When a person hears such a word for the first time, the question is clearly visible on his face: what is it - a rumor? A special kind of percussion instrument, maybe a distant relative of the drum or tambourine? Or perhaps this is a new type of turban, invented by stylish fashionistas? The words from the song “Ah, my sharaban, American” immediately refute the conjecture and plunge into complete bewilderment.
The most convincing version of the origin of the word
The word is of French origin: char à bancs - a cart with benches.
The term appeared in the early nineteenth century in France. They designated a covered wagon on springs and four wheels (although later two-wheeled vehicles, called "spans", were also made), in which horses were harnessed. There were two to eight seats, depending on the number of benches and their location: on the sides of the wagon or in a row.
Later, motor scarabs appeared. This type of transport was actively used as a pleasure crew, for hunting trips and out of town. The French word "bank" means "bench", "bench for sitting" - in a sharaban there were several of them placed in a row to accommodate more people. Initially, it was just a cart with seats, but as the popularity increased, the sides were ennobled - they were made higher so that no dirt flew, a removable roof made of thick fabric was stretched over to protect it from rain and sun.
Trips by large companies to picnics, for sightseeing and just to move from one estate to another - for this purpose, a ramble was always used, which is rightfully considered the grandfather of a modern bus.
Advancement in history
In the United Kingdom, King Louis Philippe was the first to present such a vehicle to Queen Victoria; this rarity is still kept at the Royal Museum. In the photo, the queen’s scarab looks impressive and royal. Later, such a vehicle was modernized and renamed a convertible, which was more popular due to its convenience and maneuverability.
During the First World War, motor scarabs were already used, but more often for short sorties. For long trips, they were too bulky and not fast enough, and after 1920, almost all of these vehicles were replaced with more modern omnibuses and buses (although now they are also antiquity).
"Hunting" version
There is another option among lovers of fishing, travel and hunting, explaining that the sharaban is a rectangular (although there are round containers) box of durable iron with carry handles and a tight lid, which was intended for smoking meat, lard and fish. The design is very similar to the barbecue, but has a grill inside, located closer to the bottom of the product. This product is considered indispensable in taiga long trips and expeditions. Essentially, it is a mini-smokehouse for mobile use.
Sawdust or small branches of alder trees (they give an amazing aroma of smoke) are placed at the bottom of such a box, and on top of the grate are prepared products that are smoked in smoke and acquire not only a wonderful taste, but also an amazing smoked smell. A sharaban is put on a fire, and the entire cooking process takes no more than an hour. Among the fishermen and hunters there is even a saying: "I ate fish from a scarab - I regretted that I had stopped drinking."
Even now in the north-west of Russia, for example, in Karelia, in remote villages, one can trace the active use of this term to refer to the box with tackle and catch from fishermen.
Variant of criminal slang
Among the supporters of the gop company the expression is widespread: "You will get it by a ramp." What does this mean? Indeed, neither the wagon nor the barbecue in the sense do not fit at all. There is also a phrase: “Don’t poke your dick”, which also baffles the inexperienced man in the street. In thieves folklore, the word "sharaban" means the head, from the word "ball": the head is round, like a ball. From here various interpretations in use went.
Also in the same slang there is the phrase "for me according to the scribble", meaning indifferent attitude to the subject, process or situation. Where this expression came from is unknown, but it is often used in slang of thieves.
"Sharaban" in the works
Great writers used this unusual word in their works, and each author believed that a sharaban was precisely a horse- drawn cart .
- Dostoevsky in "Demons";
- Annenkov in "Letters to Turgenev";
- Leo Tolstoy in Anna Karenina;
- in several stories by Anton Chekhov;
- William Faulkner in The Sound and the Fury.
In the novel “The Republic of SKID”, a homeless child Yankel sang a tramp song popular at that time (the beginning of the thirties): “... Japanese tobacco, oh, my rumor ...”. By the way, the song almost before the start of World War II was quite popular among the thieves contingent, and even modern singers had the courage to perform it from the big stage: Nadezhda Babkina, Yuri Chernov and Anton Mukharsky. The song is rather frivolous, it is sung on behalf of a schoolgirl with obscene rampant behavior and a craving for alcoholic beverages. But if you make a discount on the Russian mentality and local folklore of some areas, then perhaps understanding will come why people liked it so much.
Which option is correct?
In Russian, the word "sharaban" cannot be designated with one specific one; most likely, it is a homonym word that sounds the same, but has different meanings depending on the context. Therefore, how to apply such a word and whether it is worth applying it at all (if, of course, watch for the purity of speech) is an individual and purely personal matter.