People, as a rule, well understand the meaning of the expression "stigma in the cannon", its meaning does not cause difficulties. Interpretation as well as origin is another matter. In order, we consider everything related to this speech revolution.
The plot of the fable of I. A. Krylov "Fox and Marmot"
It is clear that to retell the fable with prose is like singing without hearing and voice. But we need to know the plot is vital, and the work is quite long to give it here in full. Therefore, readers would like to wish a little patience.
The Fox runs from all legs and meets Groundhog. And he asks her where is she going? She answers him that she suffers injustice. The fox served as a judge in the chicken coop, and then evil tongues began to accuse her of bribes. She asks her interlocutor if he saw her breaking the law. To which the honest Marmot answers her: “No, gossip; and often saw that the stigma in your fluff. " Thus, our object of study today is a catch phrase from the imperishable heritage of I. A. Krylov.
Value
You can, of course, reconstruct the meaning of the plot of the fable, but we will not rely on chance. So, the speech turn “stigma in the gun” has the following meaning: a person is involved in dark, illegal affairs. And not only that, he knows this sin perfectly well, but he is trying to take on himself the role of sacrifice.
If such a person did not protrude and did not try to prove his innocence, like a fox in a fable, then he would have more hopes for a happy ending. But feverish activity destroys him. But if you look at it from the other side: a person has a conscience, and it stings him, which means that not everything is lost. Yes, and one more thing: the expression "stigma in the cannon" (meaning is given in the process of research) implies that there is no direct evidence, but rather indirect evidence. After all, if the bestial brotherhood had reasons, the fox would not have escaped with exile.
Colombo and his suspects
Since we have evidence, we need a detective. The illustrious lieutenant Colombo is perfect for this role. Moreover , he met many criminals who portray holy simplicity . But no one was able to outwit the detective.
Almost from the very beginning, a policeman knows that this or that person is guilty. Someone alone is more worried than the rest and is always interested in how the investigation is going and how many have been found out. As the reader probably already guessed, this type of behavior clearly indicates that a person has a stigma in a cannon. The meaning of phraseology is no longer necessary to explain.
From the moment Colombo understood everything, the game of cat and mouse begins. Of course, a predator is a policeman, and a criminal is a victim. But the whole point of the game is that the avoiding punishment thinks that everything is under control, and this detective, the dumbass, is about to leave him alone. But when Colombo collects enough evidence, he delivers the last blow right on target.
And it all started with the fact that the detective suspected something was amiss. And in this sense, the criminal is next to the policeman not because he is attracted to the place of the murder, but because he hopes to somehow influence the course of the investigation, of course, in his own favor.
The bad conscience is to blame. Therefore, the meaning of the expression “stigma in the cannon” is not so simple, but the reader, we think, is convinced of this.