The meaning and origin of phraseology "like two drops of water"

The Russian language is replete with various stable expressions. They undoubtedly decorate everyone's speech, if they are used with knowledge of the meaning of one or another phraseology. In this article we will consider the comparative turnover "like two drops of water", which is known to everyone. However, not many know how he settled in our vocabulary.

The meaning and use of phraseology

To begin with, it is worth investigating what this expression implies. Of course, it is known to everyone, because many use colloquial phraseology "as two drops of water". Its meaning is the following: perfect similarity. This applies to individuals, objects, and phenomena. When they see people that are similar to one another (usually outwardly), they are usually told that they look like two drops of water.

We see that the considered turn of speech is used as a circumstance of the mode of action. It is used most often with an adjective "similar", which can appear in various forms: both in brief and in full. Here, this turnover conveys an image of external similarity. Also, this phraseology can convey both the character and properties of various things-everything that has some kind of similarity to another object.

What this expression means, we have designated, considered, how it is used in speech. It is worth to find out what the origin of phraseology is like "two drops of water". For sure, this story contains some secret.

The origin of the phraseology "like two drops of water"

Many stable expressions do not have a specific author. It turned out that this also applies to the phraseology under consideration. It is originally Russian, passed on from generation to generation. Even in Russia they talked about similar people and objects, using phraseology "as two drops of water" in conversations. The origin of this expression, therefore, is folk. And the person who first used this turnover, is not fixed.

Some suggest that the origin of phraseology "as two drops of water" is associated with its use in literature. However, researchers of the national cultural wealth of Russia are sure that the writers simply picked it up and used the finished turn in their works. But it was after the use of this stable expression by writers that it became a more popular comparison, which many people willingly used in conversation.

Synonyms of phraseology in Russian

We have already indicated above that the considered stable expression has the meaning "perfect similarity". How can you replace the phraseology "like two drops of water"? There is a synonym, and not one: poured, exactly the same, similar, identical, like brothers, like sisters, like twins.

In addition, there are stable expressions with a similar meaning. For example: hair in the hair, like picking, one to one, one field berry, one world of mazana, one tailoring, one shoe, two pair of boots and so on. Our language is rich in such stable folk expressions. And if you try, you can find even more similar things in dictionaries, textbooks and literary works. It is necessary to look only.

Synonyms in other languages

Many stable expressions, similar in meaning, are used in different countries. The same goes for the phraseology we are considering. It is popular in many languages. Consider it in English and French. On the first, it sounds like: as like as two drops of water. And in French: se ressembler comme deux gouttes d'eau.

How can you replace phraseology "like two drops of water"? The synonym for this stable expression in other languages is translated as "similar as two peas in a pod". His English version is as like as two peas in a pod. In French it sounds like: se ressembler comme deux grains de pois dans une cosse.

It is worth noting that there is another phraseology in a foreign language, similar in meaning to our expression - "like one egg to another." In English it is pronounced as: as like as two eggs. And in the French: se ressembler comme deux gouttes d'eau. And these idioms are not limited by this turnover. There are many of them. It is necessary only to go deeper into another's culture, and there will be a mass of synonymous idioms.

Antonyms of phraseology in Russian

The expression we are examining means "similar." And what words are the opposite in meaning? Here fit adjectives such as different, different, contradictory . If we talk about nouns with the opposite meaning, then they are words of dissimilarity, difference, divergence.

It is also possible to choose stable expressions-antonyms to replace the phraseology "as two drops of water". Pictures - images of opposite values immediately emerge in the head in the form of two absolutely incompatible and dissimilar people, objects and phenomena. For example, heaven and earth. This is an excellent phraseological antonym for the expression studied in this article. After all, it means difference, not similarity.

Antonyms in English

The expression "like heaven and earth" is the opposite of the comparative turnover "like two drops of water". Phraseology is used by different peoples to denote an absolute difference.

There are several idioms of this expression-antonym in English. The first sounds like: as different as day and night. This is a figurative expression, which is literally translated "different as day and night." It is quite popular and is used in the speech of foreigners quite often.

The next idiom is be poles apart. It means "to be diametrically opposed". Americans use this expression, implying the phraseology "to differ like heaven and earth." It is also used in colloquial speech, and in literature, and in psychology.

The third option is polar opposites. It means the polar opposite. It is used when talking about absolutely different people and things.

The use of expression in the literature

Many phraseological units are used by writers and poets to give imagery to their works. It has already been mentioned that the origin of phraseology "as two drops of water" has been associated with literature. However, the history of the appearance of this expression in speech is not connected with writing. Phraseological "as two drops of water" origin is directly popular. And writers and poets, as you know, like to use such stable expressions. Did not pass this fate and the comparative study we are studying.

Here is an excerpt from the novel "War and Peace" by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy: "The evening was like two drops of water like every other evening with conversations, tea and lighted candles." Here the considered turn draws before our eyes a boring, unremarkable twilight time. We represent the dreary people who spend their evening chatting, drinking tea, spending time on something that does not give them much pleasure.

There are many more examples of the use of this turnover in the literature. But the above passage will be enough to understand how much more imaginative are the works, when they contain folk phraseology.

Using an expression in colloquial speech

The vocabulary of every educated person is enriched by stable turns that people use occasionally, depending on circumstances and surroundings. If we talk about the phraseology that we are considering, then it is likely that many people use it in their speech. And not by chance. After all, the expression "like two drops of water" has a national origin, which means that this comparative turnover is so close to us that it is sometimes difficult to do without it. So they say, when they notice the similarity not only of people, but also of some phenomena and objects.

As we see, the expression considered by us is popular both in Russian and in foreign languages, both in literature and in colloquial speech. To it it is easy to choose both synonyms, and antonyms. It makes speech more imaginative and beautiful. And if you want to enrich your vocabulary, boldly use such phraseological units. But before you use them, read their meanings, then you definitely will not go wrong and will not fall into a mess.