The stable expression "change the awl for soap" is often used in speech, but not always correctly. The reason for this is a not entirely clear understanding of its meaning. And this is not surprising, since even scientists have several versions of the meaning of this phraseological unit.
Lexical meaning
According to the "Dictionary of Russian phraseological units", the combination "change the awl for soap" means "to make a useless short-sighted exchange." However, studies show that often native speakers use this phrase in the meaning of "choosing the worst from the bad" or "making the exchange of an unnecessary thing for a more suitable one." Such polysemantism arises due to the specificity of the linguistic properties of phraseological units, because their meaning is not derived from the sum of the meanings of the components of the phrase. As a rule, the origins of the meaning of "winged expressions" should be sought in the history of their origin.
If we consider separately the lexical content of the words "change", "awl" and soap ", it will still remain unclear why these objects should be replaced, and why these particular objects were selected to perform the action. That is, what do an awl and soap have in common, so that the very idea of their castling arises? What properties bring these objects closer together, make them adjacent to the extent that replacing one with another becomes possible? This does not follow from the lexical meaning of linguistic units: awl is an instrument that is a thick needle with a wooden handle; soap is a special substance used as a hygiene product. At first glance, they have nothing in common, at least in the eyes of a modern person. Therefore, it is necessary to heed the advice of the notorious Kozma Prutkov "behold the root" and turn to the history of the origin of the expression.
Etymology
The most common version is considered, according to which the phrase "change the awl for soap" came from the everyday life of shoemakers. In the old days, the metal tip of the tool was made of iron, and therefore quickly rusted, and it became very difficult for them to pierce stubborn skin. Therefore, he was rubbed with a piece of soap, which greatly facilitated the labor process. Both items, therefore, were absolutely necessary for the shoemaker, and it was impractical to change one for the other. After all, without an awl or without soap, it became impossible to work. This is where the sought-for lexical meaning of the modern phraseological unit follows.
The emergence of other semantic variants is explained by the presence of an alternative version of the etymological meaning of the idiom, according to which it goes back to the dialect expression “change an awl for a pile”. Some scholars believe that the original form of phraseological unit was just that. A pile was once called a thick nail or thorn with a large head that was used for playing. Therefore, the meaning of the phrase was somewhat different: the exchange of a thing necessary for work for a useless trinket. However, later, the word "svayka" went out of use and was replaced by "soap", possibly due to the emergence of the rhyme "awl-soap".
Features of use in speech
At present, the stable combination "change the awl for soap" is more correct to use in the meaning reflected in the dictionary of phraseological units. Since the replacement of these items still reflects not a choice, but a useless change from one to another. This is a kind of commentary on an action taken with a slight tinge of negativity: sadness or skepticism. Depending on the context, the degree of negative assessment may increase. Also, thanks to the textual environment, phraseological units can approach in meaning with other fixed expressions, partially entering into synonymy relations with them. For example, the meaninglessness of a perfect action is expressed by the idioms "what's in the forehead, what's on the forehead", "the game is not worth the candle," "the game is not worth the candle."This is close in meaning to the expression "change an awl for soap", especially in a similar context "… some of us began to figure out some new opportunity for ourselves: this way and that, we decided whether the game was worth the candle, but not what will change the awl for soap?"
