What does “pipes burn” mean, and how did this expression appear?

Some people do not quite understand what kind of pipes they are talking about and why, in general, someone still says so. The existence of the expression “pipes burn” can be explained by the stratification of society into the lower, middle and upper classes. Due to the fact that the lower layers of the population are more likely than others to abuse alcoholic beverages, it is they who most often suffer from a hangover. A hangover always carries a large number of unpleasant symptoms, which are compared with burning and with explosions that occur inside the body.

Expression History

There are two theories of the appearance of the expression "pipes are burning."

According to the first theory, the word "tubes" is used in the meaning of digestive tubes, which have a similar shape. If they burn, it means that the throat is unbearably burning.

digestive tubes

And in the second theory, pipes mean ordinary pipes made of metal or other material. Steelmakers know that when there is no coal in them, the stove begins to burn and smoke. The stove-makers, who often drank at their workplace, compared their condition in the morning with burning pipes.

Aluminum pipes

What does the expression pipe burn?

To date, society has come up with many winged expressions. Many people wonder what “pipes burn”.

It does not occur to everyone that this phrase is used not in a literal, but in a figurative sense. Let us consider literally this expression.

The first word is "pipes." The Russian Dahl dictionary contains more than 70 connectives with this word. "Pipe" in the meaning of "gut" is in second place in the dictionary. And only in eighth place is this word explained in the meaning of a hollow conductor with holes at two ends. From this we can conclude that, most likely, in the expression this word is used in its biological meaning, and not in practical.

Consider the second word, namely "burn." The verb "burn" is most often in all styles, both scientific and artistic, found in the meaning of "ignite" and "blaze fire."

By combining the meanings of the two words, it can be understood that the expression "tubes are burning" means discomfort in the stomach.

To summarize

What does it mean "pipes are burning," a rather narrow circle of people is interested. After all, these words are used only in relation to people who often drink or are dependent on alcohol.

As we found out, this expression is used due to unpleasant symptoms (burning in the abdomen, as well as in the pharynx; dry mouth), which resemble burning internal organs in severe illness.

Drunk people

People who often burn pipes look painful. You can "treat" them only by refusing to drink alcohol.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/F4284/


All Articles