Often we do not suspect how closely the cultural realities of the Russian and English-speaking worlds can intertwine. Sometimes some proverbs smoothly pass from one country to another due to the movement of the "popular" masses. It is people who are responsible for disseminating information in the country and abroad.
Clothing is the universal need of mankind
The clothing theme is one of the most pressing. And if you look at folk proverbs about the clothes of England and Russia, you can see a clear similarity. And also there is a chance to come across features of the English-speaking world that do not quite fit into Russian realities. Let's look at the English proverbs about clothes with translation.
Proverbs with literal translation
The most famous expression that is used to characterize a hypocritical person - and wolf in sheep's clothing, is translated in accordance with Russian realities - "a wolf in sheep's clothing."
When we talk about a difficult financial situation, we use the expression “tighten the belt tight”, the analogue of which in English is the following - to tighten one's belt.
When it comes to the quality of work, we usually use the expression “to roll up your sleeves”, in English you can find the following correspondence - to roll up one's sleeves, the translation of which is identical to our expression.
This proverb about clothes speaks of a person’s readiness to embark on a serious matter and fulfill it in good faith.
If we talk about embezzlement associated with the loss of our own funds, we say “put it out of one’s own pocket”, which is reflected in English realities as follows: pick out of one's pocket (literally: “pull out of one’s own pocket / savings”).
When it comes to offended dignity, we say that someone "struck below the waist." In English, this is reflected in the expression to hit someone below the belt.
One meaning - different expression
There are many proverbs and expressions related to clothing that cannot be translated verbatim, but in general they mean the same thing in different languages.
For example, when we talk about a person who humiliates or humbly appeals to others with a request, the expression “to walk with outstretched hand” is used. In English, it will be displayed as follows - With hat in hand (ie, “with a hat in his hand”).
Another interesting expression, which implies a completely trusting attitude to the world, exposing one’s feelings for show - “walk open with your soul”, is presented in English as To wear one's heart on one's sleeve (literally: “wear a heart on a sleeve”).
And there are thousands of such expressions. For students of English and the culture of other countries, this knowledge can be of great help.
Have fun learning!