It is believed that familiarity with the classicliterature becomes a kind of atavism, all passionate about Hollywood blockbusters and funny videos from the Internet. This is not entirely true, many people are happy to rediscover the school curriculum for literature, and those who did not have time are perplexed and ask themselves how some strange phrases appear in colloquial speech. For example, why do many bloggers, among other things, say that they can repair a primus, or are they going to do it, or even repair it right now? What is a primus in general and why does it constantly need to be repaired?
“I'm not bothering anyone, I'm fixing the primus”
Unique color and even some underlinedjuiciness of this phrase is beyond doubt. It is pronounced with a special intonation and in most cases it does not need explanations and translation. This statement belongs to a cat named Behemoth, the character of the novel “The Master and Margarita”. This novel by Mikhail Bulgakov is considered to be cult, in his time he was considered forbidden and doubtful, it was quite difficult to get it in the times of the Soviet Union, and he was not included in the school curriculum for literature. Only in the eighties of the last century, the censor's prohibitions somewhat weakened, and everyone immediately knew that it was possible to fix the Primus in a figurative sense.
The novel was filmed, it was staged,On the radio, there was an excellent program called “Theater at the Microphone”, where a book with an expression was read by Vyacheslav Innocent - an actor with a rich intonational arsenal. “The Master and Margarita” first appeared in the lists of extracurricular reading for high school students, then entered the compulsory school curriculum. If earlier “he read“ The Master and Margarita ”was a sign of almost a dissident, by the end of the nineties it became almost the sacred duty of any educated person. According to the novel, dissertations and term papers were written, research was conducted, discussions were conducted, and at some point it turned from an intelligent, interesting book almost into a “holy cow”. The final chord was the film adaptation of the director Vladimir Bortko, which led to the resumption of record sales of the book and caused a shaft of conflicting reviews. But the phrase “I'm fixing a Primus”, which means “I sit, I am busy with my own business, I have no part in anything”, still beats the popularity peaks.
Charming cat Hippo
The character who gave everyone pleasure timefrom time to retrain in the master of repairing primus, in fact, has a special charm. This is recognized even by another character, Azazello. He says so to Margarita that it is tiring to negotiate with her, and it would be better to send a charming Behemoth instead.
"Primus mending" - a quote from the final part of the novel. What does the cat say? The whole phrase looks like this:
I am not offended, I am not touching anyone, I am fixing the primus. And I consider it a duty to warn that the cat is an ancient and inviolable animal.
In this scene, Hippo frankly mockssecurity officers who came to arrest him and the whole company of Woland. And it is difficult to blame him for something: firstly, he is a cat, and which claims to a cat may be, and secondly, he is a jester. It may not be worth taking the jester's statements to heart, but in every joke there is an element of truth.
Using the phrase figuratively
If you take the phrase literally, then primus repairnot so simple - it is a potentially dangerous household appliance, a kerosene or gasoline burner for cooking. But this pearl is used precisely as a well-established phraseological unit. The saying "my hut is on the edge, I know nothing" is sometimes mentioned as an analogue. The meaning is very similar, although if someone sits and repairs the primus, he is not just out of the way, he is also very busy with his own business, very important and responsible.
Blogger Spread
Social networks and the blogosphere are informational.a space where any catch phrase can undergo all kinds of metamorphosis. Perhaps that is why the expression “Primus repair” appeared, although this is a distorted quotation, and at first glance a direct connection with the novel is not traced. The word “mend” is so capacious and corresponding to the spirit of the times, which is described in the novel, that it should not be distorted and replaced with other forms. Rephrasing a quote also causes confusion.
Quotes are often used as tags, forexpressiveness of speech, in some cases help to give the text the necessary degree of sarcasm. Other "strings of well-packed syllogisms" from the novel are used as widely and with undisguised pleasure.
The attractiveness of the idea of fixing a primus
Perhaps every person in life happenedmoments when I wanted to get out of a difficult situation, say “I sit, I am fixing the primus” so that they do not interfere in my problems. Psychologists say that this is a valuable skill. If a person can clearly outline his or her boundaries and not allow others to take away their time, moral and physical strength, then this is not selfishness, but healthy hygiene of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, if you have an almost overwhelming desire to declare that you are just repairing the primus and are therefore not ready to switch to another activity, there is a great chance that it is worth doing so.
Other Hippo Pearls
As befits any decent jester, a catHippopotamus has a bright figurative speech, witty judgments and pleasant spontaneity. So the “primus mending” is not a single quotation. The exclamation “Queen, the ear will swell up!”, The gastronomic wish “you should put the grapes on top” or “Maestro! Trim the march! ”
The problem of the novel "The Master and Margarita" isthat it is disassembled on quotes for a long time. Aphorisms went to the people, and many use them without even thinking about the source or the true meaning. Fortunately, the manuscripts do not burn. You can always open a book and find out, for example, why the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the rider Pontius Pilate, was so depressed.
