What can unite a motorcyclist, rider, lawn mower, car enthusiast, home exercise machine and art manager? Each of them is in one way or another connected with a new-fangled, but not fully understood word. Riders - what is it? Let's figure it out.
Etymology
The modern vocabulary is changing very dynamically. Like most other buzzwords, the term rider is borrowed from English. In fact, this is just a transliteration of a word that has its direct analogue in Russian speech. Rider translates as "rider".
Cowboys and Bikers
So, an eighteenth-century gentleman on a thoroughbred trotter, a sun-scorched cowboy on a half-wild mustang, and even a young girl who had just begun to take riding lessons in an equestrian club, are all riders. What is this getting? A rider is a rider. But what about household, garden, LED and other riders? How are they related to riding? First things first. By the way, it is worth saying that over time, when iron horses replaced the noble animals, this word migrated to the biker subculture, is firmly rooted in it and is used to this day.
Technical hybrid
But the reason why the cross between a tractor and a lawn mower is also called by this word is far from immediately understood. The fact is that garden riders differ from ordinary lawn mowers in the presence of a comfortable seat, and any tractor will be given a head start in maneuverability. So they called him in memory of the opportunities that were once available to any rider. The use of a garden rider is multifunctional: it is used to cut grass, collect garbage, snow, water and fertilize the soil.
Home fitness
The sound word is, among other things, equipment for fitness. There are special simulators-riders, which are a design that is somewhat reminiscent of a bicycle. However, unlike an exercise bike, this sports apparatus is designed to work with a larger group of muscles. The rider is designed like a pair of scissors. And the essence of the exercises themselves is to raise and lower the weight of your own body. This is somewhat boring, but effective, since you develop endurance and train the cardiovascular system of the whole body, without putting unnecessary stress on either the knee or elbow joints.
Tribute to the cinema
Let's go a little deeper into the story. In 1982, the science-fiction television series Knight of the Roads appeared on American screens, which was very popular not only for its four seasons, but also for a long time after that. The expanses of Russian television broadcasting conquered this creation already in the late nineties. And not so long ago, in 2008, to the delight of the fans, the continuation of the beloved story was filmed.
In the story, one of the main roles is played by the hero’s car - he is intelligent, independent and able to communicate in voice. On the hood of this car is a strip of red LEDs that shimmer when the car's voice sounds. This effect looks pretty stylish.
The title of the aforementioned television series in English sounds "Knight Rider". In honor of him, and named LED riders - jewelry made of LED strips, which are installed today on the hoods of cars.
Place in show business
But most often in the modern lexicon this word is used in the field of show business. When organizing tours, agents of artists compose riders. What is this in this case? This is a detailed list of everything a celebrity may need to perform. This includes technical desires for the design of the scene, as well as the gastronomic preferences of the performers themselves.
If we recall the origin of the word (the verb "go" is the basis), it is easy to understand why this document is so called. After all, we are talking about travel. And therefore it is not surprising that in such a multi-valued English, the list of things necessary for a trip from the verb is simply translated into a noun. Another thing is striking: the Russian language, with all its wealth, so eagerly and indiscriminately absorbs overseas definitions. However, this is a completely separate topic.
star fever
Many celebrities are very fond of riders. What is it, firsthand is known to the host. And journalists are happy to try, lighting up the whim of the stars, eager for sensations, to the public. It seems that in some cases, the performers specifically make unreasonable demands just for the sake of being heard about them once again.
Star riders sometimes include completely unexpected items. For example, the Disco Crash group orders a live cock with the person accompanying it. A bird is used in one of the rooms. After this, the living and unharmed representative of the birds is returned to the owner.
But the “Inveterate scammers” prefer on stage inanimate props. For their room, they order exactly 14 rolls of white toilet paper. Moreover, it is separately stipulated that the paper should not be perforated.
Taisiya Povaliy especially indicates that the driver serving her must certainly be with two hands. In addition, a basketball must await her in the room . His singer uses as a sports equipment to relax the spine.
Among domestic performers, lovers of fooling will undoubtedly please Philip Kirkorov. His rider can barely fit on a dozen pages and includes all the details of the stay: from a snow-white limousine, which must take him from the plane, to a meticulous description of the contents in the refrigerator of a hotel room.
Overseas whims
Household riders of some stars can be read like novels. And the point here is not the beauty of the syllable, but the volume. For example, the list of requirements of the singer Celine Dion takes 67 pages of text. It's scary to think about how much time it took to come up with them all. What is the mere meticulous enumeration of interior items and the color scheme of the wallpaper!
Jennifer Lopez's wishes include the constant presence of a person who should spray around the perfume from Chanel "White Gardenia". Tea prepared for her should be mixed counterclockwise. One can only guess how the fulfillment of this requirement is verified. And when the singer feels the need to listen to music, she orders to give earphones decorated with diamonds.
Madonna believes that after every visit to the toilet there it is necessary to change the toilet seat. Fresh white orchids, salt from the bowels of the Dead Sea and three special candles are expected in her room. And if someone dares to break the silence, it simply requires compensation for moral damage.
How sweets prevented a catastrophe
However, it also happens that behind a seemingly ridiculous and stupid demand lies something more serious than it might seem at first glance. This statement is true in the case of the American hard rock band Van Halen.
The rider of the group since the eighties includes one strange point. Moreover, it is registered in the middle of the technical specification. The artists wished that there always was a vase with M&M candies in the locker room, however, there should not be a single dragee of brown among them.
Sorting a couple of packs of sweets is not a big deal. However, this item was specially invented, and its implementation is an indicator that all other requirements were also taken into account and fulfilled. And among them in a special way appears the need for the stage to be properly strengthened. And now this is not just a whim of celebrities.
This requirement is explained by the fact that the Van Halen group uses specialized equipment during performances, which in itself is bulky and heavy. Add to this specificity of hard rock performance, when several adult men from all urine jump around the stage and get serious pressure on the supporting structures.
Perhaps no one would ever have known about this little trick if it had not been for the indicative precedent that occurred in one of the tours. It was happening at the University of Colorado. Entering the dressing room, the artists found their sweets, but among them were covered with brown glaze. Instantly the question arose of the proper fulfillment of the remaining requirements. Since the item on sorting dragees was drawn up in a document, they had the right to demand a test of the strength of the scene.
When checking the scene crashed. The concert was canceled. However, thanks to such forethought, not only the integrity of expensive equipment was preserved, but also, quite possibly, not one young life.