The Russian language is full of winged phrases and phraseological units, but it is far from always clear why they started to speak like that, where this statement came from, and what exactly it means. However, studying such phrases and their origin is extremely interesting. Here, for example, what does it mean to lay behind a collar?
The meaning of winged expression
This phrase means "drink," "drink alcohol." So, for example, when they say about a person “he often lays behind the collar”, it means that he suffers from alcohol addiction. The meaning of the phrase is understandable, but why did they start to say that? And here is the collar, and what is being laid for it? The answer can be found in the story.
Origin of phrase
They began to lay the collar under Peter I. The fact is that during his reign, the emperor ordered the stamping on the left collarbones of shipbuilders. This was done so that the artisans did not run away to other works. Such a mark allowed them to drink a glass of vodka in a tavern absolutely free of charge. To do this, the shipbuilder just needed to unfasten the collar and show the branded patch of leather. Only the best masters were subjected to such a procedure. However, this reward or punishment is still a very big question. This theory is one of the most widespread, but there is not a single documentary evidence of its reliability.
Alternative versions of the origin of the expression "lay behind the collar"
There is also a theory that the statement also appeared under Peter I, but already because of drunkards. A medal for drunkenness was hung on their neck, which it was not possible to remove. The owners of such an “award” also relied on a free glass of vodka, it was enough to show a medal.
Perhaps the phrase appeared due to the manner of filling the collar with a napkin before drinking before a meal. There is another opinion about the origin of this statement, and it is directly related to the appearance of this detail of clothing. Previously, the collar was sewn with a stand, and from the side it really seemed that when a person was eating or drinking, he throws something for him.
A similar phrase - to lay behind a tie - is attributed to the Guards Colonel Raevsky.
Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky in the "Old Notebook", describing Raevsky as a joker and a ringleader, emphasizes that this man was able to enrich the vocabulary of the guards with many phrases that have never gone out of use. For example, in addition to “laying for a tie”, he introduced the use of “podshoff”, “framboise”. It is curious that all these statements are somehow connected with alcohol or with the consequences of its use. This is most likely because the military of that time rarely refused to drink.