Often we have to hear about some case that is not yet accurate, it is doubtful that it is like “written with a pitchfork on the water”. And it immediately becomes clear that the event is unlikely to happen.
But to imagine how and why they write on the water with a pitchfork is difficult and it is not clear why such an action should be performed at all. Of course, it is immediately clear that images from the past that have gone out of use are hidden in this expression. And indeed it is.
What are forks?
pitchfork, in modern meaning is an agricultural tool used to harvest hay. And they do not write on the water and never wrote at all. It’s just that the word “fork” used to have a different meaning - “circles”. So you can remember about the "forks of cabbage."
And if these are not pitchforks, but circles on the water, then everything falls into place. After all, circles on the water are a shaky and short-lived thing. So they say about the event that it is unlikely to happen, as the circles on the water will remain.
"It is written with a pitchfork on the water." Deep into history
If you dig further, it turns out that a long time ago there were such cloud maidens who twisted silver threads of rain from the clouds. It is from the word "twist" that the word "fork" comes. Pitchfork was also called Dolya with Nedolya, prophetic spin.
By the way, the virgins themselves are considered light forces, they were represented dressed in robes airy as fluff with swan wings. There is a version that the god Veles himself appeared from these bright maidens, or rather from their flowing serpentine hair.
The rain threads woven by the Pitchfork carried with them prophecies about the fate of people, and the circles on the water are their messages. In the old days, there were priests who knew how to decipher what was written with a pitchfork on the water.
The meaning and origin of phraseology
Write on (on) the water ; It is written with a pitchfork on (on) the water .
Meaning: about empty promises, uncertain plans, vain work.
Synonyms: grandmother said in two; fortune telling on coffee grounds; build sand castles.
Usage examples:
— Will I get married, won't I, it's still written on the water with a pitchfork…
(A. V. Amfiteatrov. "Home news")
I'm not going to any Moscow. If it had been five years ago, such an offer would have been a royal gift. And now, when the structures are changed five times a week, it looks naive. Yes, my purpose written on the water with a pitchfork- It is obvious.
(Svyatoslav Demin. "In the crooked corridors of the UN")
Etymology:
As in most cases when we are talking about the origin of a particular word or phraseological combination, regarding etymology given expression exist whole line assumptions. Consider the main versions.
1. According to the assumption of Snegirev I.M. (Snegirev I.M. Russians in their proverbs. T. 1. M., 1831), Russian phraseological unit “it is written with a pitchfork on the water” - tracing paper from Greek or Latin turnover ( in aqua scribes[in ákva skrubis] - you write on water) with a figurative meaning "to perform useless work, To do nothing". Catullus uses the expression "in aqua scribere" [in áqua skrubere] - "to write on water", speaking of the frivolity of women's oaths: "what a passionate friend says / to a lover, / / you need to write in the wind / or on fast water(translated by S. Shervinsky). This turnover is also found in Sophocles, Plato and Lucian. Available in many European languages.
2. This phraseological unit- the result of rethinking the free phrase in Russian "to write with a pitchfork on the water." Figurative meaning the expression "not sure what they are talking about" developed from the original image - not to leave marks on the water if you write on it with a pitchfork. (Felitsyna V.P., Prokhorov Yu.E. Russian proverbs, sayings and idioms. M., 1988.)
3. The origin of the phraseologism "to write with a pitchfork on the water" is associated with a superstitious, pagan amulet-conspiracy from the water one, described by A.A. Afanasiev: the peasants protected themselves from the "pampering" of the water, drawing a cross with a knife and a scythe during the conspiracy, which are symbols of Perun. Writing with a pitchfork on the water is related to this superstition and the custom it engendered. The meaning of the phraseological unit “doubtful, unclear” appeared as a result of the skeptical popular assessment of such spells that do not bring the desired results. (Gvozdarev Yu.A. Let the connection of speeches be far ... Rostov-on-Don, 1982).
4. The history of the expression is also associated with one of ancient species fortune-telling - hydromancy (fortune-telling by water). In Persia, for example, the future was determined by the circles diverging from a stone thrown into the water. The word "forks"* originally meant "circles" (cf. fork k, dialectal pitchfork- “curl”), then this meaning became irrelevant and is now erroneously associated with modern pitchfork- "agricultural implements". Logical motivation became illogical. (Shansky N.M. Phraseology of the modern Russian language. M., 1985).
*Note:
Word pitchfork formed from the Indo-European word "twist" (cf. Lithuanian vyti - "twist", Latin viere - "weave", other Ind. vayati - "weaves, weaves", etc.) using the suffix *-dla (modern .-la) and meant something curly, "circles". Remember also forks- "head of cabbage). There is still a word in dialects pitchfork- curl. It is formed with the suffix -l from viti (viti). The original meaning of “viti” is “that around which cabbage leaves curl, forming a head” (cf. the expression “cabbage curls”).
Pitchfork on the water is written Razg. Iron. It is still unknown whether it will be so or not. - What an imperious tone! Now you can see what the future celebrity says! Antonin joked. - It's still written on the water with a pitchfork, will I be a celebrity(P. Nevezhin. Quiet shelter).
Phrasebook Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .
Synonyms:See what "Written with a pitchfork on the water" in other dictionaries:
written on the water with a pitchfork- the grandmother still wondered in two, it is unlikely, the grandmother said in two more, the grandmother said in two more, the grandmother said in two, the grandmother wondered in two, the grandmother said in two, it was written with a pitchfork on the water, she wrote a magpie on the water with her tail, not a fact, the grandmother was still in two ... ... Synonym dictionary
it is written with a pitchfork on the water- Adverb, number of synonyms: 18 the grandmother still wondered in two (14) the grandmother said in two (14) ... Synonym dictionary
written on the water with a pitchfork- Wi / lamy on (on) the water it is written What l. unlikely, doubtful or unknown... Dictionary of many expressions
it is still written with a pitchfork (on the water)- (inosk.) doubtful Cf. Cantemir. 175, 189. (Ed. Smirdin.) Cf. It’s worth (thanks), man: you unlock the bright paradise for me (leading for burning) ... Well, it’s still written with pitchforks on the water, sprinkled with string bags. D.L. Mordovtsev. Great Schism. 2, 18 …
It's still written on the water with a pitchfork.- It's still written on the water with a pitchfork. See TRUE RELIABLE... IN AND. Dal. Proverbs of the Russian people
It's still written with a pitchfork (on the water)- It is still written with a pitchfork (on the water) (foreigner) is doubtful. Wed Cantemir. 175, 189. (Ed. Smirdin.) Cf. It’s worth it (thanks), man: you unlock the bright paradise for me (leading for burning) ... “Well, it’s still written with pitchforks on the water, sprinkled with string bags.” D…
with a pitchfork (on the water) to write- (inosk.) about the impossible, unsuccessful, dubious Cf. Is it a sufficient thing to vouch for the father and answer what is on the mind of his adult girl? You can write on the water with a pitchfork. Kokhanovskaya. From the provincial gallery of portraits. See this is written with a pitchfork ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary
Pitchfork (on water)- With a pitchfork (on the water) to write (inosk.) About the impossible, unsuccessful, doubtful. Wed Is it a good thing for a father to vouch for and answer what is on the mind of his adult girl? You can soon write on the water with a pitchfork. Kokhanovskaya. From the provincial gallery ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
It is written with a pitchfork on (on) the water- what. Narodn. Iron. or Unapproved. What l. very doubtful, unclear, not credible. DP, 293, 419, 703; BTS, 139; SHZF 2001, 36; Bug. 1991, 367; FSRYA, 68; BMS 1998, 82 83 ... Big Dictionary Russian sayings
Written with eggs on the water- (from the saying with a pitchfork on the water it is written very unlikely; eggs of the scrotum; rudely) initial meaning ... Live speech. Dictionary of colloquial expressions
Books
- Proverbs, sayings and popular expressions, Ushakova O.. Before you is a collection of Russian proverbs and sayings. Do you know how they differ from each other? The answer is very simple. As the saying goes folk wisdom: A proverb is a flower, a proverb is a berry. ...
In one of the editions of Jan Zabczyc's book of Polish aphoristics (first published in 1616) there is a thematic heading "Unknowable". It contains four sayings: Path on the water after the boat. //Bird flying in the air. //Snake crawling on the stone. // Virgin who lost her purity(Simony 1899, 44-45).
As can be seen from their figurative sense, by "unknowable" the collector does not mean that which is unknowable, but that which does not leave a trace behind itself, that which is unrecognizable after performing any actions. And it was not by chance that the trace on the water from the sailing boat took the first place in this row: nothing blurs and smoothes out so quickly as a line drawn on the water surface.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that writing on water has long been considered by many peoples as a deliberately useless and unnecessary thing. The expressions kath "hýdatos grápheis (Greek) and in aqua scribis (Latin) "you write on water" already meant among the ancient Greeks and Romans - "you are doing obviously useless work, pouring from empty to empty." There are such expressions in many modern Slavic and non-Slavic languages: Czech na vodé psát, Polish na wodzie pisać, Upper Lug na wodu napisać, agricultural pisati po vodi, Italian scrivere su una pozza d "acqua (literally, "write on a well with water"), eng. write in (on) water, etc. That is why the turnover write on the water, found in Sophocles, Plato, Lucian, Catullus, is considered internationalism, tracing paper from Greek or Latin (Snegirev 1831 1.85; Timoshenko 1897, 42-43; Popov 1976, 25).
This point of view is quite acceptable, although different languages there are variants of our expression, testifying not only to the book, but also to the speech distribution and enrichment ancient image. The senselessness of any business can be characterized, for example, by writing in the sand (fr. être écrit sur le sable), in the wind, ice or snow (eg.pisać na wietrze, pisać na ledzie, pisać na śniegu)and other material unsuitable for long-term storage of information.
Many of these options are also due to attempts to expressively concretize the instrument of writing. In Polish alone, such variants are recorded as palcem na wodzie pisano "it is written with a finger on the water", pisanymi gałązką na wodzie "it is written with branches on the water", na wodzie patykiem pisane "it is written with a stick on the water" and even prątkiem na piasku pisane "with a twig written in the sand" (NKPII, 940).
Similar variants are known to the Russian language. In a poetic collection of proverbs from the middle of the last century, for example, we find a variant about writing with a finger on water:
To another to repeat about mental harm,
What to write on water with your finger:
And does not lead with his ear,
Until he is bent into a hook.
(NRP 2, part II, 75-76)
Recorded in folk speech and such phrases as she wrote magpie on the water with her tail (Mikhelson 1912, 830), writes like a devil with a pole along Neglinnaya (a street and a river in Moscow) (DP, 420; Dal IV, 598) or wrote Mark (Makarka) with his cinder ( Dal II, 572)
The expression with a pitchfork on the water is written - one of these options. It, perhaps, has the widest distribution and use, for it is known not only to Russian, but also to Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish: written with a pitchfork on the water, written with a pitchfork on the water, to jeszcze widłami pisano. It is characteristic that in dialects it can also be used in the form of comparison, as in Lemko dialects. Ukrainian language: like a pitchfork on the water, it was written bulo.
If historians of phraseology have practically no disagreements about writing on water, then the option of writing with a pitchfork is the subject of fierce discussion.
Hydromancy - divination by water - was indeed popular among Eastern peoples, and among the Slavs. Evidence of it is, in particular, the expression as if looking into the water, connected precisely with the prediction of the future by water. However, the Slavs, unlike the Persians, have not yet recorded such divination of hydromancy, which is based on throwing stones into the water and recognizing the future in circles. Moreover, the Polish and Russian variants of the expression write on water clearly show that in instrumental they contain a noun, denoting by no means the form of inscription of any signs, but a writing tool: a finger, a twig, a stick, a pole, a stub end, and even a magpie tail. This, therefore, is what is written, and not what is written on the water.
There is also a second hypothesis that explains our expression on a mythological basis. Based on a superstitious pagan amulet, a conspiracy from the owner water element water, Yu. A. Gvozdarev is trying to defend it. The peasants were protected from the “pampering” of the water by drawing a cross with a knife with a scythe during the conspiracy, which are symbols of Perun, the supreme pagan deity. Writing with a pitchfork on the water, according to the supporter of this hypothesis, corresponds precisely with this superstition and the custom generated by it. The meaning of the phraseologism - "doubtful, unclear", "it is still unknown when and how something will happen" - developed as a result of a skeptical popular assessment of such spells that did not help the cause (Gvozdarev 1982, 27).
Here, unlike the first version, the popularity of the superstitious ritual is evident in Russia. The details of writing with a knife and a scythe on the water also show through quite clearly. These details, however, help to refute the version about the connection of the conspiracy with the history of our turnover. After all, turning to him was not intended to find out your future. On the contrary, with the help of such a magical operation, the speakers sought to intimidate the merman, scare him away with a holy cross (cf. fear like the devil of incense and dialect, also known in many languages, to be afraid like the devil of a cross or like the devil of holy (baptized) water). As well as outlining, overshadowing the head with a cross (cf. outlining the head), this magical operation protected from evil spirits long enough and stable. That is why even with such a hypothesis, our expression could not in any way be associated with something very short-lived, quickly disappearing. In addition, there is another, purely mythological counter-argument: according to the myth-making symbolism, the pitchfork is to some extent opposed to the knife and the scythe, they are the devil's tool, since they resemble one of his attributes, the horns. To use them as a talisman against evil spirits, therefore, from the point of view of popular superstitious consciousness, it would be "counterlingual".
Finally, there is a third explanation of the turnover about pissing with a pitchfork on the water. Its authors proceed from the materialistic reality of the primary image - not to leave marks on the water if you write on it with a pitchfork (Felitsyna, Prokhorov 1979,107; 1988,115; Ivchenko 1987). A. A. Ivchenko very thoroughly proves the truth of such a reading of the turnover, gives many linguistic arguments and critically evaluates the versions of predecessors.
Perhaps the third hypothesis is the most convincing. It is only necessary to note that, nevertheless, some element of mythology, intuitively felt by supporters of the first and second versions, is present in the meaning of turnover. This, however, judging by the use of phraseological units, is not so much superstition as a mockery of it:
"What an imperious tone! Now you can see what the future celebrity is saying," Antopin joked. “It’s still written on the water with a pitchfork whether I will be a celebrity” ”(P. Nevezhin. Quiet Shelter); ““ What part are you? “It is still written with a pitchfork on the water whether we will save the cathedral” (N. Rylenkov. On the old Smolensk road); “But even this promise, as they say, is written on the water with a pitchfork” (Pravda, 1982, September 19).
This ironic connotation is quite persistent. He also characterized the original version of our turnover already in the 18th century:
Look, you too, Light of the clear! Don't fool us on the beans; And false joy in vain Do not amuse us on empty words. So that all your answers were And all the Sibylline advice Written not on water.
(N. P. Osipov. Vergileva Eneyda, turned inside out)
The above passage is very remarkable. Threads stretch from it to the ancient Greek-Latin parallels about writing on water as an aimless pastime, and to the Russian folk rethinking of it as a very unreliable forecast for the future. The mythological element of foretelling in the text of N. Osipov's Aeneida is also emphasized by the Russian phraseological unit to draw on beans (originally associated with fortune-telling), and by the mention of the legendary soothsayer of antiquity, the Sibyl (Sibyl).
So, after all, our expression is connected with hydromancy?
Perhaps, all the same - no. It is associatively tied to a different way of predicting the future - its destiny, writing on something durable and reliable. Here is a whole series of Italian expressions, originating from deep antiquity: e scritto in cielo "it is written in the sky", e scritto nei fati "it is written in fate", e scrito nel libro del destino "it is written in the book of fate". And here are a few French ones: être écrit au ciel "to be written in the sky", c "est écrit" it is written. "Their meaning is the same as the Russian expression in the family is written by someone. In the family is like would be on the "ancestral book of fate", on the ancestral "fate" or, speaking in modern terms, on our genetic code.
What is written on the water, in contrast to the inexorably reliable and durable "ancestral" record, is unsteady, inconsistent and therefore unreliable, doubtful. The very material for recording the future gives rise to skepticism. And if, moreover, this record was made with such a cumbersome and unsuitable tool for writing as a pitchfork, then there is no faith in such divination and predestination at all.
Do you think he will keep his promise?
- No, everything is always written on the water with a pitchfork.
Common expression, isn't it? And most importantly, everything is clear without additional explanations. Who are they talking about? About an unreliable person, about someone who has no faith. Or about a case that will either happen or not, time will tell.
Where do pitchforks on the water come from?
Linguists have been arguing about this for decades. We dismissed several options for lack of evidence and left two, considering them the most likely.
The first option is of recent origin. Based on the usual pitchfork. Let me remind city dwellers: pitchforks are agricultural implements that are absolutely necessary, for example, when harvesting hay. That's just why to drive them on the water, especially to write them on it, no one really managed to explain it anyway. The researchers say that if the pitchfork is simply passed through the water, clearly visible circles will remain. It will take about five minutes, and they will begin to disappear. In half an hour, or even earlier, the water surface will again become serenely smooth. Everything is as they say, neither add nor subtract. But the question "Why write with a pitchfork on the water, knowing in advance that there will be no trace?" remains unanswered.
The second option seems more convincing. He sends us back to pagan times. About what those times were, we read in the article “Paganism and pagans - who are they? » main character here is a ritual stick, remotely similar to those same agricultural pitchforks. It's called Triglav. Not everyone was entitled to such a wand. Only a person endowed with magical powers was allowed to go into the forest, to find a special tree there.
Not all parts of the sacred tree were suitable for making Triglav. What was needed was a branch similar to a slingshot, and the wider the better. It was impossible to cut off or saw off a branch. It was necessary to pray, to ask the spirit of the tree for permission to this branch. And immediately leave without turning around, so as not to be face to face with the unknown and terrible Mighty Force that lived in the roots of the sacred tree. It was possible to return only on the seventh day. And not with empty hands, but with an offering. The Mighty Force was brought a black hen, a heel of eggs, honey, and always a small loaf of fresh bread. On a black stone near the sacred tree, the sorcerer laid out his offerings and only after that he carefully examined the ground under the tree. If the spirit was merciful to him, then the same slingshot branch lay on the ground, but already modified - there were not two teeth, but, as intended, three. That is, the Mighty Power itself collected Triglav and gave part of its power to the sorcerer.
What does Triglav look like? In the old days they would say that the one-on-one ritual wand is the ancient rune Az. Modern man, unfamiliar with mysterious world runes, Triglav would be more like a three-pronged fork usually served with fresh or canned fruit. According to legend, magic power The ritual wand consisted of three Hypostases that ruled the whole world. These were Nav, Yav and Rule. In fact, they rarely acted together: their goals and objectives were too different. By joining their forces, they tripled their power and bestowed them on the sorcerer.
What could a sorcerer who possessed Triglav do? Everything. The power of the person who owned Triglav was so great that he could remove damage, heal from deadly disease, return luck, protect the warrior in battle and defeat the huge enemy army.
How did they write with Triglav on the water?
The sorcerer did not need a river or sea surface. He used a wooden mortar. He poured icy water from the spring into it and began to perform sacred rites - he wrote on its surface with unknown ordinary people mysterious letters. And he also crushed it, mixed it, circled it on his Triglav. And he wrote again, muttering incantations under his breath. Having finished the ritual, he allowed each person to draw this water for himself and take it to his home. There she was mixed with ordinary water, and she also became charmed. But it was impossible to read what was written on it: the pitchfork, that is, Triglav, did not leave a trace on the water.
When and how did the phraseological unit “it is written with a pitchfork on the water” begin to be used in a negative sense?
Researchers believe that this happened during the period of the baptism of Russia. The fight against paganism began. The persecution of the Magi and those priests who were called sorcerers was cruel. They were killed, expelled, temples were destroyed, and all their actions were ridiculed, sowing seeds of doubt in the souls of newly converted Christians. How can you trust someone who does not understand what he writes on the water? And does he write, or does he just pretend to write? There are no traces, which means that nothing will be done. unreliable person and no faith in him.
A long time ago, the Magi disappeared, few people believe in sorcerers today either, and the phraseological unit “it is written with a pitchfork on the water” is not only remembered, but also actively used.
