What do they mean when they say that they found a scythe on a stone

We all heard once the phrase "I found a scythe on a stone". Those who have never held this agricultural tool in their hands, do not know that the subtlety of its use lies in sharpening and piling. Competently and correctly to produce them can not everyone, you need a skill. First, on the canvas, tap the hammer so that small bells arise which are then sharpened with a bar. Then the spit turns out sharp, cuts the grass like a razor blade. But you need to beat carefully so that there are no dents, which then can not be disposed of. So the work is subtle.

The labor of the mower is sweeping, you should not strain hard, otherwise you will quickly get tired, but you need to act energetically. And suddenly - bam! - I found a braid on the stone. After the impact on a solid object, the tool breaks down, sometimes corrections are necessary, and often irreparable damage occurs.

This happens not only during field work. A man will start to do something, but suddenly there is an unexpected hindrance. The consequences of ill-considered routine and routine actions lead to the most disastrous results. Where resistance was not expected, it was suddenly rendered, and quite effectively.

There are many examples. Here's a rude boss who habitually rude to the subordinates, forced to endure his tyranny, suddenly gets the change, and from some newcomer who works without a year's time. He is furious, he wants to commit brutal reprisals against the disobedient, but suddenly it turns out that the top management has his own views on a newly admitted employee and stands up for him. In the team go whispers - "I found a braid on the stone." The meaning of this expression is symbolic, two material objects are ruthless and sharp steel, never experienced by such loads, and the hard, also in its own way, ruthless essence of a stone to which collisions with iron do not harm. This actually expresses the essence of the personal conflict.

Or here is another example, this time from politics and history. Acting brazenly and decisively, Adolf Hitler captured most of Europe, using the same technique - a swift maneuver and the coverage of troops of his opponents with mobile motorized tank units. While attacks on relatively small countries with weak economic potential and limited resources, everything went like clockwork. But the Fuhrer decided to attack the USSR. At first, the usual strategy yielded results, but then found a scythe on the stone, the Union turned out to be stronger than expected, and it turned out that Germany's affairs are not very good, one might even say bad. How it ended is known to all.

So, the meaning of the idiom is in general terms understandable. The fact that the plait often symbolizes aggression and the stone repulse is explained by its portable meaning, in real life, "lithuania" is a useful tool, and a boulder is a harmful obstacle. In this, perhaps, there is a certain contradiction. Therefore, the expression "braid on a stone" is also used in cases where both conflicting parties are wrong. An example - a mother-in-law who is accustomed to command in a house, collides with a son-in-law who does not want to yield anything and demonstrates her independence by contradicting everything in her, even when one could agree. On this subject, there are many anecdotes ... By the way, such a relationship can also be found with the daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law.

In any case, when they say that they have found a scythe on a stone, they mean a conflict caused by the lack of flexibility of the opponents and their reluctance to make mutual concessions. Let us be softer and kinder!