- Volume 65 (2020)
- Vol. 65 (2020)
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- Issue 1
- No. 1
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- Pages 214 - 224
- pp. 214 - 224
Цвак на полчетвертак: Об одном полонизме в составе идиомы XVI I в.
Pages 214 - 224
Cvak na polčetvertak: About a Polonism in a 17th-century idiom
The article focuses on the meaning of the Middle Russian proverbial expression cvak na polčetvertak from the 17th century. Both autosemantic words in the idiom are polysemous, the first one being of foreign origin. This causes problems in the interpretation of the idiom. The word polčetvertak turns out to be semantically ambiguous, referring either to size or to price. The authors reveal the German origin of the lexeme cvak (primarily ‘nail,’ then metaphorically ‘problem’) and contemplate ist possible route through Polish and Ruthenian, which contributes to the final interpretation of the idiom.
The article is written in Russian.