What does it mean to lead by the nose. Lead by the nose - meaning

Phraseologisms, sayings in their essence, in live and written speech, always give the statement additional color, expression. But only if the speaker and the interlocutor are aware of the meaning of the statement. Otherwise, you can easily "get into trouble" and be publicly ridiculed.

In order to skillfully use what translators usually call "untranslatable puns", you need to know the history of the occurrence of the phrase. Of course, in order to understand the meaning of the expression, roughly speaking - “translate it into Russian”, it is quite possible to limit ourselves to viewing the Dictionary of Phraseological Synonyms of the Russian Language. But in order to fully feel the inner, it is necessary to find out the nature of its appearance and trace the history of the development of expression in time. Often in the process of use in speech it acquires additional shades, expands the scope of its application. This happens precisely due to the incessant language creation that comes from specific people: writers who feel the language subtly, as well as unknown numerous talented nuggets from the people - jokers and merry fellows.

To lead by the nose is not just to deceive

In the Educational Phraseological Dictionary of 1997 (authors: E.A. Bystrova, A.P. Okuneva, N.M. Shansky), the expression “lead by the nose” is interpreted as: “Deceive, mislead, promise and not fulfill the promise.”

Synonymous expressions will be: "Rub / rub glasses, circle / circle around your finger, let / throw dust in the eyes." As a version of the origin of the turnover, a story is given with gypsies leading a bear in the market and entertaining the crowd. To force them to take necessary actions, the animal was pulled by a ring threaded through its nose. Thus, "they forced him to do tricks, deceiving them with promises of handouts."

For example, they gave him a handout for performing a trick, there was no deception of a bear here. Rather, they deceived the public, convincing them that the bear was doing somersaults supposedly for a cookie, and not because he was trying to avoid pain. Thus, "to lead by the nose" is to deceive, giving one for the other, trying to make the main reason invisible.

To lead by the nose is not to deceive, but to deceive for a long time. It's a whole lengthy operation. “He leads you by the nose, like a looped one, but you don’t notice,” they say to a person who believes in promises and ostentatious actions, not seeing, and sometimes not wanting to see, the underlying reason.

lead by the nose whom. To deceive, mislead, usually promising something and not fulfilling the promise. The students all fell in love with her, one at a time or several at a time. She led everyone by the nose and told the other about the love of one and laughed at the first, then with the first at the second(Goncharov. Break). - An expression that probably arose from a comparison with bears, which the gypsies paraded by the ring through their nose, and forced to do tricks, deceiving them with promises of handouts. Lit .: Dictionary of the modern Russian literary language. - M.; L., 1951. - T. 2. - S. 501.

Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .

See what "Drive by the nose" is in other dictionaries:

lead by the nose- See fool... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999. lead by the nose, deceive, lead by (dick, eggs) Dictionary of Russian synonyms ... Synonym dictionary

LEAD BY THE NOSE- who shamelessly deceive whom, fool. This means that a person or a group of persons (X) misleads another person or group of persons usually engaged in a common business (Y) with the help of false promises (as a rule, this continues for a long time). ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian language

lead by the nose- Drive (drag) someone by the nose (foreigner) to deceive, manage. Wed Keep your pocket wide! And not like you, well done by the nose, then they drive. Ostrovskiy. Not all cats butter. 3, 1. Cf. The students all fell in love with her ... She led everyone by the nose and ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

lead by the nose- Razg. To deceive, mislead, promise and not fulfill the promise. = Rubbing / rubbing glasses, circling / circling around the finger, splurge / splurge on the eyes. From noun. with meaning faces: brother, comrade ... leads by the nose whom? girlfriend, sister… Students… … Educational Phraseological Dictionary

lead by the nose- deceive, deceive. There are two versions of the origin of the expression: 1. The metaphor arose from a way to control animals that are led with a ring threaded through the nostrils (goes back to Greek). 2. The combination arose from a comparison ... Phraseology Handbook

lead by the nose- whom. 1. Unfold To deceive, deceive, fool someone. BMS 1998, 408; BTS, 139; 3S 1996, 296, 476; Mokienko 1986, 55; WWTP, 124; Versh. 4, 167; SHZF 2001, 40; DP, 649; FSRYA, 285. 2. Psk. Command (in the family). SPP 2001, 57 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

lead by the nose- To deceive, to mislead... Dictionary of many expressions

DRIVE- DRIVE, I drive, I drive, I don't believe. 1. Same meanings as Ch. lead in 1, 2 and 3 meanings, but with the difference that lead means movement in one step and in one direction, and lead a movement that repeats and takes place at different times, in different ... ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

DRIVE- LEAD, lead or tell, respect someone, see off on the go, or dragging you by force, needing, or helping, supporting, or showing the way, or leading, being the boss or bailiff, or leader, water, manage; | Keep,… … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Nose- a (y), preposition. about the nose, on the nose; pl. noses; m. 1. The protruding part of the face of a person or the muzzle of an animal between the mouth (mouth) and eyes; outer part of the olfactory organ. Straight, thin, small, long, short, snub-nosed, upturned, hooked nose. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

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In everyday life, quite often, in order to embellish our speech, we use various phraseological units, speech turns, folk sayings and expressions. Do we know their meaning and history? Here are some examples.

1. "Lead by the nose"

Previously, gypsies entertained people at fairs, speaking with bears. They forced the animals to perform various tricks, while deceiving them with the promise of handouts. The gypsies led the bear by the nose ring. It was from that time that "don't lead me by the nose" means "do not deceive." And the expression “to know the whole story” is connected ... with the old torture, when the accused were driven nails or needles under the nails. The purpose of this rather unpleasant act was to gain recognition.

About the one who knows little, we say "master of sour cabbage soup." The origin of the saying is quite simple. Sour cabbage soup (apparently, in the simplest variation) was a simple meal: water and sauerkraut. It wasn't hard to make soup. And if someone was called the "master of sour cabbage soup", this meant that he was not good for anything worthwhile. The expression “to put a pig on”, that is, to do something bad to someone, is apparently due to the fact that some peoples do not eat pork for religious reasons. And if pork was imperceptibly put into a person’s food, then by doing so they did a very serious dirty trick.

3."beat the buckets"

Today, the expression "beat the buckets" means to do nothing. Meanwhile, before beating the buckets was an occupation. Although quite simple ... Dishes in ancient times were mainly made of wood: cups and spoons, “brothers” and plates - everything was wooden. But in order to cut something, it was necessary to chip off a chock - a baklusha - from a log. It was an easy, trifling matter that was entrusted to apprentices. This lesson was called “beating the buckets”. The craftsmen jokingly called the auxiliary workers "bottlenecks". So, from the jokes of the masters, this expression appeared.

4. "I didn't come to the yard"

When you study proverbs and sayings, you wonder what antiquity they sometimes come from. “I didn’t come to the court” - This saying has an interesting mythological basis. According to her, only the animal that the brownie likes will live in the courtyard (yard). And if you don't like it, you'll either run away or get sick. What to do ... not to the court ...

5. "Scapegoat"

“Found a scapegoat”, “who will they make the scapegoat this time?” - such phrases can often be heard at work. The “scapegoat” is understood as a person on whom all the flaws were hung up, while he himself may have a very indirect relation to the troubles that have happened, or even be completely uninvolved in them. This expression has its own history... The ancient Jews had a rite of absolution, in which a goat participated. The priest laid his hands on the goat's head, as if shifting the sins of the whole people onto it. After this, the unfortunate man, who had a rather weak attitude towards the sins of an entire people, was driven into the wilderness. So it goes. It is not known how many goats went on a harsh journey for the sins of others, but, fortunately, the rite no longer exists. And the expression still lives on.

6."Kazan orphan"

As you know, the expression "Kazan orphan" refers to a person who pretends to be offended or helpless in order to pity someone. Now this phrase is used, rather, as a good-natured joke. But why exactly "Kazan"? This phraseological unit arose after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. Tatar princes (mirzas) became subjects of the Russian tsar. At the same time, they tried to beg from Ivan the Terrible all sorts of concessions and benefits, complaining about the bitter fate. It was they who, thanks to the sharp folk language, became the first "Kazan orphans."

7. "Do not take dirty linen out of the hut"

An ancient and ubiquitous proverb. Of course, it does not teach us uncleanliness. She advises not to endure family squabbles and quarrels in public. Dahl generally wrote beautifully about this proverb: “family squabbles will be sorted out at home, if not under one sheepskin coat, then under one roof.” But this proverb also has a direct meaning: among the peasants, rubbish was never swept out and carried out into the street. It was quite difficult to do: sweep the rubbish into the street through the high rapids. However, the main reason is the existence of a rather serious belief: according to rubbish, unkind people can send damage. Rubbish was usually swept into the oven or cooking corner. When the stove was fired, the rubbish was burned. There was another interesting custom: the wedding guests, testing the patience of the bride, forced the hut to be revenged, while again and again they littered and said: “Sweep, sweep, but don’t take it out of the hut, but rake it under the bench and put it in the oven so that it will take out the smoke ".

8. "Neither stake nor yard"

We are talking about a state of extreme poverty. If we disassemble the content of this proverb, it turns out that there is no “not a stake”, that is, a short pointed stick, “not a yard” - that is, a house. As for the “yard”, everything is clear, and there are no disputes on this score. But about the “col” there is a rather convincing version of the late nineteenth century. The fact is that, at least in some places, a “stake” was called a strip of arable land two sazhens wide. Therefore, not to have a stake means not to have arable land; not to have a yard means to live with others. Well… it makes sense. It is difficult to overestimate, especially in the old days, the importance of arable land for the peasant. In fact, along with the house, she was his main wealth.

9. "to go crazy"

The word "crazy" is used quite often in everyday life. As you know, it means a situation where a person has lost the ability to clearly perceive the surrounding reality, to think adequately. Interestingly, the origin of the word is associated with large-scale events in 1771, it was then that a devastating plague raged in Moscow. Eyewitnesses described the following symptoms in people: "The reprimand of the patients is unintelligible and confusing, the tongue is definitely frozen, or bitten, or like that of a drunk." The plague manifested itself in chills, fever, headache and confusion. The memory of the above events is reflected in the word "crazy", which we now apply to much less serious situations.

10."Goof"

Means "to get into a difficult, stupid, embarrassing or ridiculous situation, to miss the danger." It appeared in the speech of old Russian spinners, rope craftsmen and was formed from the combination of getting into a trouble. The word prosak has been lost in modern Russian, since reality itself has passed away - a rope, rope mill, a machine on which in the old days ropes were twisted, stretching from the spinning wheel to the sleigh. When working with prosak, the spinner was in great danger if the beard, clothes or hand fell into the loom: he could lose not only his beard, but sometimes his health or life. The expression get into a mess, where the adverb into a mess is formed from a combination of a noun with a preposition, which is traditional for Russian dialects, has lost its direct meaning and is now used only figuratively, that is, it has acquired the status of a phraseological unit. The origin of many Russian phraseological units, by the way, is connected with the professional environment.

11."Get it on your nose"

This expression is often said today in full confidence that the nose is meant. Ordinary human nose. Sometimes they also show on the nose. Meanwhile, this is a mistake ... The nose used to be called a special plaque for records. It was worn along with special sticks, with which they made various notes or notches as a keepsake. Indeed, in antiquity, for all its severity, no one made any notches on his personal nose as a keepsake.

12."Playing with spillikins"

There is such an old game, with the help of which, as they say, patience and caution are developed: spillikins. Before you lies a bunch of tiny little things, glasses, hammers, hearts - spillikins - piled up in a mess. It is required with a small hook to pull out one spillikin after another from the pile so that the rest are not disturbed. A great activity for idlers! It is not surprising that the expression "playing spillikins" has long meant: to engage in trifles, nonsense, leaving aside the main and important.

13. "Shelving"

There is an assumption that this, meaning “to give the case a long delay”, “to delay its decision for a long time”, arose in Moscow Russia, three hundred years ago. Tsar Alexei, the father of Peter I, ordered in the village of Kolomenskoye in front of his palace to install a long box where anyone could drop their complaint. Complaints fell, but it was very difficult to wait for decisions; often months and years had passed before that. The people renamed this "long" box to "long". It is difficult, however, to vouch for the accuracy of this explanation: after all, we are not talking about "lowering" or not "putting", but "putting it on the back burner." One might think that the expression, if not born, was fixed in speech later, in “presences” - institutions of the 19th century. The then officials, accepting various petitions, complaints and petitions, undoubtedly sorted them, putting them in different boxes. "Long" could be called the one where the most unhurried things were put off. It is clear that the applicants were afraid of such a box. By the way, there is no need to assume that someone once specifically renamed the “long” box into “long”: in many places in our country, in the folk language, “long” just means “long”. The expression “put under the cloth” which was born later has the same meaning. Cloth covered tables in Russian offices.

In our time, this promise is worth nothing. Therefore, lawyers who help draw up a contract are now so popular. Previously, in the Russian Empire, the word of a merchant was inviolable. If the merchants made a deal, they carefully followed every letter of the contract.
Today there are many citizens who like to "lead by the nose." If we open the dictionary, we will find in it the interpretation of this phraseological unit, how to "deceive or control." Most citizens stop communicating with such people. It is unpleasant to feel that you are being impudently deceived, it is even worse when a person depends on such liars.

The history of the expression "lead by the nose"

The country of origin of this phraseological unit is now difficult to establish, it is only known that this idiom appeared a very long time ago. Researchers are sure that this idiom "to lead by the nose" originated in Central Asia.
Many travelers who found themselves in Asia were amazed to see how a child deftly manages a camel. Indeed, the difference in height was very impressive. The Europeans, who for the first time saw how a child leads a camel with his small hand, and he dutifully followed him, were shocked. Many assumed that this was some kind of witchcraft.

In fact, neither the magic nor the skill of young Asian children has anything to do with it. The thing is that cunning Asians at the dawn of time figured out how to deal with these wayward and strong animals. They pierced their noses and inserted a metal ring to which a rope was tied.
How can a camel disobey in this case?
The same practice extended to wayward bulls, the ring in the nose very quickly cooled their violent temper and easily subordinated these animals to the will of man.

In medieval Russia, exactly the same trick was used, but the ring was threaded into the bear's nose. This was usually done by gypsies, who wandered from city to city and showed this dangerous predator for a small reward.
In order to control the animal and protect the audience, the gypsies tightly gripped the rope that was tied to the iron ring in the bear's nose. A variety of tricks and tricks greatly amused the many visitors to the fair, who did not think at all about the suffering of the poor animal.
This is how the expression "lead by the nose" appeared, which means optionality, deceit and lies.

Where did the phrase "lead by the nose" come from? what is its direct meaning? and got the best answer

Answer from Girl from the Urals :) [guru]
Lead by the nose - deceive, mislead.
There are two versions of the origin of the expression: 1) the metaphor arose from a way to control animals that are driven with a ring threaded through the nostrils (goes back to Greek); 2) the combination arose from a comparison with bears, which the gypsies paraded around for a ring threaded through their nose, they also drove horses and bulls.

Answer from Tatiana[guru]

The expression "lead by the nose" means: to deceive, to promise and not to fulfill.

Answer from Alexey Begemot[guru]
In my opinion, it was like this: if you hang a carrot tied to a stick on a string in front of a donkey, then you can go anywhere, the donkey will follow the carrot!

Answer from Vasiya Durka[newbie]
Deceive!

Answer from Evgenia Doleva[newbie]
deceive

Answer from Lena Koroleva[active]
lead by the nose i.e. deceive. This phrase came to us from Central Asia. Visitors are often surprised how small children manage to cope with huge camels. The animal obediently follows the child leading it by the rope. The fact is that the rope is threaded through the ring located in the camel's nose. Here you already want it, you don’t want it - but you have to obey! Rings were also put into the noses of bulls to make their temper more docile.
If a person deceives someone or does not fulfill the promise, then they also say about him that he "leads by the nose." In Russia, they also used such a trick. Only in relation to bears. Gypsies took these animals to fairs, entertained the people and earned their livelihood. In order to protect themselves and the audience, a ring was inserted into the nose of the animal, for which they led the beast itself. Various tricks and tricks amused the visitors of the fairs. And, unfortunately, no one thought about the bear and its suffering.

Answer from Anton Gorbatenko[newbie]
lead by the nose - deceive

Answer from Denis Shipov[newbie]
deceive

Answer from SOLNISHKO SVISH[newbie]
mnogo lgat", pri etom ne pokazivaua vida

Answer from User deleted[guru]
In the old days, trained bears were taken to fairs. They drove the bears precisely for the ring threaded through the nose.
Lead by the nose - deceive, fool

Answer from Bergamot Tea[guru]
The expression "lead by the nose" means: to deceive, to promise and not to fulfill.
**
It is interesting that in phraseological units the word nose practically does not reveal its main meaning in any way. The nose is the organ of smell, however, in stable phrases, the nose is associated primarily with the idea of ​​something small, short. Remember the fairy tale about Kolobok? When the Fox needed Gingerbread Man to get within her reach, to get closer, she asks him to sit on her nose. This idea of ​​​​proximity underlies such phraseological units as nose to nose, on the nose (so they say about something that is about to come), under the very nose or from under the very nose, with a gulkin nose (a gulka is a dove , the beak of a dove is small), do not see beyond your own nose, grumble under your breath.
They turn up their noses when they don’t like something, hang them up (together with their heads), if they are very upset, despair, turn up when they are unjustifiably proud of something, boast. If someone is asked to keep his nose out of his own business, then in this way they want to show him that he is too curious, out of place, interfering in what he should not.
The nose is very convenient to drive for it (when they say so, they mean that the owner of this nose is being deceived, fooled), to wipe it (if you managed to surpass someone, then they say that they wiped his nose). To better remember any information, it needs to be hacked on the nose.
However, the word nose does not always mean the organ of smell. It also has other meanings. You will read about some of them in a special chapter, the title of which contains another phraseological unit - Do not stay with your nose!
**
lead by the nose
Travel to Central Asia. There on the roads you will see a strange picture. A tiny boy or girl walks and leads a huge camel. The animal walks obediently, because the child pulls it by a rope tied to a ring threaded through its nostrils. Try not to obey! And if you don’t want to, you will follow if they lead you by the nose. They also put a ring in the nostrils to tame ferocious bulls.