It is already established in our world that those in power rule the ball. Often they decide how to live for a simple people. In such cases, the popular expression “grief for the vanquished” is used. In this article we will look at what this stable phrase means, where it came from and how it is used in speech.
The meaning of the expression “woe to the vanquished”
Phraseologism has a negative interpretation. It means the threat of a person, group of persons or system to worsen the situation of those who depend on them. Woe to the vanquished - those who are ruled by someone or something. They lose their voice, their rights, they have to obey others. Where did such a cruel expression come from? We will consider this question further.
The history of the origin of the expression
A large phraseological dictionary edited by Rosa T.V. reveals the etymology of this stable expression.
There is a tradition that the Roman historian Titus Livius told the world. According to him, in 390 BC, one of the Gallic leaders conquered Rome. He made all the inhabitants pay him a thousand pounds of gold. The Romans had no choice but to pay this greedy leader. However, many doubted that the weights weighing the gold brought by them show the correct weight. Then, in revenge, Brenn put his sword on the device, exclaiming: “Woe to the vanquished!” By this behavior, he showed the people that they did not argue with those in power. And punctuation leads to disastrous consequences for the vanquished themselves.
Hence the expression "put the sword on the scales."
These unfair words have been repeated and repeated many times by ferocious conquerors who are used to forcing others to submit to their will by force.
Expression Usage Examples
Many writers, journalists and publicists use the idiom “woe to the vanquished” in their works and speeches. It shows all the hopelessness of the situation of those who were under someone else's oppression. As an example, we cite an excerpt from the youthful novel by Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov “Vadim”. “People, when they suffer, are usually submissive. But if they managed to lose their burden, then the lamb turns into a tiger, the oppressed becomes the oppressor and pays a hundredfold - and then woe to the vanquished. ”
In print media, this expression is often used for headlines. It can attract readers, show the main problem that is addressed in the publication. Especially often this expression is used in materials describing war crimes and predatory acts.