The expression "circle around the finger" is still widely used, although few people know where it came from. We will consider the meaning of phraseology and its history, especially since the legends about the emergence of a stable speech circulation are fascinating. And over time, it is already so difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.
Meaning
Before moving on to fascinating stories, let’s talk about what the phrase “circle around the finger” means. There is no riddle here. When they say so, they mean that a person was deceived, outwitted, cheated.
For example, when a student managed to write off the control, and the strict teacher did not notice this, then the teachers circled around the finger. But, truth, there are also stories when the teacher himself is "glad to be deceived." Most often this happens in high school, when the teacher does not want to spend time on retakes. Then he takes a newspaper or a book and reads with enthusiasm, and the students at that time also enthusiastically and selflessly write off the answers to questions that, of course, are in advance.
However, enough about that, we move on to the dessert, bearing in mind the history of the expression "circle around the finger."
Practical versions
It is known how easy it is to wind a thread on a finger. An explanation of the origin of the saying “circle around the finger” is also built on this principle. According to Dahl, for example, the expression came from a kindred “wrap around his finger”, which meant “to cope with the task quickly and easily.”
The second practical hypothesis says that in fact there was some German proverb that was traced, resulting in our famous expression. The German saying refers to a weak-minded person who is even easier to deceive than to wind a thread on a finger.
These are the versions of the origin of a stable phrase, which are based on some physical capabilities of the thread and finger. We remind you that the focus of our phraseology is “circle around the finger”. More interesting stories will follow.
Magicians, robbers and the dead
Imagine a public place with a lot of people. And there must necessarily be an illusionist. One of the legends says that the expression appeared because the magicians distracted the curious with tricks, and their accomplices thoroughly cleaned the pockets of onlookers at that time.
The reader will indignantly ask: “And what does the phraseological unit“ circle around the finger? ” Calm, only calm. The Magician has big hands, so he took something from a randomly selected viewer and hid it in his hands, perhaps even his fingers. Remember the trick with the coin, which appears behind the ear of the viewer, and all this the magician makes it appear there. Big hands are vital for an illusionist.
Another legend is associated with the robbers, only this story has a mystical fleur. The bandits believed that the dead man’s hand has evil magical power, you just need to make circular movements over the heads of the sleeping people, and the dream will become deeper, which will allow criminals to silently and painlessly free the pockets of victims from all that is superfluous. Indeed, in ancient times, people did not stay in a hotel, but often slept right on the street, by the road, for example. By the way, history has not preserved evidence of how effective such an eerie method was.
Of course, one may ask which of the legends is true and which is not? But is it that important? The main thing is that the expression “circle around the finger” does not change the meaning. And the reader will learn not only something new, but also something truly marvelous. But, it would seem, the usual, everyday stable expression.