People accept information differently. Some are easier to understand by ear, while others need visual support. But despite this, if a group of people is told something interesting, then they will listen with pleasure, holding their breath. The meaning of this phraseology we will analyze in the article.
Origin
Like all folk wisdom, phraseological unit “holding its breath”, the meaning of which we will consider below, is rooted in antiquity. In Russia, many wisdom was invented that people, due to their illiteracy, could not write. That is why, with the advent and distribution of fiction, phraseological units have become frequent. The expression “holding our breath” we can observe in the works of Russian classics, such as I. Bunin, M. Prishvin, V. Sukhomlinsky.
Value
Time passed, and the meaning of the statement changed. Today, the meaning of phraseology “holding our breath” in one word can be described as follows: carefully. But this is not an exact synonym. Indeed, phraseologism is multifaceted. It can be used both to convey joyful feelings, and to describe fear. First, consider the first, positive option. In it, the meaning “holding my breath” can be described as “listening carefully, with inspiration, without interrupting”.
So the children listen to the tales that their parents read to them at night. A girl in love will breathlessly listen to the verses of her young man.
But phraseologism has another context. Holding your breath you can expect trouble. For example, in almost all horror films, the main characters climb into the basement or attic. There they sit with bated breath, so that the villain would not find them.
When used
We examined the two meanings of the phrase “holding our breath” and even understood where it can be used. Now you need to understand how often people use this expression. When something exciting happened in a person’s life, and he decided to share this episode of his life with friends, phraseologism pops up in his memory instantly.
Suppose you went to an organ music concert. It fascinates any person from the moment the first chords are played. And when you talk about it, the phrase "I listened with bated breath" will surely slip through in the speech.
Another example of use: a girl walks along a dark street, alone, late at night. Then a male figure comes out from behind a turn and moves right at her. There is a turn to the right, and the girl, without hesitation, runs into it and hides behind the parapet. Then she is forced to sit there for 10 minutes with a beating heart. But in the retelling of this story, the main participant will tell that she sat with bated breath. The meaning of phraseology, it turns out, has some kind of written or conversational connotation. No one at the moment can say that he held his breath. This will always pop up after the fact.
The value that phraseologisms bring to people's lives is enormous. They allow you to expand your vocabulary, a person can more succinctly describe their thoughts. Without phraseologisms, our speech would be boring and less beautiful. Indeed, it is thanks to such verbal turns that the Russian language is considered one of the most literary in the world.