The expression “put aside in the long box” has, in principle, only one meaning. Moreover, it is consonant with the expression itself and has a negative value when used. It means putting off insignificantly important matters for later, intolerable delaying with their implementation.
As an option, the verbal expression “put aside in a long box” is considered to be derived from the nominal phraseological phrase “long box”, which is most often used to indicate a delayed performance of something. For example, a will is a postponement of the performance of some action for a time after the death of a person.
It is much more interesting to learn about where this phraseological phrase came from in our great and mighty Russian language. Because there are several versions of its origin.
Version one is official. It is believed that the origins of the meaning of the phrase “put aside” originate in the seventeenth century, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Tishayshiy, the father of Peter the Great.
It was he who established the establishment of a box in the square opposite his Kolomensky Palace to submit all requests, proposals, petitions and complaints. Since at that time all the notes were made on long sheets of paper - bundles or birch bark - the box was also quite long in form.
The problem was that the box was checked very rarely, so complaints to the sovereign reached extremely rarely. Sometimes they did not reach at all, since they were dismantled by the court. Since the answer had to wait a very long time, in the common people this box was nicknamed long.
The second version is semi-official. Some believe that the expression “put aside for a long time” got its meaning much later - in the nineteenth century. At this time, in the offices and offices of the officials were obligatory dressers with file cabinets of cases that need to be done. The drawers in these file cabinets were very long.
And often, cases that did not require urgent consideration were put aside in the longest and farthest box. Hence the expression.
A synonymous phraseological expression came from the same working environment - to put under the cloth. The same officials “hid” or put aside unnecessary affairs under the cloth that draped the desktops in their offices.
The third version is popular. In the Russian language, the semantics of the words “long” and “long” in the common folk environment coincide. In other words, these are synonyms.
Even the pronunciation of a phraseological phrase varies — some use both the “put aside” pronunciation and the words “put aside in a long box”.
The fourth version is foreign. In German, there is a synonymous phraseological phrase: etwas in die lange Truhe legen. Literally, this expression means - to postpone something in a long chest. Most often in Germany, this expression is used in the judicial and legal sectors to refer to an overly lengthy investigation of a case, “capercaillie”
But upon detailed semantic consideration, it is very similar to Russian. Some philologists believe that the Russian-language expression is a reflection of the German-language version for certain situations.
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The saying "put aside", as everyone probably knows, means "to delay the decision of a case for a long time." But here is what this box is and why it is long, probably not all know.
True, there is also a significant disagreement among philologists on this subject. To this day, three options are proposed for the origin of our saying.
According to one version, this is a native Russian revolution that appeared during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the father of Peter I. And it is allegedly associated with the custom of petitioning. Before the accession of Alexei Mikhailovich, petitions in the royal name were left on the tombs of the royal ancestors in the Archangel Cathedral. But Alexei Mikhailovich didn’t like living in the Kremlin, but in his beloved village of Kolomenskoye, where he ordered a long, or “long” box for petitions (a long and a long one in Russian are synonymous words). This box was quite roomy, and until it was full, complaints were not taken away. And then the petitions and the Duma clerks considered the petitions for a long time. So lowering the petitions into the royal box and acquired a figurative meaning - "pull the case."
It is difficult, however, to vouch for the accuracy of this explanation: after all, we say precisely “put aside”, and not “lower” and not “put”. And this legend has no exact historical justification. Therefore, other scholars believe that the “long drawer” was a desk drawer in the first Russian offices, where complaints were postponed that did not require a quick response, or did not cause officials to consider them.
However, there are several arguments against this version. Firstly, the “put aside” turnover appeared only in the middle of the 18th century. Secondly, it is found exclusively in the literary language and, thirdly, it remains unchanged in form. These features characterize the so-called tracing paper (this term philologists refer to literal borrowings from other languages). Thus, our turnover, most likely, is tracing paper from the German etwas in die lange Truhe legen (to put something in a long chest). Recall that it was at the beginning of the 18th century that the Germans tumbled down Russia.
Indeed, in the buildings of the German courts there were large long chests of lockers, where court cases were stored; at the same time they were used as benches. The affairs of the rich and noble plaintiffs, of course, were resolved quickly, and the affairs of the poor, judicial officials put aside the farthest end of the locker-bench - “in a long box”. By the way, in the XVIII century a more modern version appeared: etwas auf die lange Bank schieben, literally - to push something onto a long bench.
So, the expression “put aside for a long time” is probably taken from the everyday life of the German bureaucracy of the New Time (which, however, was not much different from ours, which is why the ill-fated box took root on Russian soil).
And the Russian analogue of this foreign expression is “put under the cloth ". He does not require special explanations.
Put in a long box
(under the red cloth) - monk.: put off for a long time
Wed Started cooking as a teacher did not end with anything, or, in any case, shelved.
Ch. Assumption. Without her will. one.
Wed Not shelving, they immediately went to the lake (for hunting).
Pisemsky. People of the forties. 3, 19.
Wed His court was pleasant to everyone, for what would soon end: immediately there was a place and analysis and recovery, to the far box did not love save: everything would have gone with his lively hand.
P.I. Melnikov. Old years. 3.
At the palace of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, in Kolomenskoye Selo, a long box was made in a pillar, where petitions were placed, quickly examined by the tsar, but left without movement due to red tape in the offices. In Russia before Peter I, petitions to the tsar were also assigned in the Archangel Cathedral to the graves of his ancestors.
Wed Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben.
Put (c) on a long bench.
In the previous German legal proceedings, judges sat between the benches, on which there were cases that were subject to immediate consideration. These benches were like crates, and things set aside were stored in these (long) benches.
Wed Mettre l "affaire aux oubliettes.
Cm. with a live hand.
Russian thought and speech. Own and alien. The experience of Russian phraseology. Collection of figurative words and parables. T.T. 1-2. Walking and well-aimed words. A collection of Russian and foreign quotes, proverbs, sayings, proverbs and single words. SPb., Type. Ak. sciences.. M.I. Michelson. 1896-1912.
See what is "put in a long box" in other dictionaries:
- (under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich a box for requests). See TIME MEASURE SUCCESS ... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people
Put in a long box - what. Ustar. Iron. To postpone the decision of the case indefinitely. The Senate, having interpreted the answer, put it, as they say, in a long box under red cloth (Derzhavin. Notes) ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language
Put in a long box (raise red cloth). set aside for a long time. Wed The started preparation of the teacher did not end at all, or, in any case, was postponed to the long box. Ch. Uspensky. Without its will. 1. Wed Not… … Michelson's Big Dictionary of Explanations (original spelling)
What. Razg. Delay the performance of which affairs for an indefinite time. FSRY, 543; BTS, 271, 1535; ShZF 2001, 29; FM 2002, 649; ZS 1996, 222, 342, 474, 476; F 2, 69; BMS 1998, 653; Mokienko 1986, 39; DP, 565 ...
Blue box. Simple Shuttle. iron. About the TV. Mokienko 2003, 152. A long box. Zharg. angle. Shuttle. 1. The coffin. 2. The dark corridor. Baldaev 1, 113; Mokienko 2003, 152. / i\u003e Cf. shelve. Drive someone in a box. Zharg. pier To bring whom l. ... ... Great Dictionary of Russian Sayings
Cm … Synonym dictionary
- (put) the monk. set aside for a more or less long time Under the cloth lies (affair) Cf. Have mercy! tout coule, tout roule, and we have the most useful projects under the cloth for six months, and no one wants to think about anything! Saltykov. Little nothings of life. 1, 2, 2 ... Michelson's Big Dictionary of Interpretations - In various styles of speech, phraseological phrases are widely used - stable phrases that form semantic unity. Their function is diverse: if in scientific and official business speech they are used mainly as ... ... Spelling and Style Reference
Like many phraseological units, the expression "put aside for a long time", which means delaying something for a long period of time, has an ambiguous origin.
It is likely that this phraseological unit originates during the reign of Tsar Romanov Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed the "Quietest", by whose order in the village of Kolomenskoye (the Tsar’s favorite residence), a long box for the so-called petition was established next to his palace.
Anyone could leave a message to the king in this box with a complaint or request. Complaints were collected only after this capacious box was completely filled. Then the messages were considered for a long time by the clerks and boyars. And in Russian, the word "long" means "long." So it turns out that in order to submit a petition, it must be “put in a long box”. But still, we say: “put aside”, and not “put”.
Therefore, other philologists believe that the origin of the “long box” lies in the nineteenth century. At that time, various petitions, complaints, and requests were sorted. So the officials laid out the submitted papers in different boxes. Cases that did not require a quick solution or simply did not want to be considered were put away in a drawer of the desk, which could be called "long."
But it is also possible that the phrase “put aside for a long time” got into the Russian language from the German language: etwas in die lange Truhe legen, meaning “put something in a long chest”. Indeed, in the eighteenth century in the German courts there really were large and long chests for storing court papers. So the affairs of the poor, unlike the nobility, whose affairs were resolved very quickly, were kept and waited for their "finest" hour in the farthest chest: why not a "long box".
In the end, I would like to note that the meaning of the last two versions fits another phraseological expression “put on the cloth”, because the bureaucratic tables in state institutions were basically covered with cloth.
Put aside put off / put on hold Usually nesov. with neg. More often led. incl. or depr. To postpone the execution of something for an indefinitely long time, for a long time to delay the solution of any issue. Put off what? decision, deed, discussion ... in the long box.
Chichikov wanted to finish everything as soon as possible, without delaying. (N. Gogol.)
We will not postpone it in a long box, we will interrogate it now. (A. Chekhov.)
Yangui and Timofei Kosyakov volunteered to deliver their expedition cargoes here. They decided not to put off this matter and go on the same day. (V. Arseniev.)
(?) The expression is traditionally associated with the custom instituted by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (the father of Peter I) in his residence. In front of the imperial palace, a long box was installed, where everyone who wanted to lower their petitions (requests). These petitions were considered for a very long time, so the long box was called long.
Educational phraseological dictionary. - M .: AST. E. A. Bystrova, A. P. Okuneva, N. M. Shansky. 1997 .
See what is "put aside" in other dictionaries:
Put aside
snooze - to delay the execution of a case for an indefinite time. There are several options for the origin of phraseology: 1. The expression dates back to the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a box for petitions was nailed in front of his palace, these ... ... Phraseology Reference
snooze - Reschedule the performance of what l. affairs for a long, indefinite time ... Dictionary of many expressions
Snooze / Snooze Usually nesov. with neg. More often led. incl. or depr. To postpone the execution of something for an indefinitely long time, for a long time to delay the solution of any issue. Put off what? decision, case, discussion ... ... Educational phraseological dictionary
Shelve - Set aside LONG BOX. Set aside LONG BOX. (Set aside) for an indefinite, long time. Prokhor was always cool in actions, therefore, without putting off the trouble that had begun, he called to Baroness Zamoyskaya at one o’clock in the afternoon (Shishkov. ... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language
Put in a long box - what. Ustar. Iron. To postpone the decision of the case indefinitely. The Senate, having interpreted the answer, put it, as they say, in a long box under red cloth (Derzhavin. Notes) ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language
Put off / put off (put) in a long box - what. Razg. Delay the performance of which affairs for an indefinite time. FSRY, 543; BTS, 271, 1535; ShZF 2001, 29; FM 2002, 649; ZS 1996, 222, 342, 474, 476; F 2, 69; BMS 1998, 653; Mokienko 1986, 39; DP, 565 ... Great Dictionary of Russian Sayings
put off - postpone, carry, push aside; suspend, expand, delay, underplay, defer, defer, leave, put on cloth, reserve, stock, put aside in a long box, set aside, postpone until the Greek calends, put on black ... ... Synonym dictionary
put off - To postpone the care of what (decomp.) Stop thinking, care about what n. Set aside an empty meal. A. Pushkin. Put aside in a box postpone the execution of which n. affairs for an indefinite time. Look, do not delay with the answer, do not put off in ... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Language
