To correctly understand the meaning of this or that speech turn present in the Russian language, one often has to look into the distant past, delve into historical chronicles. This also applies to the mysterious phraseology “verst Kolomenskaya”. Fortunately, the history of Russia provides an answer to questions about what it means and where it came from.
Versta Kolomenskaya: the origin of phraseology
So how did this expression become part of the Russian language? To begin with, it’s worth understanding the meaning of each of the words that are present in the speech design “verst Kolomenskaya”. The history of the village of Kolomenskoye began many centuries ago, it was first mentioned in chronicles during the reign of Moscow Prince Ivan Kalita, or rather in 1336. At different times, the village was owned by various metropolitan princes, then the kings drew attention to it.
The village of Kolomenskoye began to play an important role during the accession to the throne of Ivan the Terrible. It was he who first began to celebrate his name day in the Kolomna Palace, where the whole metropolitan nobility began to flock to feasts. In 1610, the village turned into the headquarters of the infamous False Dmitry the Second, but only for a short time. However, it reached its peak during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, who liked to spend the summer months with his family and close ones. Peter the Great did live in it most of his childhood, indulging in fun activities. Today, the village plays the role of a museum reserve, this status was assigned to it in the first half of the last century.
What is a milestone
Versta is another word that is an integral part of the expression “verst Kolomenskaya”. This is an old measure of length that was used on the territory of the Russian Empire before the metric system was introduced, which only happened in 1899. For reference, versts totals 1.006680 km.
At that time it was customary to name versta not only the aforementioned length segment, but also poles, which played the role of peculiar road signs informing travelers about the versts traveled, so that they could not get lost and die. The roads on which these signs were located were called pole roads. Traditionally, milestones were painted in an inclined strip, this was done so that they attracted the attention of travelers. The column indicated the exact number of miles that were left to go to (or from) a certain settlement.
Emperor’s Decree
So, where did the expression "Kolomna verst" come from? This happened thanks to autocrat Aleksei Mikhailovich, nicknamed his subjects the Quietest. The Tsar issued a decree in which he ordered the construction of special posts along all important Russian roads. The distance in versts was indicated on the posts. Subsequently, these structures were called versts or milestones. History claims that this innovation saved many residents of the Russian Empire from death in the snow.
What does “verst Kolomenskaya” have to do with it? The fact is, the autocrat, taking care of his subjects, did not forget about his own convenience. By his order, the road, which made it possible to get to the village from the Kremlin, was decorated with special pillars. They had a much higher height compared to those that were installed on the "simple" roads, looked more impressive. Moreover, a decoration depicting the emblem of the country served as a decoration for each pillar.
The meaning of phraseology
Surprisingly, the locals “imperial” pillars, endowed with an impressive size, did not like at all. They constantly complained that because of them it became difficult to use the road. The road was immediately renamed “Pillar”, and then the speech turn “Kolomenskaya versta” appeared. Its value was very unexpected. After all, they began to call people of very high stature. The new phraseologism quickly took root in the Russian language.
So what does “Kolomenskaya verst” mean? Synonyms that are suitable for a given speech revolution will help to better understand this: topsy, clock, and lanky. In most cases, this robust construction is used in an ironic sense, whether it is written or spoken.
Examples of use
Phraseologism, the meaning of which is considered in this article, is often found in the literature. For example, we can recall the work "The Zvonarev family" written by the author Alexander Stepanov. The heroine points out to the hero who offers to conduct it the fact that all people will pay attention to such a “Kolomna verst” as he, and she does not want this. It is understood that the man has a very high growth, which allows him to stand out from the crowd without making any effort for this.
You can refer to the famous historical novel "Peter the Great", which was created by the writer Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy. The hero of the work describes the growth of a teenage boy, says that he had already managed to stretch himself “from the Kolomna mile” for the time before he saw him.
What else do you need to know
Obviously, phraseology “Kolomenskaya verst” has not only synonyms. The antonym that is most suitable is shorty. You can also use other words - small, short.
It is necessary to take into account the fact that the word order in this case does not play a significant role. “Kolomenskaya versta” or “versts Kolomenskaya” - the meaning remains the same, no matter what option the speaker uses.