Have you ever wanted to fall through the ground? The meaning of phraseology is known, we think, by hearsay. Today we will analyze its meaning and history.
The Dark Kingdom of Hades
It is amazing that hell, in both pagan and Christian tradition, is a place somewhere deep underground, and paradise, naturally, is high in the sky, even if it is Mount Olympus, then it cannot be called low.
The meaning of phraseology “to fall through the earth” is a gift to us from our ancestors. A person, if he lives long enough, there are many reasons to burn with shame in a particular situation. But if we say “fail”, then it is not always clear where exactly. The answer to this extremely interesting question is the following: when you want to fail or, God forbid, you are warned in this way, it means a trip to hell. And in the literal sense "abyss", "disappear." After all, sometimes we use the verb involved in phraseological units, and as a curse word.
Shame
When a person himself, by his own initiative, is ready to fall through the earth, the meaning of phraseology in this case is associated with shame. When a student has not learned a lesson, and his teacher is ashamed in front of the whole class, he is not even an hour away from his mortal body and will meet with the gloomy ancient Greek god or with the titans who live in Tartarus. Do you know the expression "everything flies in tartarara"? That's where everything goes, on a date with the titans.
In fact, a person, when doing something improper, does not feel any sense of awkwardness and no remorse. In other words, he does not want to fall through the ground (the meaning of phraseology does not need to be explained). It is a shame only if the secret becomes apparent. In other cases, a person calmly negotiates with his conscience. After all, the student who did not do his homework did not think that he would be called to the board and would begin to “work out” in front of the whole class. The issue here is not the subject, but the fact that a mistake from a private affair has become public knowledge, and among the complete anonymity of the latter, nevertheless, there are some specific individuals who play an important role for a person who has committed an unseemly act. The source of authority in this case cannot be a teacher, if a child or an adult student respects a teacher, they will certainly prepare for classes. This is one interpretation of the meaning of the phrase “fall through the ground”.
Oath
Another situation is when one recalls hell without even knowing it. Man uses expression as an assurance of his trustworthiness. Similar turnovers: “so that it would be empty for me” or “thunder me”. If the boss asks Petrov whether he will cope with the task, he can answer him: “Fail me in this place if I can’t. Yes for you, for you, Nikifor Kuzmich, whatever. ” Some are very fond of their superiors, well, lucky people.
There is only one problem: all these ready-made verbal formulas are slightly worn out after the limitation of use, and therefore one cannot take such oaths so seriously. Another thing is that they still show the degree of seriousness of a person’s mood.
The reader, we hope that now you can easily explain the meaning of phraseology “is ready to fall through the earth”, because there is nothing complicated in it. Language is a fascinating subject to study if you take it seriously.