Very often, winged expressions contain words that are not related to their general meaning. We say "this is where the dog is buried," referring not to the burial place of the pet at all.
Expression value
Trying to understand the problem that has arisen, a person puts forward various versions, considers all possible aspects. And when the inspiration occurs, time to exclaim: “This is where the dog is buried!” The meaning of this idiom is "deciphered" as "to understand the essence of an event, a fact", "to get to the bottom of the truth."
This expression can also determine what is the most important, fundamental in some problem, i.e. already understood its essence, reason, motive of what is happening. Say, a man thought and thought, what bothered him in some situation or phenomenon, and then as if his eyes opened, and it became clear where the dog was buried.
However, this may not be a global problem at all , but a household question: where, for example, did the son’s school diary disappear. And if it suddenly turns out that it was he himself who hid it, because he had elementarily earned a record of misbehavior, then you will understand where the dog is buried. The meaning of phraseology and in this situation is expressed by the establishment of truth.
Etymology
This winged expression is rich in version of origin - one another is more interesting.
Some researchers believe that phraseological unit is tracing paper from the German Da ist der Hund begraben, literally meaning “this is where (or - what) the dog is buried in,” “this is where the dog is buried.”
The Arab scientist Nikolai Vashkevich is generally convinced that in this phrase we are not talking about a dog or about burying it at all. In Arabic, the word "Zariat" means a motive, reason, reason. And the official word “sabek”, consonant with the “dog”, is “previous” (such as an English perfect). The literal meaning of this expression is: "This is the reason that preceded this phenomenon."
Among linguists there is an opinion that this is a phrase from the vocabulary of treasure hunters. Allegedly, fearing the evil spirits that are known to guard the treasures, veiled to mislead, they called them “black dogs”, and the treasures themselves were dogs. Thus, the expression “translated” from the language of treasure hunters: “This is where the treasure is buried.”
However, there are other points of view. Two more etymological explanations of the phraseology “much more where the dog is buried” are much more romantic. Origin this idiom is “dedicated” to dog loyalty.
The oldest version dates back to the battle of the island of Salamis. Before the decisive naval battle, the Greeks put all the "civilians" who were not able to take part in it, on ships and sent to a safe place.
Xanthippus, father of Pericles, had a beloved dog, who, not wanting to part with the owner, threw herself into the sea and sailed after the ship. And having reached land, she died of exhaustion. Shocked, Xanthippus buried the dog and ordered a monument to be erected to commemorate true devotion. This sign, where the dog is buried, has long been shown to those interested.
The second legend is connected with the dog of the Austrian commander Sigismund Altenstein, who accompanied him on all campaigns. In one of them, a warrior fell into a dangerous binding. But a faithful dog at the cost of his life saved the owner. Altenstein also decorated the grave of his beloved and savior with a monument. However, over time, it became very difficult to find the monument, since only a few people knew this place and could show it to tourists. So the expression “this is where the dog is buried” was born with the meaning “find out the truth”, “find what I was looking for”.
Synonyms
An interesting interpretation of phrases similar in meaning to the one under consideration can be found both in literature and in colloquial speech. Differently expressed surprise about the same phenomenon. Let's say the investigator wants to find out where the dog is buried, regarding the income of the person under investigation. He is tormented by this question, makes guesses, and wonders who can tell "where his legs grow" from these capitals.
The expression "because of which the whole fuss has flared up" has a less transparent meaning, however, in a certain situation it can also be used in the meaning of a "buried dog": "Two in physics? Well then it’s clear why the fuss fired up. ”
In the “Dictionary of Russian Argo” by V. Elistratov, the phrase “This is where the dog rummaged” is recorded - with the corresponding notes that the expression is a) slang-youthful, playfully ironic; b) pun intended transformation of a well-known literary idiom. The authorship of this phrase is attributed to M.S. Gorbachev, who at one time uttered it either accidentally making a reservation, or deliberately distorting it. In any case, the expression later acquired an additional subtext: they say that where the dog rummaged, something is hidden and the stench from there, it is there that one should look for the cause of what is happening.
Antonyms
If the idiom "this is where the dog is buried" means the background of an event or phenomenon, a certain level of their clarity, then the "legalized" phraseological antonym of this expression can serve as "let (fog) into the fog." This idiom is used when it comes, on the contrary, about introducing ambiguity into something, if someone wants to confuse something, to mislead someone.
In modern colloquial language, especially among young people, the expression with the word “fog” and with the same meaning of uncertainty in some business: “continuous fog ” is also common . In the same sense, the running “dark forest” is also used: “Well, have you figured out what is the catch with this task? - Oh, her! Dark forest…"
Use of expression in the literature
Phraseologisms under the heading "book" in the Russian language are much less than colloquial, nevertheless they form a certain stylistic layer. Such expressions may represent terms used in scientific, journalistic, official business speech. Say, in an article about idioms of the Russian language, the authors write: “That's where the dog is buried” - phraseologism, which is tracing paper from the German language. ”
It is interesting that the use of this expression is noted in the journalism of V.I. Lenin. Turning to his written opponent, he writes: “... you have forgotten how to apply the revolutionary point of view to the assessment of social events. That's where the dog is buried! ”
However, the widest use of the phrase "this is where the dog is buried" is observed in fiction. It is used in different variations. There is, for example, the form "in which the dog is buried here."
Using expression in colloquial speech
Very often, in order to achieve a certain effect, increased expression is necessary. Conventional language words are not enough for this purpose. Speech will be more capacious, clear, and emotional if winged expressions are used in it.
Often they are pronounced as if by themselves, without much effort. This only confirms and affirms the natural place in the language that these combinations occupy.
In conversation, no, no, and the phrase “where the dog is buried” will sound, moreover, it does not depend on education, nor on social status, or on the age of the speaker - its use is so organic.