The imagery of the Russian language is largely determined by a large number of all kinds of winged expressions that give speech a special touch. We use all kinds of epic phrases so often that we don’t even have to think where they came from. Of course, not everyone was given an intuitive understanding of the meaning of the next joke, so some wits insert such expressions out of place, but for an inquiring mind it will always be interesting to get to the bottom of the true meaning.
How to measure epic phrases?
What is the difference between winged expressions, proverbs, sayings, jokes and epic phrases? By and large - these are synonyms, these definitions only refer to different sources and different times. Proverbs, sayings and jokes, probably, were once said by someone surprisingly in time, passed from mouth to mouth and went to the people. After the widespread dissemination of writing, the authors ceased to be unknown, because what you wrote with a pen cannot be corrected with an ax. So there were winged expressions. Finally, the last interpretation sometimes makes you wonder: are the words you are going to use enough epic?
What is epic? According to the explanatory dictionaries in modern Russian, this word has a distinct slang tinge, and literally means "something amazing, admirable, strong emotions." An event, a canvas, almost anything can be epic. If a phrase evokes strong emotions or can succinctly convey a deep meaning, then it is certainly epic.
Where do the epic phrases come from?
It is possible to conditionally divide capacious expressions into two categories: known to a narrow or wide circle. The first category arises spontaneously and is very close to folk jokes. Almost untranslatable short phrases can be the result of a funny reservation, an absurd argument from a dispute, an incorrectly understood expression. These phrases can be quite sticky and wander from person to person according to the unwritten laws of folklore.
A good example is a compound mouse. This strange definition is found in people who have no idea about compound machines, and this phrase in a literal reading is absolutely untranslatable. However, figuratively, it means someone who is quiet, expressionless and timid.
For a wide range of connoisseurs, there are more specific sources. This is cinema, literature, including poetry and songs, and more recently, computer games.
Cinema as an inexhaustible source
Many famous phrases that may claim epicness are remembered precisely thanks to films. Of course, the books on which these films were shot can claim the title of the source, but the film can be created only based on a literary work. In addition, do not discount the powerful effect of the actor’s charisma.
“Maybe you still have the key to the apartment, where the money is?” - this phrase by Ostap Bender became doubly epic when it was spoken by Andrei Mironov. Accurate and biting phrases from films can really be epic, and they are not forgotten over the years. The expression of Gleb Zheglov “The thief should be in prison” sounds only in the indescribable timbre of Vladimir Vysotsky.
Literary sources
Connoisseurs believe that the film adaptation can only spoil the book, and it can be difficult to disagree with them. There are books to which filmmakers approached with caution and looking back, fearing not to reach the level. For example, there are several adaptations of “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov, as well as several films based on the motives, but they did not transmit the powerful energy of the novel. This is where epicism engulfs, because the novel is constantly quoted, from “manuscripts don't burn” to “oh yes cream”.
If the phrases from the films convey the charisma of the actors, then the literary source awakens the imagination. That is why expressions from books or poems can be colored with their own emotional shades, endowing them with varying degrees of epicness. The irony and sarcasm here occupy a leading place, and the phrase "Was there a boy?" from the novel "The Life of Klim Samghin" has long changed color. If in the book it was philosophical, now it is used exclusively in an ironic manner.
Epic phrases from games
A relatively new source from which to draw an unimaginable number of expressions. Alas, not everyone will understand them, but some of them are so epic that they have the right to be widely distributed. Godville is almost entirely composed of expressions of varying degrees of winging, and to choose only one of them is incredibly difficult, even if it is "Death is a protective reaction of the body to an unhealthy lifestyle." If you learn to pronounce it in place, the effect is guaranteed.
Many short phrases that migrated from games to the real world are rather extensive in the original. The mocking expression “The arrow hit the knee” is from Skyrim, and in the original it sounds like “I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I got an arrow to the knee.”
Oblivion gave us an exclamation: “Stand where you are, criminal offspring!” One of the freshest phrases that circled the Internet and quickly gained popularity is “Go Roach!” or "Move, Roach!". By accident or intentionally, the developers of the game “The Witcher” allocated such a frequency to these words, but the players had no choice but to create a new meme.
Appropriateness of use
In most cases, epic phrases are used in colloquial speech to give expressiveness to words, and in literature - to create a capacious image. It is easy to overdo it with such expressions, but in some cases, especially if you subtly feel the interlocutor’s mood, you can create complex structures from epic phrases and even have a meaningful dialogue on them.
In business communication, political matches and official documentation, it is better to avoid any epic, pathos, or winged phrases. They too easily change the meaning of what was said, and if you take the right sentence out of context, they can damage the image. Otherwise, especially if it gives you pleasure, you can not deny yourself and continue to use successful phrases for figurative speech.