Frazeologiniai junginiai su asmenvardžiais

LIETUVIŲ AREALINĖS LINGVISTIKOS KLAUSIMAI LIETUVOS TSR MOKSLŲ AKADEMIJA J. LIPSKIENĖ PHRASEOLOGICAL EXPRESSIONS WITH PERSONAL NAMES Alongside other phraseological expressions, Lithuanian has quite a number that are associated with nomina propria, that is, expressions containing personal or place names (names of inhabited places, and sometimes also bodies of water). Other languages have such phraseological expressions as well. They vividly, often ironically, describe some human weakness, unacceptable behavior that departs from customary norms, or the like. Such Lithuanian expressions appear not to have been studied yet; therefore, some of them are presented here and discussed, if only briefly. This article attempts to survey only such figurative expressions as have a proper name as one of their components. The phraseological expressions discussed here are mostly formed with Christian names of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Slavic, and other origins. Most of them entered Lithuanian through Polish. The history of these names in Lithuanian began after the introduction of Christianity, while their incorporation into phraseological expressions probably came much later, since, as current evidence shows, in some cases this process is still continuing. Phraseological expressions with personal names are presented and discussed here in an attempt to group them by origin. The following groups are distinguished according to the names they contain: 1) of biblical origin, 2) of calendrical origin, 3) of customary origin, 4) of local origin, 5) of bookish—literary origin, and 6) of not entirely clear origin. 1. A considerable number of personal-name phraseological expressions found in Lithuanian are associated with the Bible. The content of many such expressions clearly indicates their direct connection with religion, since they reflect themes from the Old and New Testaments or summarize the ideas of individual episodes. In Lithuanian, many such expressions most likely originated in passages from the Gospels read in churches during services, as well as in sermons, hymnbook songs, and the like. Some are comparative in nature and are formed with the names of popular biblical characters and later saints that entered our name stock. For example: Adam: He lived like Adam in Paradise (he lived very well), while he was a chauffeur Varn²; Drs. Adam, Eve: He lives like Adam with Eve behind the stove at God’s place (he lives very well) Mrk. All the children are alike, like Adam and Eve Krv P. He fusses around Adam like Eve Šk. 1 J. Dumčius, Antikiniai vardai lietuvių liaudies kalboje, „Vilniaus valstybinio V. Kapsuko vardo universiteto darbai“, XIII, 1957, p. 171. 2 Here and below, in such cases the first abbreviation indicates where the sentence was recorded, while the abbreviations after the semicolon indicate where else the phraseological expression is known. 188 Kotryna: Lucky as Saint Catherine (said when things go well) Krš; Jnš, Sk, Škn. Marija: I’m as tired as Lady Mary (I’m very tired) Užv. She sits like Mary at the saltworks (said of someone doing nothing) Jnš; Sk, Škn, Žg. Morkus: He thrashes about like Mark in hell (he thrashes about a lot) Al; Krsn, Švn, Vl. He shoves his way along like Mark in hell (he does things very roughly) Vrd. Where are you pushing your way now like Mark into hell? (said to someone who is being very intrusive) Jnš. He made a mistake like the devil inviting Saint Mark into hell Al. Petras: He lives like Saint Peter in God’s house, tucked away in a corner (he lives very well) Drsk; Bb. He guards it like Saint Peter guards the gates of heaven (he guards or protects something very well) Mrk. Rokas: As obedient as Saint Roch’s puppy (very obedient) Šl. Some other phraseological expressions of this kind were prompted by images with religious themes, for example: Ieva: Why are you standing there like Eve with a leaf, hands folded? (said of someone doing nothing) Jnš; Sk. Jurgis: A horse as good as Saint George’s (very good) Ašm. In all the phraseological expressions mentioned above, phenomena of contemporary life, specific situations, or people’s behavior and character are most often merely compared with the deeds, characteristic traits, or temperamental qualities of biblical characters or later Christian saints. Besides these biblical expressions, there are also other comparative phraseological expressions formed with the names of positive and negative figures mentioned in the Testaments. Although, for various reasons, those names did not enter our stock of personal names, the phraseological expressions formed with them are quite numerous—indeed, very numerous. Some of them seem to be international and to have entered Lithuanian from other languages. A number of them are used relatively often to emphasize negative character traits or situations condemned by the people. For example: Abelis: Fair as Abel’s child (beautiful, pure) Up. Foolish as Abel’s calf (humble, peaceful) Krž. Erodas, Kristus: Why are you grilling me like Herod questioned Christ? (you ask and inquire a lot); I still won’t tell you. Sk. Jėzus: They’ve surrounded him like the Jews surrounded the Lord Jesus (they have latched onto someone insistently) Škn. They torment him like the Jews tormented the Lord Jesus (they torment someone a great deal) Škn; Jnš, Sk. They pick at him like the Jews picked at the Lord Jesus (they behave disrespectfully) Škn. Judošius[Kristus]: He goes about like Judas, jingling money (said of a rich person) Al; Kn. He goes about like Judas after betraying Christ Sk; Mrk, Pln, Vs. Cf. also other expressions with the same meaning that use Judas’s name: He goes about like Judas looking for a dry branch (said of someone walking slowly and looking around) Krtv. He goes like Judas to hang himself, until he finds a tree. Šl. You betrayed a man like Judas for thirty gold pieces (said of an informer) Jnš. Kristus: They oppress him like the Jews oppressed Christ (they torment someone a great deal) Krsn; Ml. The whole crowd won’t leave one person in peace; they torment him like the Jews tormented Christ (they torment someone a great deal) Jnš. Then everyone rose up like the Jews against Christ Klvr. Liucipierius: With his eyes glazed (drunk) and he goes about like Lucifer, making everyone angry (behaves roughly) Sk. 189 Pontius (Pontius’s) Pilate: He turned away and went off like Pontius Pilate, having washed his hands (of someone pretending to be innocent) Jnš. What do you expect to get justice from him for? Wash your hands like Pontius Pilate and walk away; you yourself will be left guilty³ Rd. A similar Lithuanian idiom also exists in Russian, except that there Pontius Pilate is understood as the names of two people, cf. посылать от Понтия к Пилату⁴. Thus, it corresponds more closely to the Lithuanian idiom to go from Ainošius to Kaipošius. In addition, Lithuanian dialects use an idiom that probably dates from a later period, in which Pontius Pilate’s name is no longer mentioned, e.g., So you’ve washed your hands (you consider yourself innocent): as if nothing had happened, you’re whistling away again! Sk. (cf. Russian умывать руки ‘to pretend to be innocent’)⁵. A name-based phraseologism formed with the same personal name has almost the same meaning, but one that is more generalized—describing a person in general—namely, the nominal phraseologism Pontius Pilate, e.g., You won’t get anything from such a Pontius Pilate (crook); you needn’t even go Šl. Comparative phraseologisms with other names, not included in the name inventory, should also be mentioned. E.g.: Solomon: His head is like Solomon’s (of someone talented and intelligent) Jnš; Sk. He may be like Solomon (talented, clever); it’s still all the same Sk; Tl. Clever as Solomon (clever, intelligent) Škn; Jnš. Samson: With his hair unkempt like Samson (of someone untidy) Škn. Besides comparative phraseologisms, biblical imagery is also found in phraseological expressions of other structures, most of them functioning as noun phrases and likewise formed with popular names that have entered our traditional name inventory. E.g.: Adam: Rye—Adam’s fields (a great deal: vast tracts), when will we ever reap it! Als. He sowed beans in Adam’s fields Krkl. I take off my clothes down to Adam’s garment (nakedness), I wade and wade, but it is boggy, and I couldn’t find it [the axe] Šlu. Adam, Eve: Well, you’ve started right back with Adam and Eve (telling it from a very long way back) [to tell] Škn. Eve: I’m walking past, and there she is standing in an Eve costume (naked), and what can you do to her Šl; Jnš, Sk. (Cf. Russian в костюме Евы⁶, Bulgarian в един костюм⁷. Peter: So this child was sent by Saint Peter (poor, no good?) Tvr. Thomas: Go on, go on—you think I’m lying; you’re an unbelieving Thomas⁸ (of someone hard to convince), if I say it, believe me Šl. Oh, Thomas is an unbeliever! Explain it to him as clearly as you can; he doesn’t believe, and that’s that Škn. M. A. Leonidova notes that this phraseologism is especially interesting in Bulgarian because the lexical weight is distributed across both components: that is, sometimes the adjective nevierninkas can be transformed into a noun and used independently without the personal name, while sometimes, in an individual writer’s work, the phraseologism contains ³ The expression originates in the Gospel of Luke, which relates that Pontius Pilate, yielding to the Jews’ demand that Christ be crucified, washes his hands, thereby wishing to demonstrate that he does not accept blame for Christ’s death. ⁴ H. C. Ашукнн, М. Г. Ашукниа, Крылатые слова, Москва, 1966, p. 532. ⁵ Ibid., p. 685. ⁶ Фразеологический словарь русского языка, под редакцией А. И. Молоткова, Москва, 1967, p. 210; (Toliau: А. И. Молотков ФСРЯ). ⁷ Българско-руски фразеологичен речник, съставили А. Кошелев и М. Леонидова, София — Москва, 1974, p. 195; (Toliau: А. Кошелев, М. Леонидова БРФР). ⁸ The expression originates in the Gospel of John, which tells of the apostle Thomas, who did not believe in Christ’s resurrection. 190 Thomas can be replaced by an appellative (e.g., неверните д я и ц и) or another personal name (e.g., неверниям Т о д о р). Moreover, the personal name Thomas itself, widely known from the Gospel legend and having become a symbol of disbelief, is sometimes used independently with that meaning in literature (e.g., Томовцы). The latter case also occurs in Russian literature; compare Mayakovsky’s paraphrase of that idiom: “но между нами ходит Фома, и он ни во что не верит9”. Meanwhile, the scant material available to us shows that this idiom can also be split up in Lithuanian, but only its first component can perform its functions—the substantivized adjective nevierninkas, used independently; compare: Well, what an unbeliever! Believe whatever you like; what can I do about it if you don’t believe me Š1. Besides those mentioned, there are also idiomatic expressions with verbal and adverbial functions, formed with names mentioned in the Testaments that did not take root in the Lithuanian stock of given names. For example, the name Abraham is almost invariably used humorously to express the notion of “dying,” “waiting for death,” or “being at death’s door.” In variants of these expressions, the phonetic form of this personal name varies greatly; compare: Abraham: It looks like he’ll soon be having a beer at Abraham’s Dbg. (compare Belarusian поехать (пайці) да Абрама на піва10). Whatever you may see, Abraham is already just around the corner Rd. He’s already gone to Abraham’s to herd sheep Šd. I’m going to Abraham’s now Pun. I had already set off for Abraham’s Pnm; Ker, Vdšk. There’s nothing to be done; I’ll have to go to Abraham’s Bd. Abram: That little fellow has already gone off to Abram’s Čb. Abracham: We’ll soon be going to Abracham Rš. Abravomas: Everyone else went to Abravomas’s; only two of us remained Krš. There is also an idiom with that name used in a somewhat different sense, e.g., Be quiet, or I’ll send you to Abraham (I’ll kill you) Pun. The name Elijah, the prophet of myth, occurs in idioms describing thunder and rumbling, e.g.: Elijah is driving across the sky Pun. When I first started herding, I thought—Elijah is driving with a pair of horses Kp. It’s thundering; Elijah is driving over the stones in his cart Rš. As soon as it starts thundering, people say—Elijah is driving, shooting devils with his revolver Dbg. There are more such idiomatic expressions formed with names unknown and unused in our stock of given names, e.g.: Ainošius, Kaipošius: That’s how you go on walking from Ainošius to Kaipošius (you walk a lot, you are sent from place to place), until you get something sorted out Krtn. Perhaps the gentleman should go from Ainošius to Kaipošius (ask everywhere, make requests), he still won’t win the case Jrb. She herself doesn’t want him to go: she’s calling from Ainošius to Kaipošius (looking for ways to keep him back) Krk. What will I get there? They’ll send me from Ainošius to Kaipošius (from one person to another), and I’ll come back empty-handed Jnš. Jesus: You’ll fall into his clutches—you’ll learn the grace of Jesus11 (you’ll suffer greatly, you’ll be oppressed) Škn. Nowadays anyone can easily tear a homespun coat, but in the old days 9 Compare M. A. Leonidova, “The Place of the Proper Name in the Lexical and Phraseological System of Language (Based on Russian and Bulgarian),” “Yearbook of Sofia University, Faculty of Slavic Philology,” 1974, pp. 92–93. 10 Ф. Янкоўскі, Беларускія прыказкі, прымаўкі, фразеалагізмы, Мінск, 1962, p. 495. (Toliau: Ф. Янкоўскі, Беларускія прыказкі...). 11The grace of Jesus derives from the church’s teaching that misfortunes and hardships are God’s grace: sins will be atoned for on earth, thereby avoiding punishment in the afterlife. 191 the tailors needed to sew (such a garment) — we used to know the grace of Jesus (we used to experience much hardship) Brs. Žem. Judas: With Judas for a year (about an old person) Btg. Religious origins are also discernible in such phraseological expressions as: You look like Jesus in rags (of someone disheveled, ragged, and shabby-looking) Ig. He stands like Jesus among the beans PPr 416. Christ: How old were you when you married? You know, I was already Christ’s age (33 years old) Kair. She has trampled Christ completely underfoot (takes no notice of anyone): she walks like an animal with her head held high, doing whatever she pleases Jnš. Traces of a religious hue can be seen in a phraseological expression formed with the name Lazarus, for example, When you go to their place, they sing Lazarus12 (lament, complain, pretend to be poor), but otherwise each goes his own way Škn. It seems that, although no more comprehensive material has been collected specifically for this purpose, some phraseological expressions of biblical origin were used quite widely across the Lithuanian-speaking area. Such expressions as to go from Ainošius to Kaipošius, as well as those denoting death (with the name Abraham) and other concepts, were probably known in nearly all of Lithuania. This assumption can be made for the following reasons: a) favorable conditions for the spread of the aforementioned phraseological expressions were created by the same biblical legends, with the same characters’ names and episodes from their lives, being repeatedly recounted during services in every church; b) a considerable number of phraseological expressions of this kind are international, that is, they are known and used in the languages of other peoples, for example: Adam’s garment (cf. Russian в костюме Адама13, Bulgarian в адамов костюм14; doubting Thomas (cf. Latvian neticīgais Toms15, Russian Фома неверный, неверующий16, Bulgarian неверни Тома17). However, today some of the aforementioned phraseological expressions are used mainly by older people or are known from earlier written sources. This shows that, as people’s attitudes toward religion have changed and new social, economic, and cultural conditions of life have taken shape, some phraseological expressions are becoming obsolete and gradually being forgotten. Some may perhaps continue to be used in the future, but for many people their figurative comparisons will no longer be understandable, and the origin of the phraseological expression itself will be entirely unclear. 2. Other phraseological expressions formed with the same or similar (that is, mostly Christian) names no longer have direct links with the Bible. Most are of calendar18 origin and, in actual usage, are associated with those established by the church 12 The expression was prompted by the Gospel of Luke, which tells of Lazarus, a hungry cripple lying by the rich man’s gate. Therefore, in ancient times all beggars, when asking for alms, would sing hymns that mentioned Lazarus. 13 А. И. Молотков, ФСРЯ 210. 14 А. Кошелов, М. Леонидова, ВРФР 36. 15 Д. Д. Caubuliņa, N. Ozoliņa, A. Plēsuma, Latviešu — krievu frazeoloģiskā vārdnīca, p. 479. 16 А. И. Молотков, ФСРЯ 502. 17 А. Кошелов, М. Леонидова, ВРФР 362. Calendar and customary phraseological expressions are closely related, but they have not been assigned to a single group because in calendar expressions (except Jono/Jurgio rasa?) it is almost impossible to trace the custom that gave rise to the expression. One component of calendar phraseological expressions is usually a calendar date, named after a Christian saint or feast day, while the other consists of various natural, human, or social phenomena associated with that date (summaries of folk meteorological observations, the beginning or end of various livestock-raising and agricultural activities, fairs, markets, and so on). 192 and dates devoted to the veneration of various saints—feast days associated with seasonal characteristics. The content of many such phraseological expressions usually reflects a particular aspect of everyday life. For example, expressions containing the name Jurgio are mostly associated with feeding and foddering livestock. Sayings with the name Ona describe the new harvest and the fulfillment of hopes, and so on. Still others serve calendrical functions. Cf.: Barbora: Barbora naktį antraukia (from December 22, the night no longer grows longer) Grv. Jonas: Lyn kai per šventą Joną (about warm rain) Šl. Nu ir šilta kaip par šventą Joną, o juk rugsėjis Škn. Ne visada švento Jono (things do not always go well; you do not always get what you want) Plv; Švn. Ne kasdien švento Jono PPr 387. Sušalė kai par šventą Joną ant ledo (ironically said in mockery when it is not cold but someone complains of being cold) Jnš; Sk, Škn, Žg. Šventas Jonas – pieno ponas Rd. Juozapas: Juozapas melagis (about the changeable weather on March 19): meluoja žiemą, meluoja vasarą Grv. Juozapotas melagis – viena diena tokia, kita tokia Grv. Jurgis [Mykolas]: Nieko, greitai Jurgis dievo daržinę atidarys, nebeilgai bevargsme Sk. Šventas Jurgis kartais su šieno vežimu pavažiuoja (on April 23 the grass is tall enough to turn the livestock out to pasture) Rš. Jurgis ant šiumelio parjoja (said when it snows on St. Jurgis’s Day) flk. Reik pirkti pusę aktaro, pasibūdavoti trobelę, kad nereiktų bijoti Jurgio ir Mykolo (to move from one place to another) Skd. Šiąmet Jurgis anksti dangų atrakino. Jaugi Jurgis prieš savo vardoves atrakino dangų (thunder rumbled)—it has thundered; it will be a good summer Dv. The latter saying may have arisen from a folk retelling of the biblical story, according to which the keys to heaven were entrusted to the apostle Peter. Cf. a phraseological expression recorded in one dialect, also describing the first spring thunder: Jau atrakino dangų šventas Petras Dbg. However, there is reason to think that the origins of the saying Jurgis dangų atrakino may be quite different¹⁹. Moreover, the alternation of the names Jurgio ir Petro has also been observed in terminological phraseological expressions belonging to the field of botany. For example, the spring primrose (Primula veris), otherwise called Petro raktais arba švento Petro raktai (rakteliai), also has the dialectal name švento Jurgio raktai (rakteliai); cf.: Mūsų sodne Petro raktai žydi Vkš. Miške ka pridygę švento Petro raktelių – pilnos pakelės Škn. Mūsų vyšnyne vėl priviso švento Jurgio raktelių Šll; Lkv²⁰. Now compare phraseological expressions formed with other personal names, for example: Kazimieras: Kartais ir Kazimieras verši pagirdo, yra buvę tokių metų Šl. Mano mamaitė sakydavo: Kazimiero kreiva vežė (from March 4, the sleigh road deteriorates) Sk. ¹⁹ Specifically, in the Švenčionys and Dieveniškės areas there are songs in which Jurgis is understood as the keeper of the keys to summer or to the earth. The songs ask Jurgis to unlock the sky, set a little cloud in motion, bring on the rain, make the grass grow green, and feed the oxen (“Jurgis is applying the keys; let him unlock the earth, let him release the silky grass and the honeyed dew: the grass will be for the horses, the dew for the oxen”—V. Misevičienė, Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, Vilnius, 1972, p. 221). ²⁰ For other terminological phraseological expressions of this type (with personal names), see J. Lipskienė, “Terminologiniai frazeologizmai su asmenvardžiais,” LKK XVI, 248–253. 13. Užs. Nr. 1026 193 Liučė, Andrius: Liučė pissed on Andrius (said when it freezes on St. Andrew’s Day—November 30—and rains on St. Lucy’s Day—December 13 (flk)). Mataušas: On St. Mataušas’s day, shove a loaf up your ass (it is already cold) Kair. Mykolas: Jonas will disappear, like a Jew on St. Michael’s Day (this idiom is probably linked in origin to the traditional Jewish day devoted to “cleansing from sins”) Dov. Ona: As good as St. Anne, she arrives with fresh bread Trg. St. Anne is the lady of bread (rye harvesting begins after July 26) Pln. There’s nothing to be done; bear with it—St. Anne took the evening away (after July 26, people no longer eat in the evening) Kair. The roots of some other idioms of this kind may reach further back than Christianity; that is, they are associated with archaic ancient customs, for example: Jurgio rasa (the first dew of spring); Jono rasa (the dew on the morning of St. John’s Day) (cf.: We must already drive the cows out on Jurgis’s dew. On St. John’s Day, livestock must not be taken out in the morning, lest John come out on the dew, because if John comes out on the dew, he will dry up the milk, and then there will be no milk Grv.). Although these latter expressions are associated with dates on the church calendar, it is difficult to discern any Christian features or imagery in them. Most likely, they originated in festivals of pagan times, later identified with church dates commemorating Christian names (cf. the Rasos festival celebrated today—St. John’s Day). Such idioms are not widely known in the Lithuanian-speaking area today. The fixed phrase Agotos duona is also associated with St. Agatha’s calendar day: “a piece of bread blessed in church during ritual ceremonies, which is supposedly able to help protect against fire and avert other dangers.” Partly akin to idioms of calendrical origin are fixed expressions which, in particular localities across the Lithuanian-speaking area, are associated with dates commemorating Christian names established by the church. They were formerly used to name fairs and markets. The first component of such a fixed expression is always a personal name, while the second component is a dialectally more familiar word, usually of Slavic origin, that has retained its nominative meaning, e.g., jomarkas, kermošius. These expressions included the names Andriejaus, Antano, Baltramiejaus, Barboros, Izidoriaus, Jeronimo, Jokimo, Jokūbo, Jono, Julijaus, Juozapo, Jurgio, Justino, Kazimiero, Kotrynos, Lauryno, Leono, Marijos, Martyno, Mateušo, Mykolo, Mikalojau(s), Morkaus, Motiejaus, Onos, Petro, Pilypo, Povilo, Pranciškaus, Roko, Simono-Judo, Stanislovo, Vladislovo, Uršulės vardai, cf. Andriejaus jomarkas (November 30) Akm, Klt, Nv, Plt; Jokūbo kermošius (December 25) Pun, Šk; Simono-Judo jomarkas (a market on the calendar feast of Simon-Jude—October 28—or after it), cf. Ot, I remember one year, the Simon-Jude market was so big—there was everything there! Jnš. Similar fixed expressions occur in other languages too, cf. Latvian: Miķeļa tirgus (a market on St. Michael’s calendar day—September 30): The whole household set off empty-handed to Miķelis’s market; everyone was looking forward to Miķelis’s market21. Some idioms in this group are no longer relevant today and have lost their former popularity, so their use has also declined considerably in Lithuanian dialects. 21 E. Kagaine, Terminologiskie un dialektālie terminologiskie vārdu savienojumi Ērge-mes izloksnē, — Vārda semantika, Rīga, 1971, p. 82. 194 3. A separate small group consists of those few expressions associated with the custom of congratulating people on their name day. These are expressions of customary origin, closely connected with calendar dates assigned to names, for example: Today we bind the Antanases; girls, braid wreaths Vb; Let’s go and raise Jonas tonight Škn; Jnš, Sk; They bind the Jonases, meaning they hang wreaths on their shoulders or gird them with a wreath M. Katk. We’ll have to go and raise Petras today Škn; Perhaps the two of us should go bind Petras too; what do you think? Btg; Vb. Incidentally, almost all names are now gradually becoming personal-name components in such phraseological expressions, especially in the dialects; that is, when the occasion arises, Vytautas, Artūras, Laima, and others are “bound,” “raised,” or “christened”; compare: The women said that their whole brigade was going to christen Vytautas Sk; I saw their whole family, from the oldest to the youngest, go and bind Ricardo Rs; So, are we going to raise Dalia tonight? Jnš. At present such expressions are still used in the dialects, although the ethnographic rituals associated with the custom are almost extinct. An expression formed with the name Andriejaus also seems to belong to this group; for example, Sometimes, even nowadays, the girls sit around Andriejus, sowing poppy seeds Grv. The expression is associated with the calendar feast day bearing that name (November 30), when, according to a once-observed custom, girls would tell fortunes in the hope of dreaming about their future husband. During the fortune-telling, the girls sow poppy seeds around themselves and around a well three times, saying: Holy Andriejus, let me dream of the one with whom I’ll have to live all my life Grv. An expression of customary origin is probably also the following: the name in it has seemingly become a common noun, yet still has a clear connection with the actual personal name—Katrė, Kotryna; for example, Užgavėnės Katrė (Kotrė) (said of a woman dressed untidily); compare: Go on, you Shrovetide Katrė! Tl. She dresses in all sorts of shabby clothes and comes along, they say—a Shrovetide Kotrė Rs. This phraseological expression probably arose from a once fairly popular custom. In Samogitia, the name Katrės is given to a female-shaped effigy mounted on a sleigh runner or a cartwheel and paraded on Shrove Tuesday; compare Look, they’re already taking the Shrovetide Kotrė along—do you see?! Tl. Another name associated with the same ethnographic custom is Morė; compare Toward evening, when the dogs began barking loudly, we saw a group of young people carrying Morė along M. Valanč. This name, too, gave rise to one or another phraseological expression; compare: She fidgets about like a Shrovetide Morė (of someone restless and fidgety) J; Morė’s fair (Shrovetide fair) this year was scarcely worth looking at LC 1889, 28. It is difficult to determine whether the name Morė is connected with the personal name Marė, although o may have arisen in place of a by analogy with Kotrė < Katrė. Compare also the simile: She sits as if kissed by a morynė Brs. Morynė is probably another name, or Morė: Morynė may have arisen on the model of Kotrė: Kotryna. (Compare also Polish Maryna, Russian Марина.) The distribution areas of phraseological expressions formed with the names Katrė and Morė are probably limited to Samogitian dialects, depending on the custom once observed there. L. Jucevičius mentions in his writings another phraseological expression of customary origin—the old Kuniškė. This was the name given to a scarecrow made for Ash Wednesday. With a flail in one hand and a wreath of spruce branches, it was driven from house to house. The author believes that this ritual may have come down from remote antiquity and had some mythical significance. The expression the old Kuniškė is applied to people who like to go visiting²². 4. Other phraseological expressions, likewise formed with Christian names, are local in origin in terms of their imagery—they developed on Lithuanian soil. 22 L. A. Jucevičius, Raštai, Vilnius, 1959, p. 536–7. 13* 195 In Lithuanian, these arose from particular circumstances of one kind or another. Most expressions of this type are usually associated with a real person; that is, they originated with someone whose character traits, actions, and conduct clash with their surroundings. Such expressions most clearly reflect people’s critical attitude toward inappropriate or unusual behavior, negative character traits, and the like. Comparative phraseological expressions are especially abundant in this category. Compare: Adomas: Why are you fumbling about like Adomas with a squirrel? (said when someone does something clumsily) KzR; Smn. Barbė: She turned pale like Barbė from the mutinis Ldvn. I was as curious as Barbė, asking all sorts of questions (very curious, making inquiries) Pp. At the burst, it was just like Barbė’s crow being roasted Šts. Now you too are starting to spread gossip like Barborytė Krs. Darata: She sways like Darata beneath the cross Škn. Jėzus (Kristus): He’s neither under Jėzus nor under Kristus (of an indifferent person) Pn. One eye on Jėzus, the other on a young woman (of a cross-eyed person) Ml. Jurgis: Why are you chewing so slowly, like Jurgis shit (of someone eating slowly and unwillingly) Škn. Katrė, Kotryna: He boasts like Katrė about garlic (of someone who boasts for no reason) Rtn. He boasts like Katrė about Lithuanian bast shoes Nč. He boasts like Kotryna about her third child Ašm. Kazys: You’ve collapsed like Kazys’s fence (of someone careless and untidy). You’ve gone off the rails like Kazys’s wheels (you’ve been talking nonsense). Both expressions originated in the vicinity of Pelesa. (They say that a careless, untidy man named Kazys N. lived there.) Kristė, Kristina: So she was ashamed to go wild like Kristė Vlkv. She was taken aback like Kristina with her seventh baby Krėv P. Magdė: Where are you going so mincingly, like Magdutė (you walk with tiny steps) Krs. (It is said that formerly the woman’s surname was also added to the comparison; this is sometimes still done), e.g., Why are you mincing along like Magdutė Ramanauskas, have you forgotten how to walk? Krs. Marytė: She goes like Marytė with her bundles Pkn. As limp as Marytė’s rag (of a weakling, a spineless person) Tl. Martynas: As quiet as Martynas with the bees TŽ III 376. Made a mess of things like Martynas at dusk (of someone who has been deceived) Krt. Matas: Talks like Matas in the pantry (of someone who speaks coarsely) Pls. Ona: When you see one like that, cast your own Ona aside (said of a beautiful woman?) Šd. Rapolas: Twisted up like Rapolas’s tobacco pouch (very twisted up) (makas — “a leather pouch for tobacco or money”) Ggr. Tadaušis, Magdutė: They cuddle up like Tadaušis and Magdutė Lk. Tamošius: As clear as it is to Tamošius during a sermon (not clear at all) Btrm. Zoska: She walks like Zoska (walks very beautifully and straight) Rod. (It is told that a woman of that name once lived near Rodūnia, renowned for her beauty and graceful walk). Besides comparative phraseologisms, binomial phraseological expressions are also sometimes used; they have a fixed number of components and perform nominal functions, e.g.: Uršė’s linen (of very fine, beautiful linen); Uršulė the trader (said when someone is successful in a business venture). L. Jucevičius mentions both examples, also indicating the reasons why these expressions arose23. 23It is said that Uršulė once lived in Ukmergė and wove linen so fine and beautiful that it was in demand even abroad. Uršulė’s business brought her great profit, and in Žemaitija she bought a sizeable village, Uršiškiai (cf. L. A. Jucevičius, cited work, pp. 528–9). 196 Such fixed expressions are mostly local and do not have wide areas of distribution. However, there are cases when a phraseological expression that arises in one place becomes quite popular and spreads over a relatively large area. One such example may be the expression Raseinių Magdė, apparently quite widely known in Samogitian dialects24. The spread of this fixed expression may perhaps have been aided by its first component—Raseiniai, which functions as a modifier and thereby distinguishes Raseinių Magdę from other “neutral” Magdės. Compare the sentences recorded with this phraseological expression: Beautiful as Raseinių Magdė25 Šl; Limp as Raseinių Magdė Krž; Clever as Raseinių Magdė, who sold a goose for a hen (iron. of an unintelligent person) Bb; That husband of hers is a real Raseinių Magdė (of someone dressed up) Šl. (Incidentally, in the southernmost West Aukštaitian dialects, an expression of the same structure is used, Virbalio Magdžius (Sejny, Poland), said to derive from an eccentric who once lived in Virbalis. Compare also another phraseological expression, likewise known in the southern West Aukštaitian dialect and used in retort or defiance, e.g., Kiss Virbalio Magdė on the ass Plv. It is said that the woman in question was very tall. Neither of these last two phraseological expressions, apparently, is widely used in the dialects). Examples of Raseinių Magdė show that, as the expression spread through Lithuanian dialects, it was adapted to describe various traits of people's character and appearance. Thus, over time, new senses of use developed from a single, specific expression, which consequently became polysemous. It may also be added that in various places, especially in eastern Lithuania, sayings occur with the name Magdė that lack the modifier component—Raseinių; compare What would you do there in Kupiškis? You might as well kiss Magdė and go home (having got nowhere) Kp; Go on and go home after kissing Magdė (said when one visits someone and finds nobody at home) Antz; You can't even have a chat, so go home as if you'd kissed Magdė Alz; He goes along as if he'd kissed Magdė (downcast and dissatisfied) Alz. All these sayings, too, are used with more than one sense, and these clearly differ from the senses in which Raseinių Magdė is used. If expressions containing the component Raseiniai usually characterize, in a generalized way, one or another trait of a person, then expressions without Raseinių almost everywhere describe only the speaker's inner state and predicament. It is not entirely clear whether these phraseological expressions and their variants are related, or whether they have different origins. Incidentally, one might also recall Maironis's poem of the same name, which may in some sense have encouraged their spread, and perhaps even helped give rise to the second expression (already in the poem's first stanza there is a reference to the statue of Raseinių Magdė, gazing out “by Raseiniai, beside the dusty road that comes from the town of Kražiai”). 24 L. A. Jucevičius links the origin of this expression to the time of Augustus III, when the first French milliner, Magdelena, moved from Warsaw to Raseiniai and, through her dress, “turned the heads of all the Samogitians.” At first they looked unfavorably on the foreigner's attire, but in time they too began to imitate her: dressing up and following her in everything. Such a metamorphosis was unusual for the Samogitians, so a woman dressed in the French fashion came to be called dressed up like Raseinių Magdė, and later a woman of loose morals began to be called Raseinių Magdė. (L. A. Jucevičius, op. cit., p. 511). The notes to the same work (p. 252) indicate that in modern times, in the vicinity of Raseiniai and further on (around Šilalė), the name is still used for a Shrovetide effigy—a scarecrow—as is Shrovetide Kotrė (Morė), that is, a slovenly dressed woman. 25 The meaning of this example is unclear—the expression may also carry an ironic sense, that is, “ugly.” 197 On the other hand, in Eastern Lithuania, idiomatic expressions may have arisen independently, without Raseinių galė-jo and without any secondary, literary influences—because of images associated with the name itself that evoke unfavorable associations. Magdė is often used to call a plump, stupid, clumsy person, for example: Go on, Magde! What nonsense are you babbling! Jnš; Well, you really are a Magdė! I told you the wig was hidden under the tub, where you’re rummaging Sk.²⁶ Also compare other idioms known in connection with the name Magdė, most likely having nothing to do either with Raseinių Magde or with the “Magde,” widespread in Eastern Lithuania, for example: Why are you sitting here when Magdė is hoeing potatoes Škn; Does nothing day after day, just sits like Magdė, and that’s all Škn. Furthermore, instances of the use of Raseinių Magdė clearly show that personal names entering phraseological expressions change lexically, depending on the functions they perform: they lose their nominative meaning and acquire the status of common words with multiple senses (e.g., Raseinių Magdė can mean a “dresser,” a “sluggish” or “stupid” person, and so on), retaining only their external form. This happens especially when a personal name acquires a figurative meaning in sentence context.²⁷ The aforementioned phraseological expressions formed with personal names, as they spread through the dialects, are usually used in a generalized sense, regardless of whether the expression contains a male or a female name. As we have seen from the examples, Raseinių Magdė may refer not only to a woman but also to a man. We find a similar generalization in Maironis's poem: Raseinių Magdė here refers both to Lithuanian women who take to dressing like noblewomen and to a young man who, captivated by foreign fashions, wanders through a foreign city.²⁸ Similarly, that is, as a generalized characterization of women and men, another phraseological expression is used—though it has been recorded in only one place—namely, kiemo Marusė²⁹ (<Marė), “someone who likes to go from yard to yard”: That woman is a real kiemo Marusė, she goes on and on, chattering Škn; He's such a kiemo Marusė, you can't keep track of him Škn. A phraseological expression of similar structure, with the male name Jurgis, is used much more widely; for example, kaimo Jurgis means “an ignorant, sluggish, dim-witted, doltish person”: Well, look at that! He got himself such a kaimo Jurgis; now he'll be able to sing ‘What they suffered’ (to suffer greatly, to be tormented) Sk; Don't listen to that kaimo Jurgis—what does he know about malt? Šl; Kri, Kv, Lnkv, Mšk, Škn. It is difficult to say where this expression's “birthplace” is. If it is not of literary origin, then it must have formed in one of the dialect areas where the word kaimas ‘village’ has long been used—that is, probably in Užnemunė. Nevertheless, it is hard to believe that a villager would demean himself in this way, so the saying most likely originated in an entirely different social milieu and has nothing to do with the common people. It is simply unclear how it spread through nearly all Lithuanian dialects. All the more so since the expression itself does not seem very old: one may infer this because it is not recorded at all in the card index of the Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language. Like Raseinių Magdė, this expression can also be applied to women, e.g., She knows how to tell it; I'm just a kaimo Jurgis Rd; Jnš, Jnšk, Kair, Sk, Škn. In Lithuanian dialects, the personal name Jurgis is sometimes used in the same sense, just like Magdė, even without the appellative kai- 26 Compare also the German common noun die Magd, “maidservant.” 27 T. N. Kondratyeva. The Transition of Proper Names into Common Nouns in the Phraseological Expressions, Proverbs and Sayings of the Russian People of the 19th — Early 20th Centuries, — In Memory of V. A. Bogoroditsky (on the Centenary of His Birth), Kazan, 1961, p. 124. 28 Compare V. Zaborskaitė, Maironis, 1968, pp. 368—9. 29 LKŽ V 750 records a phraseological expression with this meaning, kiemo Marušė. 198 …, e.g., [I wouldn’t look at such a Jurgis even out of the corner of my eye Cf. This shows that the meaning of the phraseologism is concentrated in its second component—the personal name Jurgis. It is true that there are also cases in which the personal name Jurgis is used derogatorily in the sense of “fellow”³⁰. Let us also compare a sentence from the writer P. Cvirka’s short story “How the Serf Stefas Treated Mr. Fricas,” e.g., Fricas called all the serfs Jurgises, and their wives Magdės, and their oxen and horses cats or rats³¹. Alongside the name Jurgis, we have also recorded the phraseologism krosnių Jurgis (someone who likes to warm himself by the stove), which is probably likewise applied generically to both men and women; cf. You’re a real krosnių Jurgis; let me warm myself too Kin. Both of the latter phraseologisms, kaimo Jurgis and krosnių Jurgis, differ from Raseinių Magdės and the yard Marušė in that here it seems to be a masculine, rather than feminine, name that is generalized to refer to both men and women. Moreover, both kiemo Marušė and the two latter expressions—kaimo Jurgis and krosnių Jurgis—do not seem to be polysemous; each is used with a single meaning. Thus, the examples presented show that some personal names, when forming one component of a phraseologism, often seem to “shift” from the feminine or masculine gender into the common gender. Another phraseologism worth mentioning, though not very common, is used to characterize a frivolous, flighty, scatterbrained person, e.g.: And you’re no less of a makalo Pranis Brs; That child of hers is a real makalo Pranis Lk, Go on, makalo Prane, you keep chattering nonsense Skn. Among other phraseologisms of similar structure (following the pattern: common or proper noun + personal name), this one is distinctive in that the name may agree, that is, vary according to the gender of the person being described: if speaking about a man, one says Pranis; if about a woman, Pranė. In this case the personal name has no semantic meaning; it is merely a structural element marking gender, while the entire phraseological weight falls on the first component of the expression, the noun functioning as an attribute—makalas (cf. the meaning of the common noun makalas, “a frivolous, scatterbrained, flighty person,” and the meaning of the phraseologism). Compare also the phraseologism formed with the same noun, makalo Magdė (Kair), whose phraseological meaning is distributed across both components, since Magdė herself, as already noted, is also not a neutral name. B. F. Zakharov, discussing the phraseologisms of one village that have a personal name as one component, asserts that names in phraseologisms are used in a strictly fixed form, that is, instead of полторы Татьяны, one supposedly cannot say полторы Тани or полторы Танички, and so on, because this would destroy the phraseologism itself³². The Lithuanian material available so far, though incomplete, seems not to contradict the idea mentioned: no examples have been recorded of forms such as kaimo Jurgelis, Raseinių Magdelė or Magdelena, and so on. In comparable phraseologisms, however, such deviations seem possible. For example, in one dialect of the Middle Aukštaitian area along the Latvian border, a phraseologism is known whose personal name sometimes varies, e.g.: Why are you always so dissatisfied, like Marcijana³³; You keep groaning and groaning, ³⁰ See LKŽ IV 433. ³¹ P. Cvirka, Raštai, V, Vilnius, 1949, p. 91. ³² Б. Ф. Захаров, Личные имена и прозвища в составе диалектных фразеологизмов, — Ономастика Поволжья, 2, Горький, 1971, p. 96. ³³ For information on the distribution of this phraseologism, see the article by the same author published in that volume, “Characteristic Features of the Geography of Phraseological Expressions”. 199 like that Marcė, go do some work See. Such variation in the form of a personal name may depend on the informant’s own character, the moment of speaking, and so on, or perhaps on the fact that the name variants Marcijana and Marcė are so common in the dialect that they seem almost identical to the speaker34. Cases of similar variation in personal names have also been recorded in other languages; for instance, in Bulgarian the phraseologism мека Ганка or its variant мека Ганка is used to describe a woman who readily gives in to men’s whims35. Among locally originating phraseologisms there are also some constructed from the first syllables of two proper names and a third name in full, e.g., Vik! Mik! Petrusia! (said in mockery of a person who stutters and gets stuck while speaking) Grv. The saying is said to have originated in a family with three sisters. At first, the neighbors made fun of the family because the girls were called that (their names were Vikta, Michalina and Petrusia), and over time the joke was applied to a specific situation, and the phrase became a phraseologism. Other phraseological expressions are sometimes formed on the basis of joking. For example, in the vicinity of Gervėčiai, when asked “what’s your surname?”, the answer is: “Katerina from Miknაბalis.” (Miknაბalis is near the village of Girios.) The geographical distribution of both of the last two phraseological expressions is probably confined to the vicinity of Gervėčiai. Sometimes expressions contain an invented name derived from a common noun, e.g., Now, young man, Mikis is offering you a place to sleep (you’re sleepy) Jrb. (cf. mikis ← migti, to sleep; miegoti, sleep; miegas, sleep). In addition to those already mentioned, the group of locally originating expressions seems also to include phraseological expressions whose formation shows traces of a certain artificiality—that is, a proper name is probably included in them only for the sake of rhyme or sound, e.g.: Barbė the nine-jobber; Barbė the three-jobber. Both are used to describe someone who does many jobs at once; cf. I’m like that Barbė the nine-jobber, rushing here and there Šln; Your husband really is a true Barbė the three-jobber: here he’s off, there he’s off, and none of his work comes to anything See. These variants are widespread in almost all Lithuanian dialects, although the precise distribution of each has not yet been determined. There are more phraseological expressions formed in this way, though with different structures. Some differ from other expressions of this type in their composition. In comparative phraseologisms, rhythm is often achieved not by an equal number of syllables (as is often characteristic of poetry), but by rhythmically adapting the comparative component to the required context, e.g.: Barbė, Mikas: It suited like Barbė to Mikas VĮky. Elzė, Mikas: It matched like Elzė to Mikas Šv. 34 Although, generally speaking, in colloquial speech the full form of a name (Barbora, Marcijana, Jonas, Petras) expresses respect as well as formality, and in certain cases emphatic irony or contempt. Shortened forms, forms with altered stems, or forms made with various suffixes are more familiar: those formed with diminutive suffixes have an endearing meaning, while shortened forms or those with altered stems (Barbė, Marcė, Jonis) can, in addition to familiarity, also convey disparagement. In dialects, a disparaging nuance may also be conveyed by purely phonetic means. For instance, regarding Kairiai, according to information provided by L. Poškūnaitė, the shortened name forms Katrė, Kãzė are neutral, whereas Katrė, Káza have a clearly derogatory nuance. 35 See also M. A. Leonidova, “On the combinability of proper names in phraseological units (in Bulgarian and Russian),” Problems of Lexicology, Minsk, 1973, p. 66; (hereafter: M. A. Leonidova, “On the combinability...”). 200 Tamošius: Was the fair big? – Just two women and Tamošius (a joking answer to the question) Grv. Sometimes, to achieve a rhythmic sound, a phraseological expression is divided into two parts, for example: Jonas: The man was poor, but handsome, so I took a liking to him: choc po tvora (dial. ‘fences’), but with Jonas Grv. Juzas: There is no Juzas without a bump (everyone has faults) Vlk. Kunigunda: A cheap deal with Kunigunda (about something easily done) – I’ll do it quickly and well, you’ll see Lnkv. Mikas: What was left is Miko’s Šk. You all got your share, and what was left is Miko’s An; Plv. Mikas, Simukas: What was left is Miko’s; what slipped away is Simuko’s Kps. Presumably, the emergence of these sayings has little to do with real people who once lived and bore names such as Barbora, Mikas, Tamošius, and others. Occasionally, local phraseological expressions include some whose origins were prompted by people of other nationalities, distinguished from those around them by negative traits, for example, Why are you so boastful, could you be Bėnas Grv. (The saying is traced to a Jew who lived in the area and was notable for his arrogant boastfulness.) Or: All muddied (disheveled, stained, filthy) like Ickus among the herrings (about someone filthy, in dirty clothes) Škn; Goes like Ickus among the herrings Škn. The comparative phraseological expression recorded with the already mentioned personal name Abraomas appears to have no biblical associations either, for example, Orderly as at Abraham’s in the barn (iron. about disorder). The basis for the emergence of this comparative phraseological expression was most likely some otherwise slovenly person of Jewish origin. The latter sayings apparently do not have a wide geographical distribution. 5. Phraseological expressions of learned and literary origin, most often formed with ancient (less often Christian) names, are almost never used in Lithuanian dialects: they occur mainly only in the speech of intellectuals, in fiction and scholarly literature, and in journalism. For example: St. Bartholomew’s Night ‘massacre’ (the massacre that began in France on St. Bartholomew’s Night in 1572, in which Huguenots were killed); Achilles’ heel ‘someone’s weakest point’; the sword of Damocles ‘a danger constantly threatening someone’; the Gordian knot ‘a tangle of various difficult circumstances’; to fall between Scylla and Charybdis ‘to find oneself in a difficult, hopeless situation with no way out’; a Procrustean bed ‘a coercive measure imposed on someone’. Many phraseological expressions of this kind originate in ancient myths and legends and later spread to various countries around the world through the works of various writers, reaching Lithuania as well. 6. Lithuanian also has quite a few expressions whose origins are not so easy to determine. Compare the following expressions, formed according to a single pattern and used to denote inferiority and poor quality, which contain the personal name Jonas: a saint John’s walker (a poor walker) Slnt; a saint John’s milker (a poor milker) Vvr; Well, a saint John’s digger (a poor digger) — when planting two [beets], can’t even poke holes Grg; Go on, you saint John’s mower (a poor mower) Pln. In all these examples, the modifier saint John’s, which replaces the adjectives poor, inferior, is fixed, while only the modified word—the noun—varies. Most likely, the possessive genitive saint John’s here has no connection with biblical imagery; however, why it 201 became part of these expressions is unclear. Moreover, those sayings appear to be used only in one dialect, that is, in a small area. Among phraseological expressions of uncertain origin, the comparative idiom formed with the same name also appears to belong here, e.g., Kūrenas kaip švento Jono ugnelė Trg., as does an idiom with the name Vincento, e.g., Susilenkia kaip Vincento velnias (M. Valanč.). In the absence of any comments, it is unclear whether these idioms are connected with religious—biblical themes or with episodes from fairy-tale plots. The expression (kaip molio (molių) Motiejus, used to characterize a lazy person, a dullard, or a good-for-nothing, e.g., Daug molio Motiejų Brž., should also be considered to have an origin that is not entirely clear. Compare its variants: Nepasįsi — kaip molio Motiejukas Šl; Greitas kaip molio Motiejukas (ironically, of someone slow) Rd.; Greitas kaip molio Motiejus žalius grūdus malti Srj; Greitas kaip molių Motiejus į darbą Brž. Also compare: Paklusnus kaip molinis Petrukas (fictional). The expression Greitas kaip Motiejus molį minkyti (Šštk) should probably also be considered a variant of those sayings, although the usual modifier molio is missing from this last idiom. The sayings most likely derive from a fairy tale about a woman who, having no children, fashioned a little man from clay and sent him to fetch firewood, water, and so on; since the little clay figure brought nothing back, the woman had to do everything herself. More variants of fairy tales with a similar plot are known. In them, too, various boys are “made” and given “names,” e.g., from clay—Jokūbukas Šik; from wood—Antanukas, Ivonas Lz; from alder—Jonikas Kps. Šlv; from writing—Kuplionas Rk; from tow—Berniukas; from iron—Geležinis berniukas Šll, and so on.36 However, molio Motiejus may have a different origin. The comparative idiom kaip Pilypas iš kanapių, used in Lithuanian with several meanings, is of uncertain origin (probably a loan from Polish); compare: Stovi kaip Pilypas kanapėse (of someone standing) Btg. Drebia kaip Pilypas iš kanapių (speaks coarsely, roughly) Kps; Išlindo kaip Pilypas iš kanapių Smn.; Iššoko kaip Pilypas iš kanapių (appeared unexpectedly, did something out of the blue) Pun.; Ms. Very similar idioms are also known in Polish (cf.: Wyrwał się jak filip z konopi; Wyskoczyć jak filip z konopi), which are likewise used to mean “popped out or appeared at the wrong time, unexpectedly; said something inappropriate or nonsensical.” A. Mickiewicz used this idiom in the poem “Pan Tadeusz” (Wyrwawszy się bóg wie skąd, jak Filip z konopi)37. In his commentary, the poet also explains the origin of the idiom: it arose from a real person—Filip from the village of Kanapy, who once, while speaking in the Sejm, strayed so far from the subject that he made everyone laugh heartily38. The edition of the poem treats this note as an attempt to give a historical explanation for the emergence of certain proverbial expressions. In fact, the word filip means “hare”39. In the latter sense, the word is recorded— 36 Cf. the catalogue (card index) of Lithuanian narrative folklore, Institute of the Lithuanian Language and Literature, AT 703*. 37 A. Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz, Vilnius, 1953, p. 130 (Toliau: A. Mickiewicz, P T). 38 Ibid., p. 330. (The Polish priest Chmielowski, who included the idiom Pilypas iš kanapių among other expressions in a multivolume work published in Lviv in 1753–1756, linking its origin to the outburst in the Sejm by a man named Filip from the village of Kanapy, should probably be considered the originator of this interpretation (cf. Encyklopedia staropolska, compiled by Prof. A. Brückner I, Warszawa, 1937, p. 328). Hereafter: A. Brückner, Encyklopedia staropolska). 39 A. Mickiewicz, PT 330. 202 recorded in Polish dictionaries as well, which also include the idioms mentioned above40. That case shows that already in the eighteenth century attempts were made to devise historical explanations for Polish expressions that were incomprehensible and ahistorical41. Nearly all the Lithuanian phraseological expressions with personal names discussed above are formed with popular Christian names. Only a few contain a name—usually an Old Testament name—that has not become established in our naming tradition, while phraseological expressions of bookish-literary origin also include classical names. So far, almost no phraseological expressions with old Lithuanian names or names from other strata of the naming system have been recorded (though this does not mean that none exist at all). This phenomenon may be explained in part by the fact that, in Lithuania, due to the Church’s monopoly, native Lithuanian names were not used at all from around the sixteenth century until the end of the nineteenth. Nor have phraseological expressions been found in which one component is the name of a historical figure or some public figure. In other nations, however, examples of this kind occur; compare the Russian expression Кондрашка хватил (стукнул), “of a sudden death,” which is derived from the name of Kondraty Afanasyev, an ataman who led the rebels and successfully destroyed the forces of Prince Dolgoruko42. English uses Big Ben, the name of the clock in the English Parliament, derived from the name of Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation43. Among other Lithuanian idioms, phraseological expressions with personal names occupy a distinctive place. Most of them partly reflect, in an objective way, former Lithuanian cultural and social relations and the influence the Church exerted on people’s consciousness and outlook. Some uses of such idioms clearly reflect people’s negative attitude toward the undesirable character traits and actions of particular real individuals. Some of these expressions are no longer popular in dialects, because new social circumstances call for different comparative images, better suited to present-day reality. Nevertheless, the phraseological expressions described here remain valuable and necessary material for scholarship, helping to reveal the culture and traditions of Lithuanian society in the past. 40 See Słownik języka polskiego, edited by Jan Karłowicz, Adam Kryński and Władisław Niedźwiedzki, I, Warszawa, 1900, p. 742; Słownik języka polskiego, editor-in-chief Witold Doroszewski, II, Warszawa, 1960, p. 873; S. Skorupka, Słownik frazeologiczny języka polskiego, I, Warszawa, 1967, p. 220, 342. 41 It is true that the Polish encyclopedia, citing the writer Rej, states that Piłypas iš kanapių yra pravardė kiškio, with hemp protecting the hare from hounds (because of its strong smell): having jumped out of the hemp, it could be in danger at any moment (cf. A. Brückner, Encyklopedia staropolska, p. 328). It may also be added that in Czech the hare likewise has a nickname—macek. This is a diminutive form of a very popular Czech Christian name—Maciej (cf. V. P. Cienkowski, Sekrety imion własnych, Lodze, 1965, p. 54). 42 А. И. Молотков, ФСРЯ 203. 43 В. Кунин, Фразеология современного английского языка, Москва, 1972, р. 28. 203 Й. ЛИПСКЕНЕ PHRASEOLOGICAL COMBINATIONS WITH PERSONAL NAMES Abstract Приводятся фразеологические сочетания с личными именами, дается их краткий разбор. Констатируется, что в состав таких фразеологизмов почти всегда входит христианское имя и что по происхождению их можно распределить на несколько групп. К фразеологическим сочетаниям библейского происхождения относятся те, в которых отражаются мотивы старого и нового заветов, напр., Gyveno kaip Adomas rojuje […] „Жил как Адам в раю (т.е. жил очень хорошо)“; neviernas Tamošius „Фома неверующий“. Некоторые фразеологические сочетания этой группы в свое время очень широко бытовали в литовских говорах, но в наши дни они постепенно отходят в пассивный фонд речи. Фразеологические сочетания календарного происхождения связаны с определенными датами церковного календаря, напр., Nulijo kaip per šventą Joną „прошел дождь, как в Иванов день (т.е. теплый, хороший дождик)“. Предполагается, что часть таких фразеологических сочетаний своим происхождением связана с дохристианскими праздниками, обычаями и только позднее они были приурочены к соответствующим датам христианского церковного календаря. Фразеологические сочетания обрядового происхождения связаны с различными этнографическими обычаями и обрядами, напр., Joną kelti „качать Ионаса (т.е. по установленному обряду поздравлять с днем ангела)“. К фразеологическим сочетаниям местного происхождения относятся такие, возникновение которых обусловлено конкретными местными обстоятельствами, напр., странностями характера реально существовавшего человека, его поведением, отклоняющимся от принятой нормы и т.п. Утверждается, что такие фразеологизмы на территории распространения литовского языка чаще всего занимают очень небольшие ареалы, так как они обычно связаны только с одной определенной местностью. Однако известны случаи, когда первоначально местный фразеологизм распространяется на сравнительно большой территории, напр., Raseinių Magdė. Кроме того, некоторые из них вместе с расширяющейся территорией употребления получают и новые значения, т.е. становятся многозначными. Phraseological combinations of bookish and literary origin constitute a separate group. These phraseologisms are most often formed with classical names, e.g., Achilo kulnas “Achilles’ heel.” Phraseological combinations of unclear origin are distinguished as a separate group, e.g., molio Motiejus “a blunderer, an awkward person (literally, ‘clay Matthew’).” It is noted that no phraseological combinations formed with pre-Christian Lithuanian names or with the names of historical figures or public figures have yet been identified in the Lithuanian language.