The proverb "Don't feed the horse" arose in Russian at a time when horses were in high esteem. Now it is used most often in a figurative sense, with irony, and characterizes a pitiful weak person.
The meaning of the saying "Don't feed the horse"
The wealth of the Russian language is largely determined by a whole layer of stable phrases, phrases, and individual words. It is necessary for every Russian person to know them, to use them in their speech. The phraseological turnover "Not in the horse feed" is found in the Russian language quite often. As for most proverbs and sayings, however, the exact time and place of its appearance in the language is not known.
The origin of the saying
There are 2 opinions about the origin of this saying. Both versions are associated with the maintenance of horses in the past, when they were the most valuable domestic animal and therefore were in the center of attention of the whole society.
• According to the first version, the meaning of the phraseological phrase is associated with sick and old horses. You can feed them a lot and well, but there will be no sense from this.
• The second version is related to the Roma. They sold horses and tried to deceive the buyer. The gypsies took a worthless horse and fed it to its fullest. The horse's belly was swollen. The buyer thought the horse was good and bought it. The next day, the sides of the horse fell through, the feed went into the manure.
It can be argued that the saying "not feed the horse" arose more than 100 years ago. Horses at that time were expensive, they were kept in good conditions. This was reflected in fiction as well. You can recall the Little Humpbacked Horse, Sivka-Burka. The names of kind and brave horses, characters of epics and fairy tales are known to Russian children and adults. In the works of Russian writers of the 19th century, the saying occurs quite often. For example, the author of wonderful stories N. S. Leskov uses this turn in the speech of one of the characters in the story "Nowhere". At that time, such phrases were used mainly by representatives of the lower classes. This point is confirmed by L. V. Alyoshina in her work "Some features of the vernacular of the second half of the nineteenth century." The saying "not feed the horse" was also recorded by V. I. Dahlem (Proverbs of the Russian people: Do not spend fodder in a horse. - (poison). See Explanatory muddlehead).
Modern use of the proverb
In modern Russia, horses have lost their former value. Nevertheless, they remain symbols of the culture of our country. Phraseological turns with the words "horse" and "horse" are still used now, for example, such as "they do not look a gift horse in the mouth", "saddle their favorite skate." The turnover "not into horse feed" is no less common. It can be found in modern stories, articles, advertising texts. But almost always it has a figurative meaning. We are usually talking about a person or other living being, whom nothing can bring to a good state, no effort. It is not necessarily food related. For example, in the explanatory dictionary of T. F. Efremova gives an interpretation of the meaning of the saying: not a horse feed is a predictor. colloquial About the lack of benefit for someone from something; not good, not for the future.
Figurative meaning
In modern Russian, phraseological phrases of this type are used not only and even not so much by poorly educated people. On the contrary, their use has become a sign of a good command of the language and knowledge of the history and culture of Russia. This transformation is quite natural, since the word "horse" itself refers to a rather elevated style, in comparison, for example, with the word "horse". This is obvious when comparing two phraseological units:
• "like a horse" (this expression has a meaning - work hard, hard work - negative coloring), • "like a horse" (fast, restive, strong - positive coloration).
The saying "not for the horse feed" lives and is widely used at the present time, but in a figurative sense.
