12 of phraseology, over which all scratching their heads

1. Rhyme or reason

Sea bay here at anything. With rhyme or means "a sudden, thoughtless act." Idiom formed from verbs "thud" and "flounder" and associated with the image person who accidentally dropped into water and forced therein helpless splatter. The situation is so-so, so try to act deliberately, and not rhyme or reason.

2. Procrustean bed

You would not want it to be. Procrustes - the hero of Greek mythology and the robber, fished travelers and subjected them to a kind of torture. He put people on his bed and check whether it suits them at length. If a person is shorter, Procrustes stretched his legs, if longer - chop. It is noteworthy that the very bed of the thief was not enough, for which he later paid.

The expression "Procrustean bed" is used when a phenomenon trying to adjust to the given measurements, deliberately distorting it.

3. milk-and-water girl

Who is this "lady" should be understood as "prim" - it means "wearing a dress made of muslin, fine cotton fabric." This elegant but impractical outfit was popular at the end of the XVIII century, but then went out of fashion and become a symbol of maladjustment, affectation, delicacy and even stupidity.

4. Enough kondrashka

Kondrashka - this is not a friendly neighbor, a euphemism for stroke or stroke. The expression means the same as "died". It is believed that the disease has not called your name, not to accidentally self-fulfilling it on myself superstitious people believe that it works. Sometimes kondrashka replaced by a more honorable Kondrati.

5. on tsugunder

If someone threatens to take you on tsugunder, run. Because it means to "punish" or "put on trial". Idiom come from German and refers roughly to the XVII-XIX centuries, when arrested soldiers were sentenced to a hundred lashes flexible shock or shpitsrutenami. "Zu hundert" - in German means "to one hundred."

6. Tara-bars-rastabary

The expression has nothing to do with Rastamanskaya bars nor Taram, in which packaged products. It means "waffle". Idiom descended from the verbs "to chatter" and "clatter" means "talk, rant," and is most often used in conjunction with the verb "to breed." Dilute the bar container-bars-rastabary.

7. Suma Peremyotnoye

The opportunists and chameleons All Russia called that way. Initially, the phrase meant a bag hanging on the animal. To load was evenly distributed, the bag was divided into two parts and tossed, peremotyvali over the saddle. Subsequently, the word "Peremyotnoye" has acquired a negative connotation: thus spoke about a man without principles, which occupies the most advantageous position.

8. Breeding Turusov Mobile

Cowards here at anything. Turusov on wheels - wooden siege tower, covered with skins. Those used by the ancient Romans. Inside her imprisoned soldiers, so that they moved the design to the wall of the fortress of the enemy. Alexander Pushkin's contemporaries did not believe that such towers could exist, so everything told incredible "breeding Turusov on wheels", meaning "drool".

9. Lazarus sing

Very unworthy occupation. Lazarus called the flattery of a beggar, and the very expression meaning "to complain about his fate, to pretend to be unhappy." It came from the Gospel parable of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. According to her, Lazarus lying at the rich man's gate, while he feasted and led a dissolute lifestyle. After the death of a beggar came to heaven and the rich man - in hell. The rich man was tormented in hell away from heat and wanted to Lazarus gave him water. But God turned him down, saying that the rich man had enough to enjoy life.

10. Cast pearls before swine

Sounds like an interesting game, but no. This idiom also came to us from the Gospel and is used in relation to a person who is unable or unwilling to understand someone's thoughts and feelings. The original text was: "Do not give what is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." In other words, do not waste their resources for the sake of those who will never appreciate.

11. neither belmesa

A very useful expression when you are a teacher or boss. It means "do not know and do not understand" and is translated from Tatar as "he does not know." First in Russia belmesa called ignorant, and then people noticed the sound similarity between the words "demon" and "belmesa" and began to use the latter in the sense of "a damn no" and "do not understand a damn thing."

12. To rest in the Lord

This expression means "to die, die", but now more often used with an ironic tinge "cease to exist". It came from the Church Slavonic language and used in prayers for the dead. The expression "to rest in God" literally means "to sleep in God", that is, to give up his soul to God. But you can use it with respect, for example, to close the project and companies.