Cancer on the mountain whistles what it means. When cancer on the mountain whistles

When the cancer whistles on the mountain ”- they say so, meaning:“ it is not known when ”; "in an indefinite future time", "never". A saying means the impossibility of doing something. The creators of this Russian proverb were sure that the crayfish living on the river bottom would not leave their habitat, would not appear on land, and even more so they would not whistle.

Do crustaceans whistle?

Among crustaceans, there are about forty thousand different species, and not all of them are strictly associated with the aquatic environment. Some are even capable of making sounds.

Fiddler crabs (or fiddler crabs) live in the intertidal zone of tropical seas. They can stay on land for a long time. They have nothing to whistle with (you need lungs to whistle), and crabs, although they crawl out onto land, breathe not with lungs, but with gills. But they have learned to communicate through sound. Hitting the ground with their claws, they knock, thereby notifying their fellows of the approaching danger.

Clicker crabs live in shallow sea water. They can make clicking sounds with their claws. But it's not just a knock. When the crayfish strikes the “moving” finger of its claw against the fixed one, an effect occurs called cavitation: gas bubbles form from a sharp pressure drop in the liquid, which is accompanied by an explosive sound.

Many species of spiny lobsters (these are large sea crayfish without claws) are capable of cracking and grinding. But they extract sounds differently - as if playing on a stringed instrument. On the antennae of lobsters, at the very base, there is a comb used as a bow, with which the cancer leads with great frequency across the outgrowth on the head - “nail files”. The pitch and volume of the sound can change depending on how hard the bow is pressed. For whom all this "music" is intended, it is not known exactly. Most likely, lobsters scare away predators in this way, because most often they make sounds at the moment of fright. It has not been proven, but it is not excluded that this is how they communicate with relatives.

At the time of the appearance of the saying about the whistling cancer, the last word was written with a capital letter. Cancer is the nickname of the famous Odessa marviher (as thieves on tour were once called) Rakachinsky, given to him not so much because of his surname, as about a special sign - strongly bulging eyes. Once, Rak lost a bet, according to which he was obliged to announce with a three-time whistle the bypass bypass road (Skodova Gora) during its intensive use. Since the rains flooded Peresyp extremely rarely, this circumstance gave rise to the well-known phrase. The name "Shkodova Gora" is still preserved in the toponymy of the city. Having fallen out of the expression K.R.N.G.S. the clarification of "Skodova" noticeably weakened the semantic load of the phrase.

The hero of the story by N. Teffi "When the cancer whistled on the mountain. (Christmas horror)" is a little boy Petya Zhabotykin, whose requests adults invariably answer with the words " when cancer on the mountain whistles", asks the question: " For some reason, yes, they say that if he whistles, then everything will be fulfilled, whatever you want. If the crayfish whistle was only a symbol of impossibility, then why don't they say: "when the elephant flies" or "when the cow chirps". Not! Here you can feel the deep folk wisdom. You can't leave this thing like this. Cancer can't whistle because it doesn't even have lungs. Let it be! But can't science really influence the organism of the crustacean and, through selection and various influences, force it to acquire lungs?". And he devotes his whole life to this issue. Growing up, Petya began to engage in occultism in order to clarify for himself the mystical connection between the whistle of cancer and human happiness, he studied the structure of cancer, its life, customs, origin and possibilities. And he bequeathed to his son to ensure that with each crayfish whistle fulfilled one of the most ardent and sincere human desires. Many generations of the Zhabotykins had to devote themselves to work for the happiness of their neighbors, and finally the goal was achieved - a miracle cancer was bred, the whistle of which immediately brings to fulfillment " the most ardent desire of every one in a hundred people (1%)"... How did this story end and why" in the whole world, only one girl in North Guinea benefited from the crayfish whistle: she got a runny nose at the request of her aunt, who was tired of her incessant sneezing", it's not difficult to guess. For, alas, the most cherished human desires clearly remind of the Russian proverb "let my last cow die - if only my neighbor didn't have two" ... In Teffi's story, the reification of the metaphor led to the death of humanity, which never received an answer to the questions "why cancer", " why on the mountain"," why whistle ".

The meaning of phraseologism " when cancer on the mountain whistles(and the fish will sing)" - "it is not known when; in an indefinite future time; never". Such a formula of the impossible, in fact, is an ironically-joking saying, and thus a typical type of folk phraseology. P.G. Bogatyrev gave expressions of this kind the apt name "oxymoron in action." Comparing other expressions with similar phraseology with this phraseology meaning (Russian for Turkish Easter; into Russian bayram; after Morkovkin (mermaid, Kalmyk, Pushkin) charms; after rain (holiday) on Thursday; on Monday after Wednesday; for that summer, not for this; for the year when the devil dies; when the devil is baptized; when the bald ones curl up (when the bald head curls up); when the hen sings like a rooster; when the magpie turns white; when the pigs walk from the field; when the gelding becomes moribund; when the rooster lays the egg ; English when the moon turns to green cheese, when the pigs fly and one day when the moon is blue , French when chickens have teeth and on st glenglans day [The title of Raymond Queneau's novel "A la Saint Glinglin" is translated into Russian as "St. Wait-Don't-Wait"], German when dogs bark their tails , Kazakh when the camel's tail hits the ground , Kyrgyz when the donkey's tail touches the ground , Bulgarian when a pig in yellow slippers climbs a pear [The authors of the book "Untranslatable in Translation" (M., 2005) Sergey Vlakhov and Sider Florin counted more than thirty expressions in the Bulgarian language and with a similar meaning] etc.), it can be seen that the figurative meaning of such constructions is realized as a result of violation of the "logical" compatibility of components. And the question of why the whistle of cancer on the mountain became a symbol of the impossible in one of the cases, and in the other - the transformation of a celestial body into a food product, can only be resolved after a rain on the day of Turkish Easter, when pigs fly to the blue moon.

When cancer (on the mountain) whistles Prost. Express. It is not known when; in the indefinite future, never. - Your son, Khariton, is asking to be primak in my household; naked, I dare, you won’t let go ... you’ll probably give something ... - Dudki, Ogloblin. When cancer on the mountain whistles(I. Akulov. Kasyan Ostudny). The gendarme looked at the disabled man with unkind curiosity ... - Never mind, we'll get to you! When cancer whistles! - the invalid answered defiantly(M. Yudalevich. Fifth year).

Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .

See what "When cancer (on the mountain) whistles" in other dictionaries:

    when cancer on the mountain whistles- adverb, number of synonyms: 10 in the indefinite future (3) as soon as, immediately (4) ... Synonym dictionary

    WHEN CANCER ON THE MOUNTAIN WHISTLES- you will wait a long time; keep your pocket full width of your own stupidity. Initially, the phrase sounded: "When Cancer on Shkodova Gora whistles." Shkodova Gora has nothing to do with the production and operation of Skoda cars, not ... ... Large semi-explained dictionary of the Odessa language

    When cancer [on the mountain] whistles- Shuttle. Never; when is not known. FSRYA, 384; SPP 2001, 65; DP, 293; 3S 1996, 477; Mokienko 1986, 210; Glukhov 1988, 76 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

    waiting for the cancer on the mountain to whistle- adj., number of synonyms: 2 waiting (18) waiting for the cancer on the mountain to whistle (2) ASIS synonym dictionary ... Synonym dictionary

    when the cancer whistles in the field- adverb, number of synonyms: 7 in the indefinite future (3) when cancer whistles on the mountain (10) ... Synonym dictionary

    waiting for the cancer on the mountain to whistle- adj., number of synonyms: 2 waiting (18) waiting for the cancer on the mountain to whistle (2) ASIS Synonym Dictionary ... Synonym dictionary

    cancer- [living being] n., m., use. comp. often Morphology: (no) whom? cancer, who? raku, (see) whom? cancer by whom? cancer, about whom? about cancer; pl. who? crayfish, (no) whom? crayfish, who? crayfish, (see) whom? crayfish, by whom? crayfish, about whom? about cancer 1. Cancer… … Dictionary of Dmitriev

    cancer encyclopedic Dictionary

    Cancer- 1. CANCER, a; m. 1. A shelled freshwater invertebrate with large claws and an abdomen (usually called a neck) ending in a fan-shaped tail. Crayfish. Catch crabs. Came out of the bath red like cancer (by color ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Once upon a time, crayfish lived near a lake. It cannot be said that they were calm and wise, because crayfish are special creatures, characterized by impatience, carelessness. They love to misbehave, often fight and misbehave. A gang of young crayfish rushes with a guitar on the sand of the lake and whistles different songs there.
Of course, not all the inhabitants of this reservoir like the recklessness and cockiness of these creatures. Well, judge for yourself: a flounder, for example, wants to put the kids to bed, and here nearby the crayfish arrange a disco, dance and scream, and how can you fall asleep after that? Or the octopus can't read the book, because the crayfish run around, picking up silt, but how can you see the letters through the muddy water? Have you heard how starfish complained when the crayfish twisted their rays into a tight knot that they could not unravel themselves? Especially everyone was disturbed by the whistle of hooligans, which came from every corner of the lake. And that's why they were called "whistlers".
What did the inhabitants of the lake do to calm down the crayfish.
What did the inhabitants of the lake do to calm down the crayfish. Nothing helped. Apparently, the crayfish did not want to be calm and friendly. I had to endure them.
One day, a turtle crawled up to the crayfish, which were strumming a guitar on the sand and whistling various melodies. She was old and smart. Turtle said:
- I was told here that crayfish are the most courageous and most reliable inhabitants of this lake. It's true? Or is it not about you?
“Of course, it’s us,” the crayfish answered proudly. - And what?
“Can you take these pies up that mountain over there?” the turtle asked, pointing to the farthest hill, right behind the forest. - My girlfriend lives there - an eagle, she has a large nest and many chicks. You need to treat her with pies and say hello for me. Or do you not have the courage, reckless heroes? .
- What?! - angry crayfish, ceasing to play. - Yes, we are the best ... Come on, grandmother turtle, give us these pies! We will quickly take them to your bird! And we will prove that there is no one better than crayfish! .
The turtle grunted and handed them a basket of hot cakes.
- How do I know that you brought the gift? she asked.
To this, the crayfish proudly said:
- And we whistle! Our whistle is so strong that it can easily be heard in this lake.
And throwing the guitar, crayfish hit the road. They boldly walked through the sands and stones. But when they entered the forest, their courage began to gradually disappear. Something frightened them in the shade of the big trees, in the tall grass, by the big stones. Every noise seemed suspicious - the chirping of grasshoppers or the chirping of a sparrow, the squeak of a mouse or the rustling of leaves. In their lake, the crayfish felt like heroes, but here everything was different, no one was afraid of them, on the contrary, they felt that they should be afraid of someone. But who?
- Oh, can we go back? - trembling, offered one of the "heroes". - Why are we going to some mountain ... Why? The lake is warmer and calmer…
His comrades agreed with him. But it's a shame to return to the turtle and admit that they, who are considered hooligans, were frightened of someone themselves. After that, the whole lake will laugh at them, even if you move to live in a swamp.
“No, let’s continue,” another whispered. “Just let’s walk carefully and quietly so that no one notices us.” Maybe we’ll slip through, and no one will touch us, hurt us.
And so, stealthily, they passed the forest, the clearing and began to climb the mountain. Since the road took a very long time, the crayfish soon got hungry.
“Oh-oh, I want to eat,” the third crayfish squeaked. - My stomach is empty.
- And in mine, and in mine! the rest said.
Here the crayfish stopped and began to deliberate how and where to find food for them. But they didn't see anything good. And then they remembered that in the basket were Aunt Turtle's pies.
“Let's eat one thing at a time, kill the worm,” said one. - Nothing terrible will happen if we bring half a basket of pies.
This idea was liked, and the crayfish ate half of what was carried to the eagle. After lunch they moved on. Climbing to the top, they again felt hungry and decided to finish their pies.
“Let's say that the pies have gone bad and therefore we will only say hello to the eagle from the turtle,” they decided and ate the rest. But as soon as they finished eating, they heard a strange sound:
- Be-uh-uh... be-uh-uh...
And then a black muzzle with horns crawled out from behind a stone. It was a mountain sheep. He chewed grass and looked at the guests with bewilderment. He never had to see crayfish. Who are they? - probably thought the ram.
Meanwhile, the crayfish already sat down with fear. They thought it was a monster that would eat them. How could the crayfish know that a ram is a herbivore?
- Oh, guard! yelled the crayfish, hiding under an empty basket. - Who is that? What kind of monster? Guard!
And they, headlong, rushed down, forgetting about the order of the turtle. It seemed to them that the ram was chasing them, wanting to overtake them and trample them with their hooves, gore them with their horns. The crayfish ran so fast that they soon found themselves at home - in their warm lake.
But now they were so quiet that no one thought of them. Seeing a flounder or an octopus, the hooligans backed away and hid in the shells. Because they were ashamed of their cowardice. Soon, the crayfish even forgot how they whistle and play the guitar. Therefore, if you see them, do not be surprised that they are always silent and only move their mustaches.
And the turtle is still sitting by the sand, looking at the mountain and waiting for the whistle. Now you understand what it means when they say: "This will happen when the cancer on the mountain whistles."

If a person is asked to do something that he does not want or cannot do physically, to the question: “When will everything happen?” - he can answer: "When the cancer whistles on the mountain." Today we will analyze the meaning of the expression.

Careful analysis of the image of cancer

When a person uses “cancer”, “mountain” and “whistling” in one sentence, he thus expresses an attitude towards a certain event, which, in his opinion, is unlikely - this is usually said when they want to smooth the corners. In fact, the likelihood that a cancer will climb a mountain, put a claw in its mouth and whistle with all the might of the lungs is not that small, such a possibility is not even theoretically possible. In other words, if you ask anyone: "And when the cancer whistles on the mountain?" - the answer will be: "Never!" And this is closest to the meaning of a saying or phraseological unit. Cancer will not be able to whistle for three reasons:

  1. He doesn't have lungs.
  2. He has no fingers to make the whistle loud, disturbing minds, hearts and ears.
  3. Due to anatomical features, cancer will not climb the mountain.

And if someone asks in all seriousness: “And when the cancer whistles on the mountain?” - they will look at him in bewilderment.

Zoological data say: some can make sounds similar to a whistle, but such an action usually takes place in water, and animals use their claws for this purpose. In a stable expression, cancer is made difficult to the point of impossibility. Yes, and besides, we are not talking about some special type of crayfish, but about the river. It is clear that the latter cannot do any such tricks and, in general, is a simple being, if not primitive, without special signs of a creative or extraordinary nature.

Tonality of expression and example

In a decent society - at a social event - a person will not be able to use the expression "when the cancer whistles on the mountain", it is too rude and colloquial. But the situation changes when two friends talk about football, and one asks the other:

When will Russia beat Brazil 5-0?

Phraseologism "cancer whistles on the mountain" you know? That's when the arthropod whistles with all the might of his lungs, which he does not have, then wait for the victory of our team over Brazil.

There was even such a joke: in order for Russia to become the world champion in football, the Brazilians need to become the world champion in hockey. Since then, the balance of power in world football has changed somewhat, now the Germans and Spaniards are setting the tone, but the joke is still relevant.

Synonym


It would seem that the whistle of cancer and rain are phenomena that have a different degree of probability. The whistle of an animal is impossible in principle, and rain is likely on any day of the week. But the expression about cancer, which we are closely considering, and the phraseological unit “after rain on Thursday” are synonymous.

If we do not know exactly where the expression about cancer came from, then there is certainty with the rain on Thursday. It is known that the Slavs were not always Christians, before believing in God, they worshiped a host of gods. Thursday was the day of Perun. Prayers were sent to the supreme god of the ancient Slavs to bestow rain on the earth. It is not difficult to understand that the god, since he is very busy, did not hear people very often. Paganism became a relic and history, and the saying remained to denote unrealistic hopes. Such is the history of the phraseologism "after the rain on Thursday."

An example of Russian phraseology from Hollywood


It's about the 1996 comedy Lucky Gilmore. The main character had a dream - to become a hockey player, but since he did not really know how to skate, his cherished aspirations were not destined to come true. But he had a breathtaking blow. And then a misfortune happened - the grandmother's house is being sold for debts. Happy, who worked and didn't work, needed a steady income, and he discovered golf.

Next is the well-known confrontation between good and evil. Happy has a sworn enemy. And before the final battle, Happy tells the villain that he will win this battle against him, and the enemy answers him: "Yeah, after the rain on Thursday." Of course, good triumphed over evil. Happy joined the ranks of Cinderella. Everything was wonderful. Such films have no intrigue, the most important thing is the process of climbing to the top. It is he who attracts the viewer and also humor

So, we examined the phraseological unit "when the cancer whistles on the mountain." No one else has any doubts or questions about its significance. In addition, if someone does not like this expression, then you can use its synonym, which was discussed a little higher. Nowadays, the main thing is that a person has a choice. Perhaps the reader will offer something third, but that's his business.

Once upon a time, crayfish lived near a lake. It cannot be said that they were calm and wise, because crayfish are special creatures, characterized by impatience, carelessness. They love to misbehave, often fight and misbehave. A gang of young crayfish rushes with a guitar on the sand of the lake and whistles different songs there.
Of course, not all the inhabitants of this reservoir like the recklessness and cockiness of these creatures. Well, judge for yourself: a flounder, for example, wants to put the kids to bed, and here nearby the crayfish arrange a disco, dance and scream, and how can you fall asleep after that? Or the octopus can't read the book, because the crayfish run around, picking up silt, but how can you see the letters through the muddy water? Have you heard how starfish complained when the crayfish twisted their rays into a tight knot that they could not unravel themselves? Especially everyone was disturbed by the whistle of hooligans, which came from every corner of the lake. And that's why they were called "whistlers".
What did the inhabitants of the lake do to calm down the crayfish.
What did the inhabitants of the lake do to calm down the crayfish. Nothing helped. Apparently, the crayfish did not want to be calm and friendly. I had to endure them.
One day, a turtle crawled up to the crayfish, which were strumming a guitar on the sand and whistling various melodies. She was old and smart. Turtle said:
- I was told here that crayfish are the most courageous and most reliable inhabitants of this lake. It's true? Or is it not about you?
“Of course, it’s us,” the crayfish answered proudly. - And what?
“Can you take these pies up that mountain over there?” the turtle asked, pointing to the farthest hill, right behind the forest. - My girlfriend lives there - an eagle, she has a large nest and many chicks. You need to treat her with pies and say hello for me. Or do you not have the courage, reckless heroes? .
- What?! - angry crayfish, ceasing to play. - Yes, we are the best ... Come on, grandmother turtle, give us these pies! We will quickly take them to your bird! And we will prove that there is no one better than crayfish! .
The turtle grunted and handed them a basket of hot cakes.
- How do I know that you brought the gift? she asked.
To this, the crayfish proudly said:
- And we whistle! Our whistle is so strong that it can easily be heard in this lake.
And throwing the guitar, crayfish hit the road. They boldly walked through the sands and stones. But when they entered the forest, their courage began to gradually disappear. Something frightened them in the shade of the big trees, in the tall grass, by the big stones. Every noise seemed suspicious - the chirping of grasshoppers or the chirping of a sparrow, the squeak of a mouse or the rustling of leaves. In their lake, the crayfish felt like heroes, but here everything was different, no one was afraid of them, on the contrary, they felt that they should be afraid of someone. But who?
- Oh, can we go back? - trembling, offered one of the "heroes". - Why are we going to some mountain ... Why? The lake is warmer and calmer…
His comrades agreed with him. But it's a shame to return to the turtle and admit that they, who are considered hooligans, were frightened of someone themselves. After that, the whole lake will laugh at them, even if you move to live in a swamp.
“No, let’s continue,” another whispered. “Just let’s walk carefully and quietly so that no one notices us.” Maybe we’ll slip through, and no one will touch us, hurt us.
And so, stealthily, they passed the forest, the clearing and began to climb the mountain. Since the road took a very long time, the crayfish soon got hungry.
“Oh-oh, I want to eat,” the third crayfish squeaked. - My stomach is empty.
- And in mine, and in mine! the rest said.
Here the crayfish stopped and began to deliberate how and where to find food for them. But they didn't see anything good. And then they remembered that in the basket were Aunt Turtle's pies.
“Let's eat one thing at a time, kill the worm,” said one. - Nothing terrible will happen if we bring half a basket of pies.
This idea was liked, and the crayfish ate half of what was carried to the eagle. After lunch they moved on. Climbing to the top, they again felt hungry and decided to finish their pies.
“Let's say that the pies have gone bad and therefore we will only say hello to the eagle from the turtle,” they decided and ate the rest. But as soon as they finished eating, they heard a strange sound:
- Be-uh-uh... be-uh-uh...
And then a black muzzle with horns crawled out from behind a stone. It was a mountain sheep. He chewed grass and looked at the guests with bewilderment. He never had to see crayfish. Who are they? - probably thought the ram.
Meanwhile, the crayfish already sat down with fear. They thought it was a monster that would eat them. How could the crayfish know that a ram is a herbivore?
- Oh, guard! yelled the crayfish, hiding under an empty basket. - Who is that? What kind of monster? Guard!
And they, headlong, rushed down, forgetting about the order of the turtle. It seemed to them that the ram was chasing them, wanting to overtake them and trample them with their hooves, gore them with their horns. The crayfish ran so fast that they soon found themselves at home - in their warm lake.
But now they were so quiet that no one thought of them. Seeing a flounder or an octopus, the hooligans backed away and hid in the shells. Because they were ashamed of their cowardice. Soon, the crayfish even forgot how they whistle and play the guitar. Therefore, if you see them, do not be surprised that they are always silent and only move their mustaches.
And the turtle is still sitting by the sand, looking at the mountain and waiting for the whistle. Now you understand what it means when they say: "This will happen when the cancer on the mountain whistles."

Speaking of something impossible, people sometimes use the expression "when the cancer whistles on the mountain." Everyone knows that crayfish do not whistle and do not make sounds at all, with rare exceptions. In addition, the usual habitat of crayfish is water, and under no circumstances will a crayfish be able to end up on a mountain. Thus, the impossibility of a certain event is emphasized twice.

Where did the expression come from

The most common version refers to the city of Odessa in all its glory of criminal folklore. Cancer meant a real person - a thief-tourist (marviher) Rakochinsky. The nickname Cancer was attached to him because of the appropriate appearance, which, in combination with the surname, fully justified itself.

According to one version, Rakochinsky, having lost some bet, had to periodically whistle one of the districts of Odessa - Shkodova Gora, along which a bypass road passed. The road was used during the rains, the rest of the time it was empty. In all likelihood, Cancer was supposed to whistle in those days when there were intense rains over Odessa, which happened quite rarely, so it was not necessary to wait for the promised whistle from Rakochinsky.

Of course, Odessa is a wonderful and original city that gave the world a lot of satirists, jokes about Odessans have become a pearl of folklore, but in this case the fact that an isolated case formed the basis of a stable expression is doubtful. Most likely, the prevailing circumstances were imposed on the old proverb, which once again demonstrates the originality of Odessa humor.

Is it only cancer that should whistle?

The above version is also refuted by the fact that there is a continuation of the saying - "when the cancer on the mountain whistles, when the fish sings."

Obviously, the saying was based on naturalistic observations. And the organization of observations in such a paradoxical form, the so-called oxymoron, is typical of oral folk art among different peoples.

Analogues of the phraseological unit "when the cancer whistles on the mountain" in Russian and foreign oral folk art

In the meaning of "never" one can consider the stable expression of the Russian language - "after the rain on Thursday", "before the carrot spell", "when the rooster lays an egg."

Other languages ​​also have oxymorons with similar meanings. In English "when pigs fly" (when the pigs fly), in German "Wenn Hunde mit dem Schwanz bellen" (when the dogs bark their tails), in Hungarian "amikor a régi kalapot jön a pap gyónás" (when my old hat comes to the priest for confession). And almost every nation has such expressions.

The facial expression of a person can tell more than words. Z. Freud said that one who has eyes and ears can be convinced that no mortal is capable of keeping secrets, even if not a sound comes out of a person’s lips, as the psychologist claimed, he “talks” silently, betrayal oozes from every pore of his body.

If a person tries to hide his own emotions, then the truthfulness of intentions and thoughts can be caught in the first second by the expression on his face, which will be truthful.

What do the eyes say

It is the eyes that act as the most powerful communication tool. Sympathy is manifested in more frequent glances at a certain person compared to the rest, in addition, while the gaze lingers on the object of adoration for more than 2-3 seconds, and the pupils increase.

If a person avoids contact when looking, this may indicate his shyness, this behavior indicates an attempt to hide something. The enthusiasm for something or someone can be judged by the “shooting” eyes, while the person looks to the left, then slides over the face and looks to the right. Admiration can be expressed in imitation of facial expressions. Danger can be recognized by non-blinking, staring eyes, this can also indicate an attempt to scare or subdue oneself.

What does a smile say

A smile is not always sincere. When a person smiles, you should pay attention to his eyes, if they remain indifferent, then the smile is not real, and if wrinkles form around them, then this is a good sign. Sometimes a smile indicates a person's nervous state; for many, this facial expression is unconscious in critical and exciting situations. In this case, a person is not able to control the muscles of his face, which leads to an involuntary reaction.

Yawning, swallowing and more

Yawning is not always a sign of tiredness and boredom, but it can also have a deeper meaning. Sometimes yawning is a mechanism for avoiding reality, an unwillingness to solve complex, important and painful problems. Repeated swallowing movements, accompanied by a forced smile, may indicate envy.

Biting the lips, most often, indicates irritation or protest. This is a safe way to express hostility. If such a manifestation is accompanied by a shaking of the head, then this is how a person reveals an extreme degree of irritation. Licking lips indicates nervousness and a desire to hide lies. If a person is nervous, their mouth may become dry, and licking the lips causes salivation. Such a manifestation may have other reasons, among which, for example, the desire to seduce a partner. But reddened cheeks signal an experience. You can find out that a person is angry by the chin pushed forward.

Related videos

Sources:

  • about facial expressions
  • How to learn to read people's minds in the face

The hero of the story by N. Teffi "When the cancer whistled on the mountain. (Christmas horror)" is a little boy Petya Zhabotykin, whose requests adults invariably answer with the words " when cancer on the mountain whistles", asks the question: " For some reason, yes, they say that if he whistles, then everything will be fulfilled, whatever you want. If the crayfish whistle was only a symbol of impossibility, then why don't they say: "when the elephant flies" or "when the cow chirps". Not! Here you can feel the deep folk wisdom. You can't leave this thing like this.

More about crabs:

Cancer can't whistle because it doesn't even have lungs. Let it be! But can't science really influence the organism of the crustacean and, through selection and various influences, force it to acquire lungs?". And he devotes his whole life to this issue. Growing up, Petya began to engage in occultism in order to clarify for himself the mystical connection between the whistle of cancer and human happiness, he studied the structure of cancer, its life, customs, origin and possibilities. And he bequeathed to his son to ensure that with each crayfish whistle fulfilled one of the most ardent and sincere human desires. Many generations of the Zhabotykins had to devote themselves to work for the happiness of their neighbors, and finally the goal was achieved - a miracle cancer was bred, the whistle of which immediately brings to fulfillment " the most ardent desire of every one in a hundred people (1%)"... How did this story end and why" in the whole world, only one girl in North Guinea benefited from the crayfish whistle: she got a runny nose at the request of her aunt, who was tired of her incessant sneezing", it's not difficult to guess. For, alas, the most cherished human desires clearly remind of the Russian proverb "let my last cow die - if only my neighbor didn't have two" ... In Teffi's story, the reification of the metaphor led to the death of humanity, which never received an answer to questions, why cancer", "why on the mountain ", "why whistle".

The meaning of phraseologism " when the cancer whistles on the mountain (and the fish sings)" - "unknown when; in an indefinite future time; never".

Such a formula of the impossible, in fact, is an ironically-joking saying, and thus a typical type of folk phraseology. P. G. Bogatyrev gave expressions of this kind the apt name "oxymoron in action."

Comparing with this phraseological unit other expressions that have a similar meaning (Russians for Turkish Easter; for Russian Bayram; after Morkovkin (mermaid, Kalmyk, Pushkin) spells; after a rain (holiday) on Thursday; on Monday after Wednesday; for that summer, not for this; for the year when the devil dies; when the devil is baptized; when the bald ones curl up (when the bald head curls up); when the chicken sings like a rooster; when the magpie turns white; when the pigs walk from the field; when the gelding becomes moribund; when the rooster lays an egg ; English when the moon turns to green cheese, when the pigs fly and one day when the moon is blue, French when the chickens have teeth and on Saint Glanglen's Day don't wait "], German when dogs bark their tails, Kazakh when a camel's tail reaches the ground, Kyrgyz when a donkey's tail touches the ground, Bulgarian when a pig in yellow slippers climbs a pear [ The authors of the book "The Untranslatable in Translation" (M. , 2005) Sergei Vlakhov and Sider Florin counted more than thirty expressions in the Bulgarian language with a similar meaning] etc.), you can see that the figurative meaning of such constructions is realized as a result of a violation of the "logical" compatibility of components.

And the question of why the whistle of cancer on the mountain became a symbol of the impossible in one of the cases, and in the other - the transformation of a celestial body into a food product, can only be resolved after a rain on the day of Turkish Easter, when pigs fly to the blue moon.

When the cancer whistles on the mountain?

This Russian proverb means the complete impossibility of any event. Its creators were sure that crayfish - the inhabitants of the river bottom - would never leave their habitat, would not appear on land, and even more so would not whistle. And modern science cannot add anything to this: crayfish are really not capable of this.

But if you look at other crayfish, you can find out something amazing about their vocal abilities. Among the huge number of crustaceans, of which there are about forty thousand species, not all are strictly related to the aquatic environment, and some even know how to make sounds. The most famous of these are fiddler crabs, or fiddler crabs, which live in the intertidal zone of tropical seas and can stay on land for long periods. Of course, they have nothing to whistle with, because for this they need lungs, and although crabs crawl out onto land, they breathe in the same way as their aquatic counterparts - with gills. However, they did learn to communicate by sound - by knocking, hitting the ground with their claws to alert the colony of danger. Clicker crabs that live in shallow sea water can make clicking sounds with their claws. But it's not just a knock. As it turned out, when a crayfish hits a “moving” finger of its claw against a fixed one, an effect called cavitation occurs: gas bubbles form from a sharp pressure drop in a liquid, which is accompanied by an explosive sound. Crack and rattle are also capable of producing many types of spiny lobsters - large sea crayfish without claws. They extract sounds differently - as if they are playing on a stringed instrument. On the antennae of lobsters, at their very base, there is a comb used as a bow, with which the cancer leads with great frequency across the outgrowth on the head - “nail files”. Moreover, the pitch and volume of the sound can vary depending on the force of pressing the bow. For whom all this "music" is intended, it is not known exactly. Most likely, lobsters scare away predators in this way, because most often they make sounds at the moment of fright. It has not been proven, but it is not excluded that this is how they communicate with relatives. However, the organs of perception of sound vibrations in crayfish are very imperfect: these are bristles scattered throughout the body. It is hard to imagine that with their help it would be possible to capture subtle differences in the pitch and amplitude of a sound, but it is probably possible to determine its source. In the USA, a method of catching commercial crayfish has even been invented, based on luring them by broadcasting the sounds that their relatives make during a meal.



V. G. Smelova,
biology teacher, secondary school № 354, Moscow

I sat a Greek in a lesson, he sees a Greek - there is cancer in the book ...

Poems, riddles, proverbs, sayings in the lesson about crayfish


The study of the topic “Features of the external structure of crayfish in connection with lifestyle” is usually not difficult for students. The animal is well known to them. Children, as a rule, have already met him in wildlife and sometimes they themselves actively supplement the teacher's story from the spot.

In explaining this topic, I have been actively using folklore material for many years. Usually, students are given a homework assignment in advance to pick up proverbs, sayings, riddles, fables, poems that mention cancer. In the lesson, the main task of the teacher is to build the collected literary material in a certain logical sequence and draw conclusions and generalizations at the end. Readers are offered one of the options for using such material.

folklore material

Student explanations and teacher explanations

Habitat
Greek rode across the river,
He sees a Greek - there is cancer in the river.
He put the hand of the Greek into the river,
Cancer for the hand of the Greek tsap.
Crayfish live in fresh water.
Crayfish live in clean fresh water.
Crayfish are slow and easy to catch.
Cancer has a defense organ - claws.
claws
Not a blacksmith, but with tongs. The claws are the first pair of thoracic limbs.
The rich man is strong with a purse, and cancer with a claw. The pincers are very powerful and strong.
Where a horse with a hoof, there is a cancer with a claw. Claws perform the functions of obtaining food and protection from attack.
Mustache
A shoemaker is not a shoemaker, a tailor is not a tailor, he holds bristles in his mouth, scissors in his hands.
On scissors - a tailor, on bristles - a chebotary.
Here the voivode is crawling towards us, carrying stubble in his teeth.
With a nocturnal lifestyle of cancer, smell and touch are of great importance. A pair of long and a pair of short crayfish tendrils perform this function.
Limbs. Movement
A ship with twelve paws is running.
Raku Raku said:
"Where are you, cancer? What a fool!
You can't walk a single step..."
Cancer to cancer said: “How, son, are you not ashamed
All at random and at random to walk?
“Everything is moving backwards! Where, fool! -
An old cancer scolded his son like that.
The swan breaks into the clouds
Cancer is back...
Legs are many, mustaches are long,
And the ponytail kick-bang.
Back and forth legs, sharp snout,
eyes are quick, tail - wil-wil-wil.
There is an error in the puzzle. Cancer really has many legs, but not 12, but 10.
In search of food, the crayfish slowly moves along the bottom, while it really looks a little awkward.
The fact that crayfish move backwards is a big misconception. In the river, cancer always walks head first (antennae and eyes are located on the head, not behind). If something bothers the crawling crayfish, it quickly backs away, pushing with its claws; then, with a sharp movement, he bends the posterior end of the body under him - a jointed abdomen, which ends in a fan-shaped fin, and thanks to this, with quick jerks, swims head back.
Coloring. Color change
When I'm black, I'm sassy and playful
And if I blush, I will calm down.
He goes to the bath - black, and comes out red.
Who blushes with grief?
Death paints one cancer.
Red like boiled crayfish.
Hard integuments of cancer of greenish-brown color. The dark, dirty-brown protective coloration makes it invisible against the background of the muddy bottom, especially at dusk, which helps the crayfish to avoid encountering predators.
When cooking, coloring substances (pigments) are destroyed with the exception of one red pigment.
For scholars: the red, or rather, pink pigment contained in the shells of crustaceans, is called astaxanthin, by its nature it is close to carotenoids. In living organisms, the color of astaxanthin does not appear, since its molecules are surrounded by a protein that gives the shell a blackish tint. When the crayfish is boiled, the protein denatures, the astaxanthin molecule is released, and the crayfish turns red.
Wintering
I'll show you where the crayfish hibernate. A man is going to be drowned and put into a hole under water. This is how crayfish hibernate.
all sorts of things
Wait for St. George's Day, when cancer whistles.
When cancer whistles on the mountain.
When the crayfish whistles and the fish sings.
So - never. Crayfish do not make sounds that are audible to the human ear.
On lack of fish and cancer fish.
Cancer is not a fish, a bat is not a bird, and a beetle is not an animal.
Crayfish are edible, so they are often the object of fishing.

findings. Crayfish lives in fresh clean water, is nocturnal. Finds food with the help of antennae. It moves along the bottom with the help of 5 pairs of walking legs, the first pair has powerful claws that perform the functions of defense and attack. It has a protective color, which is destroyed during cooking. Crayfish do not make sounds, are edible. They hibernate in shelters at the bottom of reservoirs.

LITERATURE
1. Akimushkin I.N. Animal world. Invertebrates. fossil animals. – M.: Thought, 1995.
2. Two Chizh. Russian fables. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1996.
3. Atkins P. Molecules / Per. from English. – M.: Mir, 1991.
4. Yakhontov A.A. Zoology for the teacher. T.1. - M .: Education, 1968.