There is such an expression - "the thread of Ariadne." The meaning of phraseologism we will consider today, and also learn an extremely entertaining story that is associated with it. As usual, there will be examples to better understand the meaning of a stable phrase.
Origin
The speech revolution came to us from ancient Greek myths, and it goes back to the adventures of the hero of Theseus.
Somehow, after the ordinary exploits, Theseus arrived in Athens. The city-state was sad. Still would! After all, he had to equip the next premise for a terrible monster - the Minotaur (a man with a bull's head). It included seven boys and seven girls. Such was the payment for the Athenians killing the son of the Cretan king - Androgeus. The king himself was called Minos.
Readers will have to be patient in order to find out the meaning of the expression “Ariadne’s thread” (the meaning of phraseological units is hereinafter referred to as the time of history).
Theseus, as a true hero, could not allow injustice to happen and begged his father (the mayor of Athens Aegeus) to send him along with a tribute to Crete to visit the Minotaur. Of course, the father was not eager to send the only son for breakfast or lunch to the monster, but what can you do, such a share is not easy for the heroes - they must help everyone out.
Meeting with Ariadne
Fortunately for Theseus, Minos also had a daughter, Ariadne, who, as soon as she saw Theseus, fell in love with him immediately. And this is not surprising, because Theseusu was favored by the goddess of love.
Of course, like any girl who has just found love, Ariadne did not want to lose it, so she gave Theseus a thread gathered in a ball and ordered that her beginning be tied to the entrance to the Labyrinth (the minotaur’s dwelling), so that after the young man finished the Minotaur, he easily found his way back. As they say in Russian fairy tales, it is said - done.
True, the ending of this story is a little sad. If the reader is interested not only in the meaning of the phrase “Ariadne’s thread” (the meaning of phraseological units, in other words), but also in the denouement of history, then we will direct him to the wonderful book Myths of Ancient Greece by N. A. Kuna. In turn, we are ready to discover the secret of the meaning of phraseology and to illustrate it with an example from everyday life.
Value
The smart reader will easily guess everything himself. The expression “Ariadne’s thread” means a key that will allow you to get out of a predicament. For example, books are the thread of Ariadne, because they allow you to get out of the labyrinth of your own ignorance.
Cheat sheet as Ariadne’s thread on the exam
Famous story. A student (or student) does not sleep all night and thinks about the upcoming math exam. Our hero is a diligent student, one trouble - his memory is bad, and the student cannot remember complex computational formulas.
The hero’s mother comes to the rescue and tells him: “Son, write a cheat sheet. This invention of human thought has two undeniable advantages: firstly, when you write it, you memorize the material at the same time, and secondly, you feel confident with it in the exam. ”
No sooner said than done. Exam passed. The Minotaur is defeated. Everyone is happy. And we finally figured out the meaning of the expression “Ariadne’s thread”. The meaning of phraseology is no longer a mystery to us.
What does phraseologism teach us?
The first thing that comes to mind when we read the story of Theseus is, of course, that being strong and courageous helps. The second is that even the strongest are sometimes required to help in their exploits. And the third, and most important: there is a way out of any even the most difficult situation. Such is the versatility of the expression “Ariadne’s thread”. We consider the meaning of the phrase from a moral (didactic) point of view.
There are no lucky people in the world in the full sense of the word. Reality does not give gifts. Each person has to pay for his success and win it with labor and patience. And any of us sometimes needs the "thread of Ariadne." Phraseologism, leading its genealogy from myths and legends of Ancient Greece, has become an integral part of the Russian language.