The plug is ... The meanings and origin of the word "fork", examples of use

The first association that occurs when the word "fork" is pronounced is a cutlery. Then other meanings are recalled, which are not so few. What is the meaning of this word and where did it come from in Russian? We will try to answer these simple and at the same time entertaining questions, using explanatory dictionaries and historical facts.

Fork is a small fork

In general, a fork is anything that has a branched, as a rule, two-way shape. For example: a fork in the road, a thymus gland, a fork for a bicycle, a swallow-tail of a swallow. By the way, the very first forks, used for stitching pieces of meat, had only two teeth. The origin of the word "fork" is easy to explain. It is enough to imagine a tool that peasants collect and stack hay.

Fork is a diminutive and caressing form of the word "pitchfork". Originally in Russia, cutlery of this kind was called wilts or slingshots, only by the middle of the 18th century the fork was fixed with the name customary for modern man. In turn, the word "pitchfork" is formed from the verb "twist" by attaching the suffix "l" to the root.

The history of the fork in the ancient world

The first forks, according to historical documents, appeared in 1072 in Constantinople, thanks to the Byzantine princess Maria. A high-ranking person found it humiliating to take food from a common dish with his hands. Court craftsmen made for a whimsical young lady a cutlery with a long handle and two prongs. Some researchers believe that the sketches for the creation of a princess fork Maria painted herself.

There are historical information that prototypes of modern forks, only very large ones, were used in ancient Greece to remove fried carcasses of animals and poultry from skewers. In the 7th century more compact, but still uncomfortable forks began to serve tables at the court of the Turkish sultan. This innovation was not widely spread.

In the countries of the Ancient East the meaning of the word "fork" was known from the middle of the IX century. It was then that there were two-tooth metal ramparts for stitching meat, vegetables and fruits. A straight shape without any bends prevented the use of a fork in everyday meals. Therefore, this dining instrument was forgotten until the XIV century. And today, for most eastern peoples, it is customary to manage with hard or loose dishes with the help of fingers.

The subject of high culture and luxury

In Western Europe the fork, spoon and knife became indispensable attributes of feasts in the beginning of the XVII century. Previously, fatty foods were taken simply by hands, periodically washing their palms in special bowls. In rich families it was customary to sit at the table wearing gloves, which were thrown out after the meal. Aristocrats preferred to cut meat or fish with two knives, one of which was intended for sending pieces of food into the mouth.

With the appearance of forks, the French King Charles V issued a decree prohibiting representatives of the court nobility from eating with a knife, in order to improve the culture of their subjects. Ordinary people considered forks luxury items and were not used in everyday life. For a long time, the forks were bidentate, then trident, and only in the 8th century Germany began to produce cutlery with four prongs.

The first forks in Russia

In Russia, a cutlery similar to a modern fork was introduced in 1606 and was first used during a feast at the wedding of the impostor False Dmitry the First and the Polish noblewoman Marina Mnishek. According to historical records, this behavior of the royal people aroused indignation not only among ordinary people, but among the nobility. "Horned" fork was considered a diabolical object.

Only in the XVIII century the fork began to timidly enter into the everyday life of Russian nobles, thanks to the perseverance of Peter I, who, as you know, adored everything European. In ordinary families, a fork for a long time remained a vicious, uncomfortable and unnecessary object, the spoon was the main tool for eating. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, a dishwasher unsuitable for the common people was used extremely rarely, and after the Revolution the fork, as they say, came out to the masses.

Plugs need different plugs, forks are all important

In addition to the cutlery, the word fork may mean any other device having a branch in its design.

The most famous combination is the "plug" socket. Household appliances are in any home today, so the device on the end of the wire with two (or more) contacts, used to connect a refrigerator, TV, computer or vacuum cleaner to an electrical network, is familiar to each of us. The pair "plug" is also used to create radio and telephone connections.

The clutch fork is the lever in the manual gearbox of the car, designed to remove the clamping plate.

Knitting fork ─ The simplest device, consisting of two metal longitudinal rods and a pair of transverse plastic beams. The device is used for manual knitting of scarves and other garments having straight sheets.

A fork for a bicycle, moped or motorcycle is a part in the front or rear of a two-wheeled vehicle that serves for attaching wheels and is an element of the steering.

Forks that can not be touched by hand

The word "plug" is often used in relation to some actions or processes that have a dual meaning.

Chess fork ─ Situation on the chessboard, when under the battle of the figure of one of the opponents are two figures of another player. For example, a horse can be aimed simultaneously at the king and rook, the elephant ─ the king and the queen, etc. This combination is otherwise called a double blow.

In military affairs, the "fork" is a combat maneuver with deliberate firing of the enemy from different sides without hitting the target. Thus, a group of people or equipment is deprived of the opportunity to move in the direction of the shelling.

Bookmaker fork implies a situation where a player makes bets in different offices for all possible outcomes of a match in order to obtain a guaranteed win.

Folk superstitions associated with forks

Despite the fact that the fork is an ordinary item on our tables in everyday life, these cutlery are still not accepted by the Orthodox Church. Therefore, at funeral meals they can not be used.

The fork that has fallen to the ground foreshadows the arrival in the house of an evil, grumpy woman.

In the village mistresses are careful not to stir sour cream or smear butter on bread. It is believed that after this, the cow may lose milk.

It is not recommended to give forks to relatives and friends. Such a present will be an expression of superiority and arrogance towards a loved one.