We all use this expression, however, more often reducing it to "No fluff." And we use it when we want to wish someone good luck in some important matter. Quite strange, in general. First, why we use a negative particle is illogical. Secondly, what does fluff and feathers have to do with it? And thirdly, after all, after such a wish, it’s right to send the person who wants it to hell. What for?
The fact is that this expression came to us from ancient times when hunting was one of the most important components of the survival of the family. Hunters fed the clan, so a lot depended on a successful or unsuccessful hunt. Yes, and the hunt itself was not like the current one - with a machine gun, but from a helicopter. Hunting at that time was a fight with the beast, not for life, but for death.
It turned out that the hunter experienced a double moral burden - not only could he himself die, but also his children, without the brought prey, could die of hunger. Well, like all people, both then and now, dealing with such loads, hunters became extremely superstitious. Just remember your acquaintances of difficult professions - not the “last”, but the “extreme”, for example.
One of the most persistent superstitions for people going on a business involving mortal danger has always been and will be a wish for good luck. Why? And for many reasons. The first - you can just jinx it. You never know what kind of person wants it for you. Maybe he has a stone in his bosom. That's how he wishes - and jinx it. The second reason is evil entities. All sorts of devils-goblin-kikimoras. If some devil hears that they wished you good luck, well, he will do nasty things out of harm. The third - yes, just Lady Luck is a windy, fickle, jealous person. And she herself decides who and what. And there is nothing to wish her here to everyone there. Well, in general, real woman. It will do everything.
So it turns out that it is impossible to wish good luck in an important matter. And where does the fluff and feathers, you ask? And here's the thing. In an allegorical form, in ancient times, any game animal was called fluff, and any game bird, respectively, was called feathers. It turns out that the wish "And fluff and feathers to you" carried the wish of good luck in hunting for any bird and any beast. You understand, for a superstitious hunter, a knife is sharp in the heart.
This is how it happened - the hunter, leaving for fishing, received a wish - “No fluff, no feather”, that is, they say, “let bad luck haunt you, let the arrows fly by, let the snares be empty.” And to show that he took the wish of failure to his heart and was very, very upset, he sent the wishing to hell “to hell”, denoting a quarrel and hostility. Any evil spirits present at the same time calmed down, “yes, he’s already so bad, why else should he do nasty things,” and Lady Luck, on the contrary, took pity on the hunter, and in spite of those who wished to help him.
Respect for the hunter, a special status, a desire to imitate him led to the spread of this superstition and further consolidation in the mind ordinary people whose occupation is not associated with risk. So it turns out that until now we wish someone "No fluff, no feather", and get in response - "Go to hell!"
Where did the expression "No fluff, no feather" come from? updated: November 13, 2018 by: Roman Gvozdikov
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Although they talk about Russians " Ivans of kinship not remembering", however, in our lexicon preserved great amount proverbs and popular expressions who came from ancient times. Unfortunately, the modern younger generation does not always understand the meaning, and even more so the origin of such proverbs. Therefore, on the website, we try to decipher for you the most popular phraseological units, the meaning of which is sometimes clear only from the context. Today we will talk about another extremely curious expression, this Break a leg, which means you can read a little later.
However, before continuing, I would like to advise you to read a couple more news on the topic catchphrases. For example, what does Beat the buckets mean; how to understand Pass copper pipes; what does Man mean wolf to man; meaning Do not remember in vain, etc.
So let's continue what does no fluff or feather mean phraseological unit?
Break a leg- this is a parting wish of success and good luck, that is, it is an expressed desire for a person to be fine
Origin Break a leg, its roots go deep into the history of medieval Russia. At that time, hunting was the main way to feed yourself and your family. After all, our country consisted entirely of mighty forests, with their crowns propping up the heavens. In such conditions, agriculture was complicated by the lack of this very free land. However, there were game in the forests, and a variety of animals that were actively eaten.
Unfortunately, a person is a very superstitious creature, and feeling like a grain of sand, among the huge and scary world, he believed in various spirits, in damage and the evil eye. Therefore, the relatives wished the hunter, who was going to the forest " And fluff and feather"so that everything goes well for their protector and breadwinner. In this particular case, the "down" meant the "beast", and, accordingly, the "feather" - the bird.
In order not to jinx it good wishes, it was necessary to traditionally answer "Go to hell!", Subsequently reduced to simply - " To hell".
However, especially suspicious individuals, who were afraid to jinx it, slightly changed the saying, which acquired the exact opposite meaning - "Neither fluff nor feather." In the end, of course, counting on more abundant production.
After that, the hunter received a traditional parting word, which sounded something like this: " May not a single animal fall into your traps, may your arrows and darts not fall into a single bird, and may the trapping pit be overgrown with moss without seeing prey!" To this, the man replied in the usual way - "To hell."
After this procedure, evil spirits should lag behind strange person who does not want to catch his own living creatures. Stupid entities invisibly present during this conversation, having heard such a wish, will definitely fall behind and go to intrigue the one who, in their opinion, really wants to shoot big game and feed his family.
In general, even in our dedicated time, most people are sure that it is better not to talk about their desires and dreams in advance, otherwise there will be invisible forces that will definitely harm them. Therefore, from time to time, we can hear from our acquaintances or relatives "Not a feather," to which we automatically answer - "To hell", without even thinking about where this strange wish came from.
By reading this article, you have learned what does no fluff or feather mean, and now stop being afraid of the evil eye and damage. After all, this is all the superstition of our illiterate ancestors.
Noteworthy is the version of the explanation of the origin of the word form "neither fluff nor feather" by the Russian pre-revolutionary writer and folklorist A. A. Misyurev. Alexander Alexandrovich collected working folklore in Siberia for many years. Misyurev put forward the hypothesis " internal struggle» with the past of a Siberian Christian, in which pagan superstitions are still alive.
Before the hunt, A. A. Misyurev believed, the hunter was careful not to mention Christian terms in vain: it was believed that this would anger the goblin and, as a result, harm the fishery. Hence the ritual “denial” of “no fluff or feather”, which was supposed to bring good luck.
This is a mystical spell that brings good luck, the candidate believes philological sciences, older Researcher IRYA RAS Olga Igorevna Severskaya, really preceded a difficult test, some kind of responsible business, which is not a trace to jinx. The traditional response to the phraseological unit "To hell!" was a logical addition to this ritual verbal action. Olga Igorevna explains the etymology of the phraseologism “neither fluff nor feather” by the desire of our ancestors to “fool” the owner of the forest before hunting, assuring him that the fisherman “does not need anything” in his possessions. O. I. Severskaya gives numerous examples from the domestic fiction where hunters and fishermen thus set themselves up for good luck.
Severskaya's colleague, also a candidate of philological sciences, M. M. Voznesenskaya, adheres to a similar version. Maria Markovna refers “neither fluff nor feather” to “hunting” phraseological units (in total, according to M. M. Voznesenskaya, in domestic phraseological dictionaries there are more than thirty such word forms - “for two hares”, “to sit (lie down) on the tail”, “to the catcher and the beast runs”, etc.).
In the wish “no fluff or feather”, Voznesenskaya draws attention to the metonymy of the tropes “pooh” (fur-bearing animal) and “feather” (“bird”). That is, they wanted the hunter not to get either the beast or the birds - on the contrary, in order to deceive the goblin and not “jinx” the future hunt. As an example of the use of a common phraseological unit, Maria Markovna cites the story of Vasily Aksenov “My grandfather is a monument”, where one of the heroines wishes “not a fluff or a feather” to another hero, and her counterpart “out of hunting habit” answers: “To hell with it.”
No fluff to you, no feather
In modern Russian, many expressions have been preserved, using which we do not think about their origin. In particular, this applies to various good luck which are literally on everyone's tongue. One of the most common wishes sounds like this: no fluff or feather. The answer is: to hell.
The emergence of a wish linguists refer to the time of hunting and gathering, when these types of crafts were the basis for the existence of a tribal community. Hunters have always been superstitious people who believe in evil spirits that take away luck. Therefore, the wish for "down and feather" led more to misfortune than to successful fishing. Having said this, it was possible to attract the attention of the dark forces and bring all the efforts of the hunters to naught. In the language of catchers, as hunters were called in ancient times, the feather meant the bird that was being caught, and the fluff meant the beast. The expression is neither fluff nor feather
And the answer "to hell" can be translated as follows: your arrows will fly past, they will not hit a single bird, not a single animal, traps, trapping pits and snares, let them also be empty. So they deceived with a spell of evil spirits, who, having heard about unsuccessful fishing, went home. Unsuccessful catcher even evil force will not touch, he is already punished.
Such an unfortunate wish for good luck remains popular to this day. Perhaps this category also includes the custom of scolding a student before an exam or a student before passing a session. Without thinking, we use ancient spells designed to protect from evil spirits. Perhaps such a stability in time of this expression suggests that a modern, civilized person in his soul still remains a hunter, perceiving external world, as hostile, full of evil, from which you need to defend yourself. By the way, this idea is confirmed by other superstitions, as well as conspiracies that persist among the people.
Today, there is hardly a person who has never heard the phrase: "Not a feather or a feather!". The meaning of phraseologism is known to everyone. So people wish good luck and success in business. But does everyone do it? And why do some try to avoid such expressions?
Let's believe in the best
Quite often we think about how to positively tune in to work, how to properly motivate ourselves to achieve our goal, and why some people are lucky all the time and they easily achieve their goals, while others remain losers. Many are absolutely sure that the more they believe in the best, the worse the result is. And you are lucky only when you don’t even dream of good things. But there are also individuals who are absolutely sure that you need to think only positively - and then good result won't keep you waiting long.
How do we usually wish good luck?
Everyone knows the expression "No fluff or feather!". We use this advice especially in important points. We're just used to saying it. But oddly enough, some people do not use it at all. They are not afraid to boldly declare their plans and victories. They boldly set rather difficult goals and quite often achieve them. They never rest on their laurels, but strive to get even more than they already have. Such people are absolutely sure that whatever you wish will surely come true. Others never share their plans with others. They always try to make the goal less significant and do not focus on it due attention. And they, too, oddly enough, get what they want. Why do we treat the same phrase differently? Indeed, in fact, we wish a person that he does not have any fluff or feathers left. We interpret the meaning of phraseologism in our own way. Where it came from, we have no idea.
ancient superstitions
Even in ancient times, so wished good luck or success. However, the origin of "Not a feather!" quite different. It is based purely on superstition. When the hunters went hunting, in order not to “jinx” their result, they were told this phrase after them. Under the feather they meant a bird, and under the fluff - some kind of beast. Usually, in response to such a wish, one could hear the well-known phrase: “To hell!”. So they tried to trick the spirits into leaving them alone. Today, before the exam, a schoolchild is often promised: “No fluff, no feather!”. The meaning of the phraseologism in this case is such that the student will definitely be lucky. They additionally try to scold him at the time when he takes the exam itself.
Features of the use of expression in modern language
Today we use phraseological units, the origin of which we never even thought about. For example, when we wish good luck, we use the well-known phrase: "No fluff, no feather!". And we usually answer: “To hell!” Although it originated a long time ago, it is still used quite often today. Such a wish is usually heard by those people who go to some important event. It could be students going to an exam, or a person going to an important meeting. Although such a wish is very unfortunate, it is quite popular with modern people. We do not even think about the fact that we are uttering the usual spell that ancient people used in order to somehow turn away evil spirits from themselves at a particularly crucial moment. So why does this expression remain so stable? Despite the fact that a person has become civilized, he does not cease to be a hunter in his soul. He is hostile to the world around him and is absolutely sure that he needs to defend himself from the evil that exists in it. This idea is confirmed by many other conspiracies and superstitions, which are very steadfastly preserved among the people.
The origin of the negative image
Having carefully studied what the phraseological unit “Not a feather!” means, we can say with confidence that we are all different people. Even the great classics portrayed the prosperous peasant as a kind of cunning who tries to properly hide his property and deceive his neighbor. After all, he will definitely try to deceive him. Here we have a negative image. In contrast to him, the poor peasant is good-natured and very quick-witted. If he deceives someone, it is only so that his family does not need anything. Working people have always been open and fought for justice. They were not afraid to stand up for their rights. And the wealthy were always afraid of the evil eye, trying to keep luck by the tail. In each modern family There are sure to be representatives of both groups. And no one needs to be retrained. After all, they achieve their goal. We often hear “Not a feather!”, We learned the meaning of a phraseological unit, and it’s up to us to decide whether to tell it to our loved ones or not. The main thing is to believe that luck will definitely turn to face us.
