Who is a bakery? Translation of this expression

The expression "ekarny Babai" in this or that variant was heard by all or almost all people. About that, who such this babai and whence this expression has gone, many thought reflected. The main part of people will remember only Babaika, who was frightened by them in childhood, when they did not want to sleep, and few more will give more accurate information. So, who is such a barn? Attempts to find out the origin of this unusual expression have been made for a very long time.

The Egyptian Babay. Value in modern speech

In the "Big Dictionary of Russian Conversational Speech" it is said that this expression denotes any emotion: irritation, joy, annoyance and others. It is used as an interjection and refers to a jokingly colloquially-lowered style. This euphemism, which is most often used by representatives of working specialties, if there is a situation in which one wants to use obscene language, the soul asks, so to speak, but for any reason it can not be done. For example, if you accidentally hit yourself with a hammer on your finger, and there are children nearby. That is, only the first sound of a branny phrase is pronounced, the others are replaced by an unclear phrase. In addition, euphemisms are often used in printed and spoken texts, again, in order to replace abusive words. With the help of euphemisms, it is possible to reduce the negative load of the text, although almost always the context and / or the very sound of the euphemism make it clear what kind of obscene expression it replaces.

Why exactly babai?

There is a version that this expression is a modified "anchor witch". So in the old days they called workers, whose duties included setting and regulating the buoys on the Volga. When the water level at the anchor standing on the buoy changed, it was necessary to adjust the length of the cable. Most often, sailors who retired took this position. And here babay? In translation from Tatar this word means "grandfather".

Why else could a woman be icky?

There are several versions.

1. This expression appeared in ancient times (as, indeed, all the proverbs), so its exact origin is unknown.
2. The Tatar "Yo Khan Babai!" Is an expression from which the Russian "ekarnyi Babai" happened. Translation of this expression into Russian (approximate) - "End to you, grandfather!" In different regions this expression can be pronounced differently.
3. From Turkic this expression can be translated roughly as "an old grandfather who loves men's backs", that is, an elderly homosexual.

If you believe the latest version, the equally frequently used expressions "breadmaker and his girlfriend" and "girlfriend of the Eurasian baba", used in demotivators, lose all meaning and are used only to flowering and unusual to express themselves.

Unexplained versions of the origin of this expression

There are two more versions of the origin of the expression, which also have the right to exist:

1. In the Buryat shamans, the word "yohar" denotes a ritual dance. As already mentioned, the word "babai" in Tatar and Mongolian means "grandfather". That is, perhaps, this substitute for obscene expression means harmless word "shaman".
2. Perhaps the origin of this expression has an even deeper reason. Og is the name of one of the heroes of the Bible, Noah, who was saved during the Flood. Mention of Ogah is in the folklore of almost every country and, accordingly, in many geographical names. He is also the Yokarny Babai considered in our article. Examples of such references are the Oka River in Siberia, the Easter Island myth character Yokarny Babai, the father of fish in New Zealand Ika-ter, the Prussian deity Oko Pirms, the Greek king Ogig, etc. Let's take a closer look at the Greek character. In the folklore of this country there are several stories about the flood. In one of the most popular of them, a man saved from the flood is the Boeotian king Ogig.
3. Interestingly, Noah, or rather Yokarny Babai, is even associated with myths about Atlantis. Atlantis was named, with the rights of her daughter Atlanta, the goddess Calypso, who held in love the Homeric Odyssey. How is she related to Noah? She lived on an island called Ogigia! "Address of residence" is nowhere more precise!

Does it make sense to search for the exact etymology?

Perhaps there is no point in trying to find the exact etymology of this expression. It unambiguously entered into speech a very long time, and there is no exact evidence of its origin. In conclusion, let us name yet another version of the origin of this expression, which also has the right to exist. It is known that Babay as a character is often found in Russian folklore. Perhaps, and the main character of our article was once a character of fairy tales, but just lost in the course of time?

Babai as a character of fairy tales and just an obsolete word

Babay is a night spirit in Slavic folklore. He is often mentioned by his parents in order to frighten disobedient children. Usually it is done so that children do not get out of bed after they are laid to sleep, otherwise the Baba will take them, because they hide under the bed. His appearance is usually not described at all. Children are given the opportunity to imagine it in the most terrible form possible. Sometimes he is described as a black old man with physical defects. Sometimes the version of "babayka" can be used, which in translation means "old woman". In V. Lutsenko's study, it is pointed out that in the literal sense (ie, for the designation of the old man) this word is limited to the field of use. In the article by Nikolina and Gritsenko, the word "babai" in children's horror stories is generally seen as a sign of ethnic hatred.