Among the rare exotic animals, it is perhaps the Mexican jerboa that causes the most questions. What does he look like, where does he live, what does he eat, and most importantly - why are they talking with furious aspiration, then with open sarcasm about the fur of this unprecedented beast? Latin America in general and Mexico in particular are really full of all kinds of animals that are not found on other continents. But the search for the mysterious jerboa may never succeed.
What is famous Mexican jerboa?
According to the preserved documentary evidence, the main advantage of this animal is its elegant soft fur, from which ladies' stoles, boas, and possibly even fur coats are made. A person who is even a little familiar with zoology will certainly experience legitimate surprise. Jerboas are small mouse-like rodents, is it possible to get enough skins for a fur coat? Technically it is possible, the carcass length of the largest jerboas reaches 26 centimeters. After all, they sew fur coats from squirrel skins or chinchillas.
On the other hand, as vole mice are not a fur-bearing hunting animal, jerboas happily escaped the fate of sables and arctic foxes. The legitimate question remains, why does everyone have this wonderful fur on their lips? The Mexican jerboa, alas, is a fictional animal, and we owe this to the miracle of nature to Ilf and Petrov. Their immortal work “The Twelve Chairs” gave us a huge number of catchphrases. Expert evaluation of valuable furs from recognized maestro Ostap Bender stepped into the people.
Defile in furs from Ellochka the Ogre
The wife of an engineer Schukin received the nickname "cannibal" from the authors not at all because of some terrible sins. Compared to the savages of the Mumbo-Yumbo tribe, whose vocabulary is about three hundred words, Ellochka cost only three dozen. Particular emphasis is placed on the "horror", "gloom", "krrr-rasota" and "ho-ho." It would seem, where does the Mexican jerboa?
Among the various hobbies of Ellochka, the leading position was occupied by the battle with the daughter of the American billionaire Vanderbild. The whole small salary of the spouse was put on the altar of struggle, and it was precisely to wipe the nose of the arrogant Vanderbildich that two chairs were purchased from the headset, which Comrade Bender was hunting for. But the luxurious wardrobe, designed to surpass the pathetic silks and diamonds of an American, was built from a reshaped jacket, dresses with dog skin trim, as well as a chinchilla stole, which successfully became the "Russian hare killed in the Tula province." It was this rabbit chinchilla that Ellochka called the “Mexican jerboa”. However, Ostap instantly made a correction by awarding the hare the title of Shanghai leopard, which finally defeated the impressionable Ogre.
Unique furs on the shelves
In order to splurge and sell cheap fur at an expensive price, you absolutely do not need to be the hero of a satirical novel. In fact, this happens quite often, and the happy owner of a fur coat does not know who her new thing was during her life - an elite sable or a simple proletarian muskrat. Around the same situation with leather jackets. Modern technologies make it possible not only to cut a glass for a diamond, but also to give a leatherette to the skin of a young goat. So, on the counter appears Shanghai leopard, Mexican jerboa, "skin of a young dermatin" and other unique products. Cheap fur is dyed, plucked, trimmed and even curled to give it the necessary texture. Faux fur can also suddenly turn out to be so “natural” that it can easily be mistaken for the skin of an unknown animal.
Where can I find a Mexican jerboa?
The revelry of exotics in the fur ranks began in the “dashing nineties”, when the revelry of wild capitalism demanded to extract money from everything. Truly Bendery combinations made it possible to pass off a hat from the Tuzik near Moscow, which, at the evil hour, was caught by the flayer, for the elite skin of the Canadian wolf. If the price allowed, it was not so important what kind of fur went to the fur coat - a Mexican jerboa or a rabbit with the last gasp.
Now we can hope that the titled furs selling salons sell you exactly what is on the price tag, and this is really a silver mink or a less expensive animal. Breeders breeders have done great service to furriers, and the rabbit fur of the Chinchilla breed is really very similar in color and look to the chinchilla skin. A rabbit can fake if not everything, then almost everything: a llama, chinchilla, arctic fox, sable. What is the impudence of the seller. The highest risk to acquire a jerboa is the market. A cheap natural fur coat is almost one hundred percent jerboa, because natural furs, alas, are not cheap.
Winged phraseology
Despite the fact that any Shanghai (Mexican) jerboa refers to furs, this phrase very quickly broke the framework and now applies to anything. Mexican, Brazilian and other jerboas are called outbred dogs and cats, which the owners are trying to pass off as some unknown elite breed. This is a mocking title that is assigned to anything if the owner has the intention to give out cheap for expensive and elite. Especially if it doesn’t work out very well.
Mexican jerboa and its relatives
The closest relatives of this exotic animal is the “young dermatin”, whose leather is used to sew cheap handbags, jackets, jackets and all kinds of shoes. In fact, leather substitute can be of such a high quality that it will last much longer than genuine leather of poor manufacture, but these are the details - few buyers are so versed in this. The result is an exorbitantly expensive Mexican jerboa. Photos of the purchase can be easily uploaded to the Internet with the note: "Caution, scammers."
If we consider the closest relatives of the jerboa as fur-bearing game animals, then the closest thing will be the same national rabbit, wild hare or more expensive squirrel. There is nothing wrong with a budget coat, the rabbit fur is also soft and quite warm, but wear resistance is less, and it should be relatively inexpensive.
The relevance of using phraseology
Like other similar expressions, phraseology about a Mexican jerboa can be used in a literary text, in colloquial speech. Journalists who write on hot topics of the day also often use all kinds of metaphors, comparisons, and phraseological phrases. In this case, in business speech and official letters, it is better to refrain from demonstrating your vast vocabulary. In addition, despite the enormous popularity of the novel The Twelve Chairs, not everyone knows the source and meaning of the phrase, this can lead to misunderstanding. If you need to avoid ambiguity and embarrassing situations, refrain from wit.