Gauge is a familiar beaten track that we follow in our lives. The reasons for “knocking out” can be completely different, but often this is a severe emotional shock that forces us to leave our usual comfort zone.
The expression "lose track". Origin
This stable expression has several related meanings, which differ only in semantic nuances and cases of use. In the educational phraseological dictionary, “getting out of the rut” means that a person no longer has the strength to lead a habitual life, and in the phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language this stable expression means the loss of a familiar state.
This phrase can often be found in the works of Russian classics, for example, in Tolstoy's War and Peace, Goncharov's Oblomov, Pushkin's Dubrovsky, Dostoevsky's Idiot and Crime and Punishment. The frequent use of this expression is due to the fact that at that time unsettling a wagon or chariot was a fairly common occurrence - very often this stable phrase was used not only figuratively, but also in the literal sense. Nowadays, this famous expression is often used only in an indirect sense.
What does it mean to "get out of the rut"? The meaning of phraseology
To understand the meaning of this stable expression in more detail, one needs to turn to Russian classical literature. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in his story "Misfortune" tells the story of lawyer Ilyina, who is in love with married housewife Sofya Petrovna.
The strict morals of that time did not allow the servant of the law to speak openly about his feelings for this woman, although they are mutual. The sudden overtaking feeling discourages Ilyin so much that he cannot lead his usual existence. "I love you, I love to the point that I am unsettled, quit work and loved ones, I forgot my God!" He writes in letters to Sofya Petrovna. These words for lawyer Ilyin mean the sudden loss of his usual state, to which he has become so accustomed for many years that sudden love for him has become not a wonderful feeling, but above all a loss of peace, beloved work and loved ones.
In what cases can this expression be used?
Phraseologism "get out of the rut" can be used in several cases - if we want to indicate a sharp change in our usual lifestyle, or if we mean a stressful situation for us, which has reached an almost absolute peak. In other words, the cases of use are diametrically opposite, and the phrase is one. In some situations, using this expression, we want to emphasize first of all the severe degree of stress into which circumstances drove us, and in some - a change in our usual way of life, getting into an unusual situation.
The widow may say that her husband’s death knocked her out of her rut, and this would mean, first of all, terrible grief. An office worker can also use this phraseology, but the emphasis will not be on the colossal degree of suffering caused by problems with public transport, but on changing the usual course of his day.
Analogs abroad
According to many people who study one or several languages in depth, the translation of Russian phraseological units into a foreign language causes certain difficulties. In English, there is no definite analogue to the expression "unsettle", so it is translated depending on the context. For example, if the proposal says that the grain processing process should remain at the same level, then it is appropriate to say "to keep this process on track", which literally means "keep the process on the road."
If we want to say that grain is no longer of the same quality as before, then the expression "derailed" is appropriate, literally - "go off the rails." The phrase “unsettle” has the same meaning in all languages - changing the usual course of events is not for the better, with the appearance of multiple negative consequences. Their degree can be both small and catastrophically huge. The final interpretation of the sentence often depends on this.
Is this good or bad?
The expression "unsettle" often implies a negative change in the situation, lifestyle, which led to a certain level of stress. Using this phraseology in a positive context is quite difficult - a person is structured in such a way that he perceives any, even the slightest change in his usual schedule and schedule. However, if you look at it more closely, you can say that in any case, moving forward is closely related to the breakdown of patterns, stress, and changes.
Of course, we are not talking about unconditional life dramas, which are very difficult to survive, however, if, for example, we move to a permanent place of residence in another country, which we have been dreaming about for a long time, then this, of course, is associated with a certain amount of stress. We are leaving our comfort zone. Flight, a huge bunch of things in the corridor, an unusual situation ... But this is a breakthrough, a new experience! Everything in life is ambiguous, you should not perceive life only in black and white colors. Yes, the usual life track is convenient, but not always good. To break out of it does not always mean negative life events, the main message of the phraseological unit considered in this article is change.
The lexical meaning
Russian is one of the most beautiful and rich languages in the world. The zest and atypicality are given to it by original Russian speech turns. By their origin, they are divided into several types: pan-Slavic, East Slavic and actually Russian. The phrase that we are talking about is native Russian. The expression "lose track" is the professional vocabulary of drivers. As often happens, professionalism, which was initially used only in a narrow layer of the population, turned into literary speech and became a full-fledged language unit. Sometimes this happens even with jargon. The writers, who initially set themselves the goal of immersing the reader in the atmosphere they describe, contribute to the penetration of a variety of verbal turns into Russian speech.