If the reader thought that the roots of the expression are biblical, then he is absolutely right. Although I probably remembered the more famous Lazarus. In any case, all the questions will be answered, and we will consider the meaning of phraseology “singing Lazarus”.
Origin
As already mentioned, the history of expression dates back to the Bible. But this does not mean the Lazarus who rebelled, but the one who lived near the rich man’s house, suffered suffering and deprivation. Then, one day, not so beautiful, he died and joined Abraham in paradise.
Tolstosum was also not immortal. It was time for him to say goodbye to life, but he plunged into hell, and his suffering was terrible. Then a wealthy man noticed that the beggar was prospering in paradise, and asked the father of the Jewish people to intercede for him. Abraham said that this rich man was enjoying life in that world, and now it was time to console himself with a poor beggar who did not know joy in his earthly life.
Even Abraham explicitly hinted that the rich man’s suffering is eternal, as well as the pleasure of Lazarus. Of course, to the extent possible, we freely conveyed the content of the parable. Those who want to know how the story is told in the original source will find this work in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 16 verses 19-31).
Now we can proceed directly to the meaning of the phraseology “Singing Lazarus”.
Meaning
In pre-revolutionary Russia, beggars used the story of a parable to squeeze a tear from the rich and some money for subsistence. The most interesting thing is that, despite the lordship of the parable itself, it means mock moans and complaints about fate. The goal of the latter is known: to mislead.
Remember, almost everyone in the environment has a person who tirelessly complains about fate. Of course, some immediately think that this is the prerogative of women. But no, and men in this sense may well be different. A characteristic feature: “they sing Lazarus” (the meaning of phraseological unit is analyzed a little higher) not those who really need help, but those who are few in number, or they feel unfairly bypassed.
You may notice a certain pattern: those who complain too much do not really need. People in difficult psychological or financial situations do not moan, they have no time: they try to get out of the pit.