What is "shpak"? Interesting Facts

Older people may recall a film shot by a Soviet director, where future son-in-law and father-in-law, who had the names of Skvortsov and Shpak, respectively, figured out the relationship. Everyone thought his surname was better. But not so simple with this word! Indeed, the word "shpak" of values has at least three. Let's look at each of them.

"Grains" for the addict

In Asian countries, drug abuse has been rampant for a long time. In the nineteenth century caravans with opium were pulled from there to Europe. Then many doctors used morphine preparations as an analgesic, and opium, which has a high content, became a common medicine.

But the high cost of this substance makes it today inaccessible to many. Instead, drug addicts learned to make more accessible potions from handy materials in handicrafts.

What is a pack for a drug addict? These are small grains of dark green color with an unpleasant odor. They are called "shpak" or "nasvai", but are obtained by mixing tobacco (makhorka), manure (goat, chicken, cow) and lime.

A similar mixture is passed through a meat grinder, and the prepared sticks are dried. The drug is laid behind the cheek, trying not to touch the lips. A strong concentration of the substance can cause a burning of the delicate skin, because of which blisters appear.

The cheapness of this potion allows you to use it for teenagers and smokers with long experience. Putting such a grain in the mouth, a person feels dizzy, short-term clouding of the mind, easy euphoria.

From people who take us for a long time, comes an unpleasant smell. Experts believe that his appearance is associated with the carrying of bags of drugs. Smokers with experience use shpak to reduce the number of smoked cigarettes.

A simple bird

Ornithologists know countless names of birds. Each such name, other than the international Latin, depending on the country, also has a local name.

Thus, an ordinary starling living on the vast territory of Asia and Europe, in Ukraine is called a shpak. This interesting bird of dark color settles in colonies of five or six pairs and is a notorious pest, spitting fruit of fruit trees. Even the scarecrows in the gardens rarely help save the crop from a bird flock that can reach 100 individuals. Now, if someone asks you what a shpak is, you can easily answer this question.

Former military does not happen

Another meaning of this word refers to the military. What is shpak from the military, you ask? In the late XIX - early XX century military service was mandatory. Many men lived more than a quarter of a century in the barracks.

Eventually there was a time when they were fired into the reserve. It was the reservists, as well as the small civilian officials, who called the military "shpakami." What is the word in the officer's vocabulary? It's all about the costumes that the clerks wore and that made them look like brisk birds in dark clothes. Hence civilian officials and received their nickname among officers.