Phraseologism "dead hour": meaning, origin, synonyms

Phraseologism is a unique tool of the Russian language. This tool is used to decorate speech, its enrichment.

Phraseologisms, retaining their form after so many years and even centuries, reflect the history, culture and life of the Russian people. In linguistics they are called realities.

Consider the stable expression "dead time" and study its history.

Origin and meaning

The phrase “dead hour” is associated with a watch with a fight. Historians believe that the first tower clock was brought to Russia in the 15th century. They were installed in the Moscow Kremlin.

Despite the fact that in those days in Russia there were already workshops for the production of watches, they were still purchased in the West. Even the installation of the Kremlin was carried out by invited English specialists.

The tower clock beat every 60 minutes, hence the phraseological unit. Initially, it carried a direct meaning. Phraseologism "dead time" appeared much later. It was based on a metaphor. The feeling of waiting for the end of a long period of time was transferred to other events, so the phrase became winged.

So, the meaning of phraseology “dead time” is long, tedious and inconclusive. That’s what they say when they spend a lot of time on a business and cannot complete it. At the same time, precious minutes of life are wasted.

We found that the meaning of phraseology “dead time” is directly related to its origin. Unfortunately, over time, the steady expression has lost its figurativeness, like many others (“beat the buck, ” “pull the gimp”, etc.).

This happens because the language develops, some words become obsolete, go away from everyday use. However, the meaning of such phrases can be found in phraseological dictionaries. Particularly interested linguists themselves conduct research using etymological guides, historical documents, and offer new variants of origin.

Synonyms

We have compiled a list of related constant expressions. It will help you correlate phraseological units with the meaning of “dead time”.

1. “An hour per teaspoon” - this steady expression appeared thanks to medicine. Doctors wrote in prescriptions: "drink" ... "an hour later, a teaspoon." And the patient had to wait so much time between each admission to recover.
2. "Pull the gimp." Previously, this word had a direct meaning - the manufacture of metal fishing line. The lesson was painstaking and tedious, which is why it matters.
3. "Turtle stride." No need to explain the origin, because there is imagery.

Examples from the literature

Consider excerpts from fiction and journalistic texts:

• " I have been seeking silence for an hour , but you have n’t shut your mouth !!! ... the branches of the petrochemical complex ? !!"

This is a fragment from the book by A. Ivanov, "The geographer drank the globe." The difficult life of the teacher and family problems make the hero break into a cry. The "Broken Hour" stands in its "place" and most accurately conveys the emotion of anger.

• "I sat at the princess’s beaten hour . Mary didn’t come out ..."

This excerpt from the “Hero of Our Time” by the famous Russian poet and writer M. Yu. Lermontov. The character is in love with Mary, which makes him think for a very long time without her.

• "... questions worried us for an hour. "

Excerpt from The Grass of Oblivion by V. Kataev. Here, “dead time” means “for a long time, a very long time.”