used as a ram - a log bound with iron, or a cast-iron bar. Russian soldiers thus destroyed the walls of the besieged cities. The falcon was hung on iron chains and, swinging, knocked it through the fortress gates or city walls.

Not only a naked person was called naked, they also called a trunk, cleaned of branches, or a twig - from small branches and foliage. The “Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language” interprets the related word “golik”: this is how they called a broom made of dry twigs. Another similar Russian proverb can be noted - "a goal is like an aspen stake", which also denotes the extreme degree of poverty. A smooth log, cleaned of branches and bound with iron, quite fit the old Russian definition of "naked". Some working tools with a flat cylindrical surface were also called in Russia; the same name was later transferred to the cannon, which fired six-pound cannonballs.

Linguist Valery Mokienko hypothesized that the name sokol is a literal translation of the French military term faucon, denoting a certain type of weapon-foxes. But translated into Russian, the French word faucon denotes falcon - namely a bird with an accent on the first syllable.

There is another version of the origin of the phraseological unit. It is possible that originally the word was pronounced not "falcon", but "sukol". In the past, this word denoted the stakes-props, which supported the lopsided palisades and fences - such stakes were also "naked", that is, stripped of branches and twigs - naked, having nothing, like beggars. It is possible that their appearance evoked associations with extreme need.

Notes

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Synonyms:

See what "Goal like a falcon" is in other dictionaries:

Cm … Synonym dictionary

Goal like a falcon - GOAL AS A FALCON. Spread. Express. Absolutely poor, has nothing. A rich man is a fool And he can't sleep with the treasury; The boby is naked like a falcon, Singing and having fun (I. Nikitin. The boby's song). From comparison with the ancient battering tool "falcon", which was ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

FALCON, a, m. A bird of prey, characterized by fast soaring flight. Noble s. (merlin). Hunter s. S. clear (in folk literature: about the fellow). Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

See Goal, like an aspen stake ...

goal like a falcon - terribly poor, has nothing. There are several versions of the origin of the turnover. According to the most common, the falcon here (with an emphasis on the last syllable) is an ancient battering tool made of cast iron or iron in the shape of a long and thick log or ... ... Phraseology reference

Zharg. sport. (football). Shuttle. approved About a beautiful goal scored from afar. Nikitina 2003, 125 ... A large dictionary of Russian sayings

goal like a falcon - About someone who is very poor ... Dictionary of many expressions

Naked like a falcon and sharp as a razor. See GULBA DRINKING ... IN AND. Dahl. Russian proverbs

The lawsuit was started by a goal like a falcon. See COURT FAILURE ... IN AND. Dahl. Russian proverbs

Goal like a falcon. Goal like an aspen stake. See SUFFICIENCY DESIRE ... IN AND. Dahl. Russian proverbs

Books

• Winged words and expressions, parables, tales, beliefs of the Russian people, Sergei Vasilyevich Maksimov. Where is it - in the middle of nowhere? How can porridge praise itself? Why is the hat on the thief burning? What does a long box look like? Who are Kazan orphans? Who can you put in a belt? What is this ...

What image do you imagine when you need to interpret the meaning of the phraseologism "naked like a falcon"? Often a person in his imagination draws a bald feathered person, which eloquently symbolizes the poor man. But in this saying, the stress is located in a completely different place. Sokol - do you correctly understand the meaning of this word? Let's consider this issue in more detail in our article.

"Goal like a falcon": the meaning of phraseological unit and origin

Ornithology lovers hasten to assure you that the very same falcon (with the accent on the first syllable) often loses its plumage. This is a common mistake in interpreting the etymology of this phraseological unit. Indeed, a person without substantial material wealth can be jokingly compared to a "bald" bird. But our ancestors once did not even suspect that their everyday objects would disappear, and the names of these instruments would reach the 21st century through the centuries.

The true falcon is an inanimate object with a rather militant purpose. It was a massive ram from a solid tree trunk. The craftsmen cut it to such an extent that the sun glare was reflected on it. This powerful tool could instantly demolish an enemy fortification in order to clear the way for the infantry. The principle of operation of the sokol was that it was suspended by chains on a mobile structure. The warriors swung their weapons, and the rest was done by the force of inertia. The enemy is defeated, the fortress is destroyed. And only then people began to give this name to all household items in the shape of a cylinder: iron scrap, pestle for grinding grain in a mortar.

Later, the phrase "goal like a falcon" was used. The meaning of the phraseological unit can be briefly described in just three words - an extremely poor person. Now the poverty line is measured by the subsistence minimum, equal to the sum of about 8 thousand rubles. According to Russian standards, it is possible to evaluate a person who lives on the verge of state-established monetary units with precisely this phraseological unit. So now you know its correct meaning. Speak and think right!

Phraseologisms-antonyms

Now that the meaning of the phraseological unit "naked like a falcon" is fully understood, how can you express the opposite case? When a person is chic, like the top representatives of Forbes magazine, his financial situation can be expressed as follows: "He's got no chickens pecking money!" And here folk wisdom comes to the rescue. And if the chickens were pecking? ..

Synonymous expressions

Having found out the meaning of the phraseologism "naked like a falcon", you should also find out the units equivalent to it. For example, about a person who is in great need, one can also say so - "poor as a church mouse." It is understood that there are absolutely no provisions in the storerooms of the churches that the animals can eat.

The meaning of the phraseologism "naked like a falcon" also has a similar meaning with the phrase "no stake, no yard". Indeed, at all times it was not enough for people to have only one salary or one-time income, everyone strives for larger material benefits: they buy cars, invest in real estate, privatize land. It is possible to characterize a person who does not have all this