Having a little snack and drowning out, satisfying the feeling of hunger - this means “starving a worm”, we use such a humorous expression to denote our needs, namely to eat something.
But what worm are we trying to kill and why do we say exactly that?
There are several explanations for the origin of this expression.
In the 18th century this expression is not yet found, but starting from the 19th century it begins to be actively used.
It is believed that the meaning of the expression “how to eat” is equivalent to the meaning of “drink”, and the expression itself came from the Romance groups of languages: Italian, French, Portuguese.
There is a saying in Italian that translates as “to kill the caterpillar” (matar el gusanillo) and meant taking a glass of alcohol before breakfast.
And in French the saying “to kill a worm” (tuer le ver) is nothing more than drinking on an empty stomach.
- Apparently, because a person always has a snack after drinking, and his appetite is no joke.
- And in Rus' the word “worm” is generally consonant with the word “belly” (belly, belly).
Let's take a look at these pages as well
Kill the worm kill the worm of the worm Razg. Have a light snack to satisfy your hunger a little. With noun with meaning faces: father, young man, worker... starved a worm; what to kill a worm with? sandwich, bun...
It was a long time before lunch, and we decided to at least kill the worm.
Take a sandwich, kill the worm, we'll have lunch in an hour.
Looking ahead warily... he chewed the bread, somewhat starving the worm, and felt like he wanted to smoke. (V. Bykov.)
Educational phraseological dictionary. - M.: AST. E. A. Bystrova, A. P. Okuneva, N. M. Shansky. 1997 .
See what it means to “kill a worm” in other dictionaries:
Kill the worm.- (i.e., have a snack). At least hit a bast shoe in your belly. See FOOD Soak the mustache in a glass. Kill the worm. See DRUNKENNESS... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
kill the worm- snack, intercept, wrap, try, peck, snack, chew, refuel, refuel, have a snack, eat, satisfy hunger, throw on the tooth, throw on the tooth, put on the tooth, refresh yourself Dictionary of Russian synonyms ... Synonym dictionary
kill the worm- To kill a worm/(worm) To satisfy your hunger slightly, to have a snack... Dictionary of many expressions
Kill the worm- Razg. Joking. Have a light snack. SRNG, 6, 202; FSRY, 518; BMS 1998, 621; SHZF 2001 80; BTS, 333; ZS 1996, 186; Mokienko 1986, 21 23; FM 2002, 611; DP, 806...
Kill a worm (worm)- Simple. Joking. Having a snack, slightly satisfy your hunger. At the beginning of eleven, already feeling an appetite, they returned to the company and there they received two thin slices of black bread to kill the worm before dinner (Stanyukovich. Little sailors) ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language
Kill the drunken worm- Zharg. they say Joking. Drink alcohol. Shchuplov, 62 ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings
Kill the worm of the worm. Have a light snack to satisfy your hunger a little. With noun with meaning faces: father, young man, worker... starved a worm; what to kill a worm with? a sandwich, a bun... It was far from lunch, and we decided to at least starve... ... Educational phraseological dictionary
starve- Starve a worm (colloquial fam.) have a light snack, satisfy your hunger. Isn't it time to kill the worm? ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Language
FREEZE- 1. FREEZE1, I’ll starve, you’ll starve, completely. (to marinate1), whom what. Gradually plague with hunger, poor treatment, deprivation (colloquial). Starve a prisoner to death. To kill a patient with bad treatment. || Exhaust with backbreaking work (household... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
Books
- Images of Russian speech: historical and etymological essays on phraseology, Mokienko Valery Mikhailovich. The book, in a lively and accessible form, examines the history and etymology of many Russian figurative expressions: bench-stoves, starving the worm, all Ivanovskaya, what the world stands on, etc. Special... Buy for 523 rubles
- Images of Russian speech, V. M. Mokienko. The book, in a lively and accessible form, examines the history and etymology of many Russian figurative expressions: stove-bench, kill the worm, all Ivanovskaya, what the world is worth and others.…
The expression “kill a worm” has been familiar to each of us since childhood. This verbiage is used to mean to satisfy hunger, to have a light snack before the main meal. It turns out that the creature hiding under the mask of an unknown worm is not so gluttonous, but why does it need to be starved, and not appeased or appeased?
The Spanish caterpillar and the French beast are siblings of our worm
In many European languages there is a similar concept, but it refers exclusively to drinks taken on an empty stomach. The Spanish say matar el gusanillo, the Portuguese say matar o bicho, the French say tuer le ver. Literally translated, it sounds like “kill the caterpillar” and “destroy the beast.” There is clearly a direct connection here with our idiom “to kill the worm.” The meaning of the phraseological unit becomes more understandable, since the verb in its composition is synonymous with such concepts as “torture”, “lime”, “destroy”, “put to death”.
An insidious monster in the heart of a dead lady
In France, among regulars of drinking establishments who prefer to sit at the bar in the morning, a story passed off as the pure truth is popular. They say that once in a Parisian family a young woman suddenly died. Having opened the body of the deceased, doctors discovered a huge worm unknown to science in her heart. All attempts to kill it were unsuccessful; the animal turned out to be surprisingly tenacious.
In Russian, unlike French or Spanish, the expression “to kill a worm” is synonymous with a light snack without drinking alcohol. According to some researchers, the idiom could have arisen under the influence of popular beliefs. At a time when people knew very little about the anatomical features of the human body, it was believed that there was a snake inside the stomach that needed to be constantly fed.
Rumbling in an empty stomach was associated with the monster's dissatisfaction. If its need for food is not satisfied in time, it could eat a person from the inside - it is no coincidence that during long breaks in food it began to suck in the pit of the stomach. It is quite possible that this idea of the structure of internal organs became the starting point for the emergence of the expression “killing a worm.” The meaning of the phraseological unit subsequently acquired a soft ironic connotation, and the formidable asp “turned” into a small harmless booger.
Speech borrowings and confusion of concepts
All the proposed versions look quite plausible, if you do not take into account the fact that the phrase “to kill a worm” appeared in the Russian language only in the 19th century. Until this time, this phrase had not been found in Russian literature. Therefore, there is no need to talk about the ancient Slavic roots of the idiom. One can also question the assertion that the birthplace of phraseological units is medieval Europe. To remove helminths, according to historical information, it was not alcohol that was used, but saturated solutions of table salt.
Having migrated from the Mediterranean countries to France and Germany, the phrase “kill a worm” somewhat lost its original meaning and began to be identified not with treatment, but with drinking alcohol with a light snack. With the same meaning, the phraseological unit penetrated into Russia. But in the Russian language there already existed the expression “to kill howl”, that is, “to eat”, “to satisfy hunger”. Over time, these phrases merged into one, and the alcoholic connotation was completely lost.
2) the expression is borrowed from Romanesque phraseology. Apparently, this is a tracing-paper from the French tuer le ver - “to drink a glass of alcohol on an empty stomach” (literally “to kill a worm”). The turnover is associated with the popular belief that by drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, you can get rid of worms.
Handbook of phraseology. 2012
See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what it means to FREEZE A WORM (JOKE) in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:
- FREEZE
|| worm... - FREEZE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
cm. … - FREEZE in the Complete Accented Paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze, freeze “those who have killed”, who have “frozen”, who have “frozen”, who have “frozen”, who have “frozen”, who have “frozen” lice, ... - FREEZE in the New Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
owls trans. 1) decomposed Bring to death from hunger and exhaustion. 2) a) decomposed Bring to the point of exhaustion; torment. b) transfer Suppress... - FREEZE in Lopatin’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
freeze, -ryu, ... - FREEZE in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
starve, -ryu, ... - FREEZE in the Spelling Dictionary:
freeze, -ryu, ... - FREEZE in Ozhegov’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
<= … - JOKING. in Dahl's Dictionary:
(abbreviation) ... - FREEZE
I'll starve you, you'll starve me, owls. (to marinate 2), that (special). Paint with stain. Stain the boards under... - FREEZE in Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
I'll starve you, you'll starve me, owls. (to marinate 1), someone or something. Gradually plague with hunger, poor treatment, deprivation (colloquial). Starve a prisoner to death. Starve the patient... - FREEZE in Ephraim's Explanatory Dictionary:
starve the owls trans. 1) decomposed Bring to death from hunger and exhaustion. 2) a) decomposed Bring to the point of exhaustion; torment. b) transfer ... - FREEZE in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
owls trans. 1. decompression Bring to death from hunger and exhaustion. 2. decomposition Bring to the point of exhaustion; torment. Ott. trans. Suppress, dull... - FREEZE in the Large Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
I owls trans. decomposition 1. Bring to death from hunger and exhaustion. 2. transfer Bring to the point of exhaustion; torment. II owls trans. ... - FREEZE THE WORM in Abramov's Dictionary of Synonyms:
cm. … - PIRATES OF THE XX CENTURY in the Wiki Quote Book:
Data: 2009-06-23 Time: 14:52:52 * - ...Weaknesses: sentimental, loves his mother. - If necessary, we will complain to the old lady. * - Wait, who's coming? ... - WORM SYMPTOM in Medical terms:
palpation determined density and tortuosity of the artery during its atherosclerotic... - WORM in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, m. 1. Same as a worm. Catch fish with a worm. 2. transfer About a pathetic, insignificant person (contempt). 3. ... - LEXICALIZATION in the Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary:
- transformation of a language element (morpheme, word form) or combination of elements (phrase) into a separate significant word or into another equivalent dictionary... - EAT in Abramov's Dictionary of Synonyms:
eat, taste, consume, use, feast on, eat, swallow, absorb, devour; (about animals and pron.): eat, devour, (for) gnaw, shovel, peel, crack, devour, ... - FROZEN WORM in the Russian Synonyms dictionary:
bitten, had a snack, intercepted, had a snack, ... - WORM in Dahl's Dictionary:
husband. worm, little worm; worm, worm, worm, worm ver. (from the belly, womb); a ringed, legless animal that crawls and reptiles; colloquially called... - MARINATED in Dahl's Dictionary:
or to starve, to starve someone to death, to starve, to starve, to starve; to exhaust, exhaust with needs, hunger, work, anxiety and worries, etc. | exhaust until... - WORM in Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
worm, m. (colloquial). Reduce-caress. to the worm. to kill a worm - see starve... - SEMYON TEODOROVICH ALTOV in the Wiki Quotation Book.
- ENGLISH PROVERBS in Quotation Wiki.
- SHAMIL
Shamil is the famous leader and unifier of the highlanders of Dagestan and Chechnya in their struggle with the Russians for independence. Born in the village... - CHERNAI ALEXANDER VIKENTIEVICH in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia:
Chernay (Alexander Vikentyevich) - zoologist, Czech by birth, born in 1821 in the city of St. Petersburg. He received his education at the Pedagogical Institute... - PRUTKOV KOZMA PETROVICH in the Brief Biographical Encyclopedia:
Prutkov (Kozma Petrovich) is a fictional writer, a one-of-a-kind literary phenomenon, only in external features reminiscent of M. de la Palisse... - SHAMIL
the famous leader and unifier of the highlanders of Dagestan and Chechnya in their struggle with the Russians for independence. Born in the village of Gimry near... - CHERNAI in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
I (Alexander Vikentievich) - zoologist, Czech by birth; born in 1821 in St. Petersburg. He received his education at the Pedagogical Institute, where... - PRUTKOV in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
(Kozma Petrovich) is a fictional writer, a one-of-a-kind literary phenomenon, only externally reminiscent of M. de la Palisse and... - LOUIS II OF BAVARIAN in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
(Otto-Friedrich-Wilhelm; 1845-86) - King of Bavaria, son of King Maximilian II, grandson of Louis I of Bavaria. L. inherited from his ancestors a passionate, even... - BRAIN in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron.
- TOOTHLESS in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
(Anodonta) - see table. Elasmobranchs, I; an animal from the class of elasmobranch (see this next) mollusks, non-siphonous, from the family. Naiades (Najades s. ... - MOVIE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
uncl., p. 1. Same as cinematography; see also CINEMATOGRAPHER, CINEMATOGRAPHER. Art K. Filmmaker (colloquial) - 1) worker ... - AUNT in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -and, gen. pl. -hey, w. 1. Same as aunt (in 1 value). Native vol. 2. In combination with... - SHOOTING in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -aya, -oe (colloquial). 1. About game: shot, not crushed. Shooting partridges. 2. The one who was shot at. S. sparrow (translated: experienced, ... - YURIEV in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a: Yury’s Day - in the old days in Rus': the autumn holiday of St. George (Yuri), on the day of which serfs were allowed... - EAR in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, ear, .pl. ears, ears, cf. 1. The organ of hearing, as well as its outer part (in humans, in the shape of a shell). ... - MOUTH in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, mouth, from the mouth and from the mouth, about the mouth, in the mouth, m. 1. The cavity between the upper and lower jaws, outside ... - FOUNTAIN in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, m. 1. A jet of liquid or gas ejected upward from a pipe or hole by pressure force. Zabsh f. Oil f. Gas... - AXE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, m. A metal cutting tool mounted on a handle with a blade and butt. Plotnitsky T. Chopping, hewing with an axe. *... - STRAW in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -y, w. Hollow stems of cereals remaining after threshing. Rzhanaya village Linen village II decrease straw, -i, f. Place some straw... - BALL in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
1, -a, m. 1. see ball. 2. Component of blood (obsolete). Red and white blood cells. 3. Same as... - ELEPHANT in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, m. 1. A large proboscis mammal of tropical countries with two large tusks. African s. Indian village The elephant is not... - HUMAN in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -a, in meaning pl. upr. people, -ey (people - outdated and humorous; braid. n. person, by people, etc. ... - TURNIP in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -y, w. Root vegetable with a rounded root of light yellow color. Feed river Cheaper than steamed turnips (very cheap; colloquial joke). Easier than steamed... - WHISTLE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
, -I am looking, -I am searching; -ista; -exhausting; -expired; -istya; yes. 1. Make a whistle. S. blow the whistle. The whistle blows. Wheezing (heavy, with...
According to the first version, there was a widespread belief among Russian peasants that worms lived in the digestive organs (the implication was that they were worms). And, in their opinion, it is the worms that cause the feeling of hunger, so you need to eat a certain amount of food so that these worms are satisfied, that is, they get tired and no longer bother the person with the feeling of hunger.
Which value is earlier? In the Russian language, the phrase has been found since the 19th century; at the same time, expressions with a similar motivation appear in Polish (zalac robaka - 'drench grief with vodka or wine', literally - pour in a worm) and Czech (otravit' cerva - 'by absorbing alcohol, improve your mood and appetite and drown out remorse', literally - 'drown a worm' and dialect otravit' chorbaka - 'drink something alcoholic in the morning on an empty stomach'). In Romance languages, a similar turn of phrase has been common since the early Middle Ages. For example, the French tuer le ver ‘drink a glass of vodka or wine on an empty stomach’ (lit.: kill a worm); There are phrases similar in design and meaning in Spanish and Portuguese. French language historians confidently associate the phrase tuer le ver with the ancient folk belief that you can get rid of worms by drinking vodka or white wine on an empty stomach. Most likely, both Polish and Russian phrases are borrowings from Romanesque phraseology, a copy of the French expression tuer le ver. However, later in each of the languages the expression acquired a national flavor. The transformation of meaning was facilitated by the associative-metaphorical connection “worm” - “intestines”, “stomach”, which in Russian is felt not only due to external similarity, but also due to the consonance of the words “worm” and “ womb", "womb" - 'insides of the abdomen, belly, offal, stomach'. And the idea of intestines and stomach in the phraseology of Russian and many other languages is associated, as a rule, not with the desire to drink alcohol, but with a feeling of hunger: cf. "The guts are playing." All this determined the peculiar development of the phraseological unit “to kill the worm” in the Russian language.