The history of the emergence of the phraseological unit "colossus with feet of clay"? Colossus with feet of clay.

Colossus with feet of clay Based on the study of world history, LN Gumilyov put forward his own model of the development of peoples (ethnic groups). In this model, emphasis was placed on the biological and geographical aspect of ethnogenesis. Gumilyov assumed the independence of ethnogenesis, almost

0 Today, sculptures, statues and other objects of "folk" art no longer surprise anyone. However, in times so old that only legends and myths have survived to this day, legends about huge structures created by previous civilizations remained. Today we will talk about one of them, it got the name Colossus with feet of clay, you can read the meaning below. Be sure to add our site, which is useful for many resource, to your bookmarks, so that later you can periodically look at our light.
However, before I continue, I would like to introduce you to several interesting publications on the topic of phraseological units. For example, what does Kamo mean; which means Like cheese in butter; who is called the Vologda Seagull; the meaning of the expression Parable in tongues, etc.
So let's continue Colossus with feet of clay phraseologism? This term was borrowed from French "Colosse auxpieds d\"argiles", which can be translated as "Colossus feet of clay."

Colossus with feet of clay- the expression denotes something huge and majestic in appearance, but essentially weak, for example, the USSR was called that at one time

As for clay feet, this is first mentioned in the Bible from the parable of King Nebuchadnezzar, who once saw a huge idol in a dream. Moreover, almost all of it was made of precious metals, but apparently there was not enough gold for the legs, and they turned out to be clay. Suddenly, a boulder rolls down from a nearby mountain and touches the leg of this tall statue. The leg begins to break into pieces, forcing this structure to collapse on its side. As a result, he rattles on solid ground, receiving huge damage.

In the Bible, this dream is interpreted as prophetic, the sages said that the statue itself meant Babylonian kingdom, and this hefty boulder - the destroyers of this small state - the Persians.

As a result, today in many Christian, and not only countries, that very colossus on clay feet is considered a symbol of something formidable and strong, but in essence - weak and queer. In our time, this place among the states is rightfully occupied by the United States, as the USSR did in its time. This country is located in North America it looks dangerous and tough on the outside, but the corruption, theft and poverty inside it is tearing this Nazi empire to pieces.

After reading this short post, you finally figured out the meaning of the expression Colossus with feet of clay, and now you can clearly explain to your relatives and friends what meaning is hidden behind this phrase.

From French: Colosse auxpieds d argiles. From the Bible. AT Old Testament, (The Book of the Prophet Daniel, ch. 2, st. 31 35) speaks of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge, terrifying metal idol on clay ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions

colossus with feet of clay- Cm … Synonym dictionary

Colossus with feet of clay- COLOSS, a, m. (book). Statue, a building of enormous size. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Colossus of feet of clay- Daniel interprets the dream of Nebuchadnezzar the Colossus of feet of clay, a biblical expression. In the figurative meaning of the “colossus of clay feet”, fragile, unfaithful, unreliable, unstable, unstable, unsteady, dangerous, risky, brittle, fragile, slippery, ... ... Wikipedia

Colossus with feet of clay- Book. Iron. Something majestic, impressive, but in fact weak, fragile. But although he [Hitler] himself claimed that Soviet Union this is a "colossus with feet of clay", in the depths of his consciousness he gradually began to feel that the war with Russia ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

Colossus with feet of clay- wing. sl. The expression is used when talking about something majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the Bible (Daniel, 2, 31-35), from the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal ... ... Universal optional practical dictionary I. Mostitsky

colossus with feet of clay- About what l. outwardly majestic, but essentially weak. From the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal idol on clay feet that collapsed when a stone torn off the mountain hit him on ... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Colossus with feet of clay- Book. Iron. or Neglect. What l. majestic, powerful in appearance, but weak, easily destroyed in essence. FSRYA, 202. /i> It goes back to the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw a giant in a dream (cf. a colossus from ... ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

colossus with feet of clay- Wed. Slanderers, enemies of Russia! What did you take? Is Ross still Sick, the relaxed colossus? A.S. Pushkin. Borodino anniversary. Wed The big terrible idol had a head of pure gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of copper, legs ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

colossus with feet of clay- bookstore , often ironic. or neglect. something majestic, powerful in appearance, but weak, easily destroyed in essence. The expression goes back to the biblical story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who had an ominous dream. He saw… … Phraseology Handbook

Books

• Russia between two fires - against Batu and the "dog-knights", Mikhail Eliseev. There is no sadder story in the world than "The Tale of the Perdition of the Russian Land" from Batu's invasion, and disputes about the causes and perpetrators of this catastrophe have been boiling for more than one century. How the steppe hordes succeeded in… Buy for 316 rubles
• 1941. Year of Victory, Vladimir Daines. On the eve of the attack on the USSR, the German leadership believed that the upcoming campaign "would not harder game in a box of sand" that the Soviet Union is a "colossus with feet of clay": "enough...

"Colossus with feet of clay" Who is called that? Pravmir continues to talk about how famous biblical expressions change, getting into journalistic texts and blogs. This time we will talk about the allegorical definition of something outwardly majestic, but in fact weak.

REFERENCE

Colossus with feet of clay they call something grandiose, seemingly powerful, but essentially insignificant, ready to collapse at any moment.

The source is a biblical story about how he interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet ended up at the court of the Babylonian ruler, having fallen to him as a hostage, and revealed to the king the secret of his dream:

“You, king, had such a vision: behold, some kind of large idol; this idol was huge, it stood before you in extraordinary splendor, and its appearance was terrible. This image had a head of pure gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of copper, its legs were of iron, its feet were partly of iron, partly of clay. You saw him until the stone was torn off the mountain without the help of hands, hit the idol, its iron and clay feet, and broke them ... "

Interestingly, the biblical texts themselves do not contain the word "colossus". It appeared only in the middle of the 19th century, after Count Segur in his memoirs cited the words of Diderot, who called him "a colossus with feet of clay" Russian empire. Perhaps the writer remembered the biblical story of the colossus. Diderot's expression caught on in the press and became popular in relation to Russia.

In the press of the 21st century, a colossus with feet of clay is called different countries. And not only countries, but also large companies, departments and even just individuals. For example, in the Ukrainian press, I found the headline "Dwarf with feet of clay." The article was about Ukrainian statehood (which was provided with such a definition) and that the Orange Revolution did not live up to expectations. It's not even a colossus, but a dwarf! That is, it no longer even seems huge and powerful, as in the original expression, but seems small, moreover, ready to completely disappear at any moment.

And the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs in one of the articles was called "a monster with feet of clay." This name was given to the department after the so-called “Vradiev case”. His defendants - policemen - are accused of beating and raping a local girl (Vradievka - a village in the Nikolaev region). Monster - because it turns out that the police should be afraid. And on feet of clay - because the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as they say in the opposition, does not control the situation and looks confused; the authorities use the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their own purposes.

"Tandem on feet of clay" This, of course, is about Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin. The article, which is equipped with such a heading, deals with the Magnitsky case and why the Russian leadership cannot punish those involved in the death of a lawyer.

Rarely, but still, this expression is used not in political, but in other texts. Even in sports. For example: Wimbledon 2013. Authorities on feet of clay. The point is that those who were most expected to win suddenly lost.

Rupert Murdoch's empire is called by the journalists themselves in one of the articles "a colossus with feet of clay" - because of a series of scandals that led to resignations.

Another major corporation - General Motors - was described in one of the publications of The Washington Times as "a superpower with feet of clay."

“Stands on feet of clay” - such statements can also be found.

And finally, a direct, not figurative meaning: "Fakes on feet of clay." This article is about idols and modern idolatry.

It is curious that this expression is used, as a rule, only in journalistic texts. In blogs, and live communication, you hear it infrequently. Although it would be quite possible to call some bosses like that, for example. And any person whose reliability is deceptive.

Colossus with feet of clay

Colossus with feet of clay
From French: Colosse auxpieds d\"argiles.
From the Bible. In the Old Testament, (The Book of the Prophet Daniel, ch. 2, st. 31 - 35) it is said about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge, terrifying metal idol on clay feet. But suddenly a stone, torn off from the mountain, hit these clay feet, broke them, and the colossus was defeated. The dream turned out to be prophetic: the Babylonian kingdom soon collapsed, like an idol on clay feet.
FROM late XVIII in. this expression began to be used in relation to Russia. And as the French ambassador at the court of Catherine II, Count Segur, reports in his essay “Memoirs, or Memoirs and Anecdotes” (Paris, 1827), the French philosopher-educator Denis Diderot (1713-1784), who visited the country (1773-1774), was the first to call Russia so. ) at the invitation of Catherine.
Recalling his stay in Russia, Segur writes in his Memoirs that if earlier Russia "was only a colossus on clay feet, then this clay was allowed to harden and it turned into bronze." This characterization of Russia is explained by the fact that Segur's memoirs were written by him after the defeat of the Napoleonic army and the capture of Paris by Russian troops.
In 1830, when the question of armed intervention in Russian-Polish relations was raised in the French parliament, many again remembered the words of Denis Diderot. A. S. Pushkin in the poem "Borodino Anniversary" wrote:
But you, troublemakers of the chambers,
light-tongued winds,
You, black disastrous alarm,
Slanderers, enemies of Russia!
What did you take?
Sick, relaxed colossus?
Is the northern glory still
An empty parable, a false dream?
German literature gave its own versions of Diderot's famous words - "Asiatic colossus" (1833), authored by Heinrich Laube (1806-1884), and "northern colossus" by the German critic and publicist Karl Ludwig Berne (1786-1837). The latter expression was applied in the 1840s not only to Russia, but also to its Emperor Nicholas I. At this time, the phrase "Russian colossus" was also popular.
The Western European press and later widely used the expression "colossus with feet of clay", using it to characterize no longer tsarist Russia, and the Soviet Union.
Allegorically: something outwardly great, strong, grandiose, but actually weak from the inside, easily vulnerable, which makes the whole power of this "colossus" illusory.

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

Colossus with feet of clay

The expression is used when talking about something majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the Bible (Daniel, 2, 31-35), from the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal idol on clay feet; a stone torn off the mountain hit the clay feet of the idol and broke them (the symbol of his kingdom, which is destined to collapse).

Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004

See what "Colossus with feet of clay" is in other dictionaries:

Cm … Synonym dictionary

COLOSS, a, m. (book). Statue, a building of enormous size. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

A popular expression that characterizes something that is majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the biblical story about the interpretation by the prophet Daniel of the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:31 35). History of expression ... Wikipedia

Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the Colossus of feet of clay as a biblical expression. In the figurative meaning of the “colossus of clay feet”, fragile, unfaithful, unreliable, unstable, unstable, unsteady, dangerous, risky, brittle, fragile, slippery, ... ... Wikipedia

Colossus with feet of clay- Book. Iron. Something majestic, impressive, but in fact weak, fragile. But although he [Hitler] himself claimed that the Soviet Union was a "colossus with feet of clay", in the back of his mind he gradually began to feel that the war with Russia ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

Colossus with feet of clay- wing. sl. The expression is used when talking about something majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the Bible (Daniel, 2, 31-35), from the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal ... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

colossus with feet of clay- About what l. outwardly majestic, but essentially weak. From the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal idol on clay feet that collapsed when a stone torn off the mountain hit him on ... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Book. Iron. or Neglect. What l. majestic, powerful in appearance, but weak, easily destroyed in essence. FSRYA, 202. /i> It goes back to the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw a giant in a dream (cf. a colossus from ... ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

Wed Slanderers, enemies of Russia! What did you take? Is Ross still Sick, the relaxed colossus? A.S. Pushkin. Borodino anniversary. Wed The big terrible idol had a head of pure gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of copper, legs ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

colossus with feet of clay- bookstore , often ironic. or neglect. something majestic, powerful in appearance, but weak, easily destroyed in essence. The expression goes back to the biblical story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who had an ominous dream. He saw… … Phraseology Handbook

Books

• Russia between two fires - against Batu and the "dog-knights", Mikhail Eliseev. There is no sadder story in the world than "The Tale of the Perdition of the Russian Land" from Batu's invasion, and disputes about the causes and perpetrators of this catastrophe have been boiling for more than one century. How did the steppe hordes succeed in…