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There is no beast stronger than a cat

There is no beast stronger than a cat
From the fable "Mouse and Rat" (1816) by I. A. Krylov (1769-1844). The Mouse informs the Rat that the Cat has finally "caught in the claws of the lion".
"Do not rejoice, my light, -
The Rat says to her, -
And do not hope in empty!
If it reaches their claws,
That's right, the lion will not be alive:
There is no beast stronger than a cat!

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .

See what "There is no beast stronger than a cat" in other dictionaries:

Razg. Iron. About a person who is considered the main, strong, although he is not. /i> The expression arose on the basis of the fable by I. A. Krylov “The Mouse and the Rat”. BMS 1998, 312 ...

I. particle. 1. Use. as a negative answer to a question or as an expression of disagreement (can act as a suggestion; contra: yes). Will you eat? No. Are you going to the symposium? No. Sit down please. No, no, thanks. // Inside speech... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

No- 1. particle. 1) a) use. as a negative answer to a question or as an expression of disagreement (can act as a proposal; contra: yes) Will you eat? No. Are you going to the symposium? No. Sit down please. No, no, thanks. b) ott. ... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Hang dead cats on whom. Jarg. corner. Unapproved Accuse the detainee of old unsolved crimes. Maksimov, 60. White cat. Gorky. A cunning person. BalSok, 22. Blatnaya (rag) cat. Jarg. corner. A prostitute is an accomplice of a robber. SRVS ... Big Dictionary Russian sayings

Type of cartoon puppet Director Julian Kalisher Composer Sergei Nikitin Op ... Wikipedia

Wed If it comes to their claws, Then, surely, the lion will not be alive: There is no beast stronger than a cat. Krylov. Mouse and Rat. Wed When he is afraid of a coward, He thinks that the whole world looks at him through his eyes. There. See the coward (coward) celebrate... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

Chorus of the song lyrics: Yunna Moritz composer: Sergey Nikitin Under a sad growl, Under a cheerful moo, Under a friendly squeal A big secret is born for a small one For such a small company, For such a modest company A huge one ... ... Wikipedia

- (Erethizontidae)** * * The family of American porcupines includes 4 5 genera and about 12 species. American porcupines are very distantly related to Old World porcupines, but are the closest relatives of caviomorphs ... ... Animal Life

- (Felidae) * * Felines, as Brem writes, are indeed the most perfect type of predators, in other words, the most specialized representatives of the order. The family includes 36 species grouped into 10 12 genera (although different ... ... Animal life

- (Mustelidae)* * The mustelidae family includes 23 modern genera and about 65 predatory species, from small (including the smallest members of the order) to medium (up to 45 kg). Mustelids are distributed throughout Eurasia, Africa, North and South America… Life of animals

Books

• Dictionary of winged words and expressions in pictures "There is no beast stronger than a cat!" , Vladimirov V .. Your attention is invited to the book Dictionary of winged words and expressions in pictures "There is no beast stronger than a cat!" ...
• There is no beast stronger than a cat! Dictionary of winged words and expressions in pictures, Vladimirov, V.V .. Try to solve the riddle of the Sphinx, find out who the wise Diogenes was looking for during the day with fire ... Thanks to new technologies, Diogenes himself will tell you about it! A series of beautifully illustrated dictionaries,…

Ivan Andreevich Krylov was born on February 2 (13), 1769 in Moscow into a military family, a Russian publicist, publisher of the satirical magazine Spirits Mail, author of comedies and tragedies, and since 1841 an academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. But he became famous for writing fables, which were distinguished by apt and sharp satire. Big influence French fabulist Jean de Lafontaine (July 8, 1621 - April 13, 1695), who, in turn, borrowed plots and ideas mainly from the great ancient Greek fabulist Aesop, who lived approximately in the 600s, influenced the work of I.A. Krylov BC, as well as the Roman poet Phaedrus (20s BC-50s AD). For all the time, I.A. Krylov wrote 236 fables. Many expressions and quotations from these fables became winged and went to the people. Some phraseological units that we use in ordinary colloquial speech have not ceased to be relevant today.

Mention should be made of the writer and teacher of the Russian language and literature Vladislav Feofilovich Kenevich (1831-1879), who researched and systematized the works of I.A. Krylov in the literary field, writing a treatise "Bibliographic and historical notes to Krylov's fables."

The meaning and origin of the phraseologism "and Vaska listens and eats"

Phraseologism "And Vaska listens and eats" means ignoring fair criticism and comments, that is, continuing any activity, not paying attention to anyone's discontent.

This expression appeared from the fable "The Cat and the Cook", published in 1812. The reason for writing the fable was the actions of Napoleon shortly before Patriotic War 1812. The French emperor, spitting on the agreements concluded with Russia, carried out the capture of the Duchy of Württemberg, concluded agreements unfavorable for Russia with Prussia and Austria, and began to increase the military contingent near the borders with Russia in Prussia and Poland. Numerous notes of protest sent by Russia had no effect on Napoleon. Alexander 1 plays the role of a cook in the fable, but Napoleon plays the role of a cat.

Some Chef, literate

He ran from the kitchen

In a tavern (he was pious rules

And on this day, according to the godfather, the triznu ruled),

And at home, guard food from mice

Left the cat.

But what, come back, does he see? On the floor

Pie scraps; and Vaska the Cat is in the corner,

Falling down behind the vinegar barrel,

Purring and grumbling, he is working on the chicken.

"Ah, you glutton! ah, the villain! -

Here the cook reproaches Vaska, -

Aren't you ashamed of the walls, not only of people?

(But Vaska still cleans up the chicken.)

How! being an honest cat until now,

Sometimes, for an example of humility they say, -

And you ... so hot, what a shame!

Now all the neighbors will say:

"Cat Vaska is a rogue! Cat Vaska is a thief!

And Vasku-de, not only in the kitchen,

It is not necessary to let it into the yard,

Like a greedy wolf in a sheepfold:

He is a corruption, he is a plague, he is an ulcer of these places!

(And Vaska listens and eats.)

Here my rhetorician, giving free rein to the flow of words,

Did not find the end of moralizing.

But what? While he sang it

Cat Vaska ate all the roast.

And I would cook differently

He ordered to hack on the wall:

So as not to waste speeches there.

Where to use the power.

As we see from the fable, the cook left the kitchen and left the cat to guard food supplies from mice. When he returned, he saw a cat eating a chicken. The cook began to scold the cat. The cat, paying no attention, continued to eat. The indignation of the cook knew no bounds. He began to shame the cat, saying that he was dishonoring himself. And Vaska ate and ate, until he ate everything under the indignation and moralizing of the cook.

In the moral of the fable, the idea is expressed that when faced with disrespect and rudeness, sometimes actions, not words, can help.

The meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "and the casket just opened"

When at first glance a rather difficult task is solved in a simple way, the phrase is pronounced: "And the casket just opened." What is the significance of thisphraseologism in explanatory dictionary» I.S. Ozhegova:

“About what seemed complicated, but in reality was quite simple.”

The dictionary of I.A. Bunin has the following definition:

“It is used when they talk about some business, an issue in the resolution of which there was nothing to be smart about.”

T.V. Rose defines the expression “And the chest just opened” as:

"A simple way out of a seemingly predicament."

As we can see, the meaning of phraseologism is the same. This expression was taken from the fable "Casket", written by I.A. Krylov in 1808:

It often happens to us

And work, and wisdom to see there,

Where you can only guess

Just get down to business.

Someone brought a casket from the master.

Finishing, cleanliness Casket rushed into the eyes;

Well, everyone admired the beautiful Casket.

Here comes the sage into the mechanics room.

Glancing at the Casket, he said: "A casket with a secret,

So; he is without a lock;

And I undertake to open; yes, yes, I'm sure of it;

Don't laugh so hard!

I will find a secret, and I will open the Casket for you:

In mechanics, I'm worth something."

Here he took up the Casket:

Spins it around

And he breaks his head;

Now a carnation, then another, then a bracket shakes.

Here, looking at him, another

Shakes his head;

They whisper, and they laugh among themselves.

In the ears only reverberates:

"Not here, not like this, not there!" The mechanic is more torn.

Sweat, sweat; but finally tired

Behind the casket

And I didn't know how to open it.

And the casket just opened.

The fable describes how an experienced mechanic, thinking that there is some kind of secret, tries to open a chest without a lock, which, “puzzling over”, spends a lot of time. But in fact, there was no secret, and the casket was opened elementarily. You just had to lift the lid, and that's it - because the chest was not locked.

This situation is associated with another interesting, similar in meaning, expression: "breaking through an open door." Sometimes it’s not worth “re-inventing the wheel”, because everything can be much simpler.

The meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "there is no beast stronger than a cat"

So they say about someone who, for certain reasons, is considered the most important and strong, although in reality this is not so, because for others he is not considered as such. Often used as a joke, in an ironic form. Phraseologism “there is no beast stronger than a cat” appeared thanks to the fable “Mouse and Rat”, published in 1816:

"Neighbor, have you heard a good rumor? -

Running in, the Mouse said to the Rat, -

After all, the cat, they say, fell into the claws of a lion?

Now it's time for us to rest!"

"Don't rejoice, my light, -

The Rat says to her, -

And do not hope in empty!

If it reaches their claws,

That's right, the lion will not be alive:

There is no beast stronger than a cat!"

How many times have I seen, take it for yourself:

When a coward is afraid of whom,

That thinks that

The whole world looks through his eyes.

As we can see, the fear is so deeply embedded in the head of the rat that it clearly exaggerates the capabilities of the cat. Although the mouse is smaller and weaker than the rat, it is the rat that is the weakest and most cowardly here. This suggests that our fears are in our head, getting rid of which, perhaps, is much more difficult than getting rid of the object of fear itself. Close in meaning to the moral of this fable are such expressions as: “fear has big eyes” and “make an elephant out of a fly”.

The meaning and origin of the phraseological unit "like a squirrel in a wheel"

Phraseologism "like a squirrel in a wheel" has become firmly established in the usual colloquial speech. Also, this expression has become widespread in journalism and fiction.

The expression "like a squirrel in a wheel" has two meanings. In the first case, they say so about a person who is engaged in many different things at the same time and is very busy. The second meaning of this expression implies the fussy and troublesome work of a person, and at the same time, which is useless and fruitless. Moreover, a person thinks that these are very important things, but in fact it may not be so.

We owe the origin of the phraseological unit “like a squirrel in a wheel” to I.A. Krylov and his fable “Squirrel”, published in 1832:

In the village, on a holiday, under the window

landowner's choir,

The people crowded.

He yawned at Belka in the wheel and wondered.

Near the birch, Drozd also marveled at her:

She ran so that her paws only flashed

And fluffy tail.

“An old countrywoman,” Drozd asked here, “is it possible,

Say that? what are you doing here?" -

“Oh dear friend! I work all day

I am a messenger for a big master;

Well, no time to drink or eat,

Not even to translate the spirit. -

And the Squirrel in the wheel started running again.

“Yes,” Drozd said, flying away, “it’s clear to me

That you are running, but you are still on the same window.

Look at another businessman:

Busy, rushing about, everyone marvels at him:

It seems to be torn from the skin,

Yes, but everything does not move forward,

Like a squirrel in a wheel.

As we see from the fable, the squirrel, answering the thrush, who inquired about her occupation, really thinks that she is doing a serious and important job. And at the end of the fable, the author compares the squirrel with a man who is fussy and selflessly doing something, but there is no sense, "like a squirrel in a wheel."

We add that the phrase “like a squirrel in a wheel” is often used with the verbs “spinning” and “spinning”, from which the meaning of the expression does not change from this.

The meaning and origin of the phraseologism "and things are still there"

The phrase “and things are still there” is taken from I.A. Krylov’s fable “The Swan, Cancer and Pike”, published in 1814. The reason for writing the fable was the disagreement in the State Council of Russia.

When there is no agreement among comrades,

Their business will not go well,

And nothing will come out of it, only flour.

One day Swan, Cancer, yes Pike

Carried with luggage, they took it,

And together the three all harnessed themselves to it;

They are climbing out of their skin, but the cart is still not moving!

The luggage would have seemed easy for them:

Yes, the Swan breaks into the clouds,

Cancer moves back, and Pike pulls into the water.

Who is to blame among them, who is right, is not for us to judge;

Yes, only things are still there.

As we see from the fable, the swan, pike and cancer had a goal - to transfer the cart. However, the task set remained unfulfilled due to the lack of coherence in the actions of the heroes of the fable. They had desires and efforts - more than enough, but only everyone wanted to achieve the final result in their own way, so the matter did not move forward. The conclusion is simple - coherence and mutual understanding are important in collective work, without which it is almost impossible to achieve a positive result, well, if only at very high costs.

The expression “yes, only things are still there” means unfulfilled work due to the contradictions inherent in nature that have arisen between the heroes of the work.

Nowadays, this phraseological unit is used when, for some reason, work has not been started or is not being carried out or is ineffective. They also say this in a situation where a person promised to do something, but for some reason does not do it or delays fulfilling the promise.

Basically, this expression is used in an ironic form as a joke.

The meaning and origin of the phraseological unit “I didn’t even notice the elephant”

The expression “I didn’t notice the elephant” was immortalized in I.A. Krylov’s fable “Curious” in 1814:

"Dear buddy, great! Where have you been?" —

“In the cabinet of curiosities, my friend! I walked there for three hours;

I saw everything, looked out; out of surprise

Believe me, there will be no skill

Tell you, no strength

Indeed, what a chamber of miracles there is!

Where is the nature tortovata for inventions!

What animals, what birds I have not seen!

What butterflies, insects,

Goats, flies, cockroaches!

Some are like emeralds, others are like coral!

What tiny cows!

There is, indeed, less than a pinhead!” —

“Have you seen an elephant? What a look!

I am tea, did you think that you met a mountain? —

"Is he there?" - "There". “Well, brother, it’s my fault:

I didn’t even notice the elephant.”

According to V.F. Kenevich, the idea of ​​writing a fable came to I.A. Krylov at a dinner with the writer, scientist, traveler and real secret adviser Avraam Sergeevich Norov (1795-1869). The reason was the story of some provincial who visited the Kunstkamera. Admiring the Academic Museum, and not ignoring the most small items collection, when asked about his impression, about the largest exhibit of the exhibition - the elephant, he embarrassedly replied: "I'm sorry, I didn't notice the elephant."

According to another version, described by the journalist, writer and critic Faddey Venediktovich Bulgarin (1789-1859), another case served to write the fable "Curious":

“One poet (but not a poet), however, a witty man, published poems in which he says that there are three great fabulists and all three Ivans in literature: Ivan Lafontaine, Ivan Khemnitser and Ivan Dmitriev. About Ivan Krylov, who already enjoyed full glory - not a mention! They say that Krylov, offended by such inattention, wrote the fable "Curious", in which he made it clear to the author of the poem that he looked at the goats, flies and others, but did not notice the elephant, Ivan Krylov.

The meaning of the fable comes down to the inability, and perhaps unwillingness, which is even worse, to see the main thing in someone or something. Like many sayings of I.A. Krylov, the expression “I didn’t notice the elephant” is used mainly in an ironic form, when a person, not bypassing the smallest details of something, misses the most important thing. That is, it focuses its attention on unimportant things, while it really loses sight of the most important thing, so to speak, “the very essence” or “salt itself”.

Here is the meaning of the phraseological unit “I didn’t notice the elephant” in D.N. Ushakov’s “Explanatory Dictionary”:

“I didn’t even notice the elephant - I didn’t notice the most important, the most noticeable.”

The meaning and origin of the phraseologism "green grapes"

Phraseologism "green grapes" was fixed in the Russian language thanks to I.A. Krylov's fable "The Fox and the Grapes", written in 1808. It must be admitted that I.A. Krylov borrowed the plot of this fable from Lafontaine, who, in turn, from Phaedrus. Well, the primary source is the fable of Aesop, who lived already in the 6th century BC:

Hungry godmother Fox climbed into the garden;

In it, the grapes were reddened.

The gossip's eyes and teeth flared up,

And the brushes are juicy, like yachts;

Only trouble is, they hang high:

Whence and how she comes to them,

Though the eye sees

Yes, the tooth is numb.

Breaking through the whole hour in vain,

She went and said with annoyance: "Well, well!

Looks like he's good

Yes, green - no ripe berries:

You'll get the hang of it right away."

The plot of the fable is based on the desire of the fox to taste grapes that grow too high for her to reach. From annoyance and to his own consolation, the fox justified his fiasco by the unripeness of the grapes.

This is how it often happens in life. When something does not work out, a person, in order to console his pride, is likely to blame anyone and anything for the failure, but not himself. And in our case, when it comes to the expression "green grapes", there is a clear disparaging statement about the object of one's desire.

It is this phrase that is said to a person who, commenting on his failure in something or the inability to possess something, justifies himself that in fact “I didn’t really want to”, although this is not so. Roughly speaking, a person deceives himself. What drives them? Heightened pride, envy, fear of looking in front of others "not in the best light."

The expression is used with irony and some sarcasm. In fiction, there are many examples of the expression "green grapes".

“I was too proud to get used to my position, consoled myself like a fox, assuring myself that the grapes were still green, that is, I tried to despise all the pleasures brought by a pleasant appearance, which Volodya used before my eyes and which I envied from the bottom of my heart.”

L.N. Tolstoy, Boyhood, 1854