What does the expression bullshit mean? Bullshit - what does it mean? Old men with gray hair

Although the expression “bullshit” is well known to Russian ears, its meaning is not obvious. Why is blatant stupidity attributed to the female horse, and precisely this color?
The word “delirium” did not always have the meaning that we give it today. In the 18th century, the phraseological unit was already widely used, and the word “delirium” at that time meant walking back and forth and came from the verb to wander, to wander. In the proverb, the word had the following meaning: to speak not to the point, to voice worthless information.
Here our idiom closely intersects with its synonym: “lies like a gray gelding.” The verb “to lie” in Russian meant idle talk, chatter, nonsense.
“Grey” is not only about color and horse color. In old Russian the word means: gray-haired, grey-haired, and, therefore, old.
Set expressions developed in the village atmosphere, which is obvious for two reasons:
The peasantry made up a significant majority of the entire population;
The rough language of the idioms that have survived to this day confirms that their author is the people.
What was the attitude towards old people in peasant Russia in the 18th century and earlier? After all, our caring government did not yet have a wonderful pension reform. It's all great now, but then old age I had to spin... But I digress from the topic.
At that time, the attitude towards old people was very lenient. These people were no longer suitable for work and procreation; roughly speaking, they sat on the necks of younger and more able-bodied people. What could they do? Of course, chatter, idle talk and at the same time repeat yourself.
Consequently, the history of the origin of the phraseological unit is as follows: initially, incompetent talkers of respectable age were compared with gray mares and geldings, who spread about their past exploits to everyone who wanted to listen and who did not want to. Over time, to make the narrative more colorful, these stories were enriched with new fantastic details, and so the chatter turned into lies. And the expression became a household word, applicable not only to a gray-haired old man, but also to a chatterbox of any age. Certain associations involuntarily suggest themselves...
There is only one ambiguity left: why the mare? The appearance of this animal in the proverb is due to an old Slavic sign: if you dreamed of a gray horse, then expect lies today.
Bullshit is a phraseological unit that denotes obvious nonsense, a lie. Its appearance is due to the fact that the gray horse was popularly considered a stupid animal; her appearance in a dream was considered a harbinger of a lie. It is also likely that the word “delirium” in the phraseological unit meant walking back and forth.
There is a pronunciation option that imitates English speech: [brad ov the save cable], probably invented by an unknown teacher in English to indicate incorrect English speech.
Lying like a gray gelding, apparently appeared as a match for a gray mare. So based on logic - everything is in order, everything is in order...

When we feel that a person is lying to us, we say that he is talking about bullshit. The meaning of this phrase is clear to everyone and does not need explanation. The person understands that he lied and will definitely change his communication tactics. All this is true, but not everyone understands where such an original expression came from, and, and here gray mare. We will now try to correct this gap.

Like most expressions of this kind, “bullshit” has its roots in past centuries. Our ancestors used this expression to mean empty conversation, not at all interesting and boring. You will ask why? It's easy to explain. At that time, the word “delirium” was used to refer to a mare that wandered aimlessly around the yard. It can be literally translated as walking here and there. As you understand, it has nothing to do with delirium. This expression was used in relation to a person who lies, speaks nonsense, and carries heresy.

This is all clear, but what does the gray mare have to do with it?

And the answer to this can be found by looking into past centuries. At that distant time, the word gray had several meanings. It was directly related not only to the color and color of the horse, but also to older people. A gray-haired elderly man was also called grey-haired.

In all likelihood, the initiator of this idiom was the common people living in the village. And the reason for this was a somewhat ironic attitude towards older people who, for objective reasons, could not work on an equal basis with young people. They sat on the rubble and told stories throughout the day, trying to attract everyone who passed by to the conversation. The conversations concerned their past lives, as well as instructions and advice that no one needed. By and large, all their chatter could be called one word - idle talk. Well, the reason for this behavior was boredom and a lot of free time.

What happens in the end? And the fact that our ancestors attributed the expression “bullshit” to the idle talk of older people. They believed that they were talking nonsense that could be called nonsense. They talked about their past adventures and heroic deeds, most of which were their imagination. Often the stories were repeated, but with new facts and scenes. I don’t want to be rude, but it was simple chatter that was carried out out of boredom. People understood that the man was telling a lie, lying, and therefore they called his stories bullshit. Subsequently, this expression became firmly entrenched in people’s vocabulary and began to be used in relation to those who lied shamelessly. At the same time, no one paid attention to the age of such a person.

The expression “bullshit” is used in Russian to denote idle talk, chatter and utter nonsense. This phraseological unit was widely used in the 18th century to mean “to talk beyond the point.”

Where did the expression come from?

According to one version, the expression “bullshit” comes from the idiom “lies like a gray gelding” (in fact, these two phrases are synonyms). In the expression, the word “gray” not only denotes the color of the animal, but also means that the gelding is old or gray-haired. Previously, incompetent talkers of respectable age who loved to chat about their past exploits, which did not always take place, were compared with gray mares or geldings. So the stories began to be perceived as empty chatter or lies, and the expression became a household word, and it began to be used not only in relation to older people, but also in relation to chatterboxes of any age.

There is also a version - to put it mildly, not the most plausible - that the expression “bullshit” came from the name of one scientist - Brad Steve Cobile, who once wrote a very stupid article. His name, consonant with the words “bullshit,” was correlated with scientific nonsense.

According to another version, the expression appeared due to the beliefs of the Slavs that a gray horse (gray with an admixture of another color) was the most stupid animal. There was a sign according to which if you dream of a gray mare, then in reality a person will be deceived.

Having heard the expression “bullshit,” every modern person understands the meaning of the phraseological unit. But where did this strange phrase come from, and what does the mare, and a gray one, have to do with it? The answer to this question is given in the article.

What kind of gray mare is this?

We use common phraseology every time we fundamentally disagree with someone’s point of view. Although many have no idea what the notorious mare looks like.

If you look at the list of horse colors, the concept of “gray” does not exist in modern horse breeding. This is the popular name for the hair of a horse, combining black color with graying or just dark gray color. For example, if we remember the famous Sivka-Burka, then the heroine of the fairy tale is gray and brown.

However, gray mares were not popular among the people. It was believed that these were horses that spoiled the furrow, and on occasion tried to kick or bite. They were not loved and considered stupid, and if you dream of such a mare, expect deception.

Even in the old days, gray horses were called gray. Unscrupulous traders could easily sell an old horse under the guise of a gray one if a naive buyer forgot to look the animal in the mouth. And here is another deception that explains the meaning of the phraseological unit “bullshit.” The new acquisition of the unlucky owners was left to wander aimlessly to the yard. But what does this have to do with nonsense?

To rave or to wander?

Today, the word “nonsense” is used to describe any lie or attempt to mislead. In medical terminology, this concept refers to a pathological disorder of thinking that occurs due to mental illness.

According to lexicographer G. A. Krylov, the noun “nonsense” comes from the verb “to wander,” which in the old days meant walking around without doing anything or aimlessly wandering, i.e., an activity devoid of meaning. It is not surprising that over time, nonsense has become synonymous with nonsense and nonsense.

And if we add here the disgraced gray color and a meaningless purchase, then “bullshit” takes on a prosaic and completely appropriate meaning. However, this phraseological unit has much more interesting option origin.

The Legend of Herr von Sievers-Mehring

According to an old army story, an officer served in Tsarist Russia; his name is silent in history, but his surname was von Sievers-Mehring. This nobleman was remembered by his colleagues not for his military exploits, but for his amazing ability to lie and tell tall tales. In the officer’s regiment, the expression “he lies like Sivers-Mering” took root, the meaning of which was understandable only to a narrow circle of servicemen.

But the army does not stand still and, picked up by the soldiers, the phrase went for a walk throughout Russia without losing its meaning. The people in Rus' did not like incomprehensible words and over time “Sivers-Mering” turned into a “gray gelding”, and here it’s not far from a gray mare. Well, “lying” and “nonsense” were already consonant synonyms.

Agree, this is a funny version of the origin of the phraseological unit “bullshit,” the meaning of which, in spite of everything, remains unchanged. But there is an even more original option associated with the full name of a little-known scientist.

Brad Steve Cobile

Famous figures of science and culture are awarded the Nobel Prize, unlucky ones - the Ig Nobel Prize, but at least their names are associated with some achievements.

But a scientist named Brad Steve Cobile, known only in narrow circles, was not at all lucky. He managed to write and publish a crazy article from a scientific point of view. And it was not difficult to interpret his full name in the Russian manner.

If this story really took place, then the phrase “bullshit” owes its meaning and origin to it. Now it remains to consider latest version catchphrase, not particularly intriguing, but therefore more likely.

Old men with gray hair

In Rus', not only gray horses, but also gray-haired old men were called gray. The people's attitude towards older people was tolerant and condescending. It is likely that behind the scenes the younger generation could compare their parents with both geldings and mares. The old and infirm could not work, especially if they fell into childhood. Many entertained their children and grandchildren with endless tales, each time embellishing their stories more and more until they turned into complete lies and nonsense. This is how the expression “bully bullshit” appeared with the meaning that we are talking about an elderly person who has lost his mind.

The resounding phrase quickly spread, and over time the expression began to be applied to talkers, dreamers and unscrupulous liars of all ages.

It is worth noting that the meaning of the phraseological unit “bullshit” does not always refer to a conscious lie. Unfortunately, people with pathological thinking disorders or, for example, in a state of alcohol psychosis also fall under this definition.

If we hear someone make an incredible, false, or just not very smart statement, we exclaim: “Oh, come on! This is bullshit!” Who is this “gray mare” and what does the word “nonsense” really mean?

Does “delirium” come from “to wander” or from “to shave”?

First, let's look at the etymology of the first word in this expression. According to most linguists, “delirium” is derived from the verb “to wander” (or “to wander”). The author of the etymological dictionary, G. A. Krylov, also thinks so. What does “wander” mean? The famous Russian language researcher V.I. Dal pointed out that most often this verb is used to define walking in different directions, staggering, and often without any purpose.

However, L.A. Vvedenskaya and N.P. Kolesnikov in the textbook “Etymology” mention an article by A.I. Kornev, who argued that the word “nonsense” comes from the verb “shave” (that is, “cut”). According to Kornev, nonsense was originally called various weeds and waste that remained after processing hemp. And only over time the meaning of the concept was transformed and they began to call any stupidity, absurdity, or nonsense as nonsense.

Be that as it may, in both the first and second versions, over time, the nonsense acquired the very meaning that it carries to this day. Nonsense is nonsense, nonsense, nonsense.

Gray gelding - stupid gelding

In the Russian language there is at least one more phraseological unit in which a gray horse appears. This is the expression “He lies like a gray gelding.” In fact, in meaning it can be equated to “bully's delirium.” Why was the mysterious gray color so often presented by our ancestors not in the most favorable light? The fact is that a horse of a gray color (that is, gray with some other shades mixed in) was considered not very attractive, stupid and indiscriminate even in food.

Peasants never harnessed a gray horse to make the first furrow in the field. Previously, they thought that a horse of a similar color was simply not capable of doing this as it should. In addition, it was the gray mare seen in a dream that, according to popular belief, foreshadowed lies and deception in reality.

Grey, that's old

The term “gray” also means “gray hair,” that is, the horse is already old and incapacitated. In the old days, older people were compared to gray geldings (castrated horses), who were not always, as they say, in their right mind, and uttered awkward, incoherent speeches, often having nothing to do with reality, real events.

In addition, sometimes not very honest peasants who wanted to sell an old mare passed off her gray hair as gray. In this way, they deceived naive buyers who believed that they were purchasing a young horse of only a somewhat plain color. Such a deliberately dishonest deal can also be called a lie, that is, one of the meanings of the expression “bullshit.”