Persistent expressions are born in different ways. Some of them come to us from the Bible, literature, some are folk sayings. There are steady revolutions that have appeared during some historical events. For example, "keep the gunpowder dry," a synonym phraseology of which is "keep an eye out."
In this article we will examine the interpretation and etymology of this circulation. And also we will pick up another phraseologism to it, which has a similar meaning.
Keep Gunpowder Dry: Meaning of the Expression
For the interpretation of sustainable turnover, we turn to the school phraseological dictionary of M.I. Stepanova. “Be prepared for action at any time,” is the expression “keep gunpowder dry.” The synonym phraseologism, which we noted, has a similar interpretation. Namely: “to be ready”, “to be on the alert.”
However, these phraseological units have different etymologies. As you know, a synonymous expression is a folk dictum, it does not have a specific author. And the phraseologism we are considering appeared due to a well-known person. We will talk about this in more detail later.
The history of the origin of the expression
The phrase was spoken by Oliver Cromwell. This is the leader of the bourgeois revolution that took place in England in the 17th century.
When crossing the river to fight the Scots, he said to his soldiers: "Hope for God, but keep the powder dry." This expression has gained popularity and has become sustainable. It has been translated into many languages, including Russian.
Keeping Gunpowder Dry: A synonym for phraseology
As we have already noted, this stable phrase has the meaning of "be prepared for action." It was also indicated that the turnover “keep the gunpowder dry” is a synonym for phraseology - “keep your ears open”. It also means “to be ready,” but it also has the following meanings: “be careful,” “be alert.”
As a synonymous phraseological unit, one can also cite the expression “Hope in God, and don’t lie yourself”. In any case, all these phrases imply the need to do something: be prepared and act.
Consuming Sustainable Turnover
The expression we are considering is used as headlines in the media. In the last time, so unstable for the world, phraseology began to be actively used by journalists in publications about the threat of the third world war, about the preparation of different countries for military operations. Still, this expression belongs to the leader of the revolution. His winged advice was given to the army, but he was taken up by all of England and soon by the whole world.
In the literature, phraseological unit is also actively used. Especially in military prose.