Worm freeze: the meaning and origin of phraseology

The expression "worm zamorit" from childhood is familiar to each of us. This verbal turnover is used in the sense of satisfying the hunger, a snack before the main meal. It turns out that a creature hiding under the mask of an unknown worm is not so gluttonous, but why should it be frozen, not appeased or appeased?

The Spanish caterpillar and the French beast are the brothers of our worm

In many European languages there is a similar concept, but it refers only to drinking, taken on an empty stomach. The Spaniards say matar el gusanillo, the Portuguese - matar o bicho, the French - tuer le ver. In a literal translation, this sounds like "kill the caterpillar" and "destroy the beast." There is clearly a direct connection with our idiom "to freeze the worm". The meaning of phraseology becomes more understandable, since the verb in its composition is synonymous with such concepts as "torturing", "lime", "killing" "to put to death."

The thing is that in medieval Europe alcoholic beverages were used as an anthelmintic. A glass of alcohol was supposed to be drunk on an empty stomach in order to accelerate the death of worms living in the human body. Today, completely different medicines are used to fight parasites. But the custom of "worm zamorit", that is, to miss a glass before breakfast, remained.

A treacherous monster in the heart of a dead lady

In France, among habitues of drinking establishments who prefer to sit at the bar from the very morning, a bike that is issued for the pure truth is popular. It is said that once in a Parisian family a young woman suddenly died. Opening the body of the deceased, the doctors found in her heart a huge, science-unknown worm. All attempts to kill him did not lead to success, the animal was surprisingly tenacious.

Then one of the doctors decided to lure the monster with a piece of bread moistened with wine. After trying the proposed treat, the parasite emitted a spirit at the same moment. It is believed that it is this case that underlies the tradition of "worm freeze" or "kill the beast."

A monster that eats our insides

In Russian, unlike the French or Spanish, the expression "freeze the worm" is a synonym for a light snack without consuming alcoholic beverages. According to some researchers, the idiom could arise under the influence of popular beliefs. At a time when people knew about the anatomical features of the human body very little, it was believed that inside the stomach is a snake, which must be constantly fed.

Rumbling in an empty stomach was associated with the monster's displeasure. If time did not satisfy his need for food, it could eat a person from within - not by accident, with long breaks in food, it began to suck in the pit of the stomach. It is possible that this idea of the arrangement of internal organs became the starting point for the emergence of the expression "to freeze the worm". The meaning of phraseology subsequently acquired a mild ironic tinge, and the formidable aspid "turned" into a small innocuous goat.

Speech borrowing and confusion of concepts

All the proposed versions look rather plausible, if we do not take into account the fact that the turn of the "worm to freeze" appeared in the Russian language only in the XIX century. Until this time in the domestic literature this phrase was not encountered. Therefore, it is not necessary to talk about the ancient Slavic roots of idioms. You can also question the assertion that medieval Europe is the birthplace of phraseology. To remove helminths, according to historical information, there was still not alcohol used, but saturated solutions of table salt.

Where did the phrase "freeze the worm" come from? The origin of phraseology is not known for certain. One can only assume that he appeared due to ancient Roman healers, who treated various intestinal infections with the help of wormwood tincture. This medicine was also used to control parasites (worms). Today, a liquor, similar to what was invented in ancient Rome, is called absinthe.

Moving from the countries of the Mediterranean to France and Germany, the verbal turn to "freeze the worm" somewhat lost its original meaning and began to be identified not with treatment, but with the adoption of alcohol for a light snack. With the same meaning, phraseology penetrated into Russia. But in the Russian language there already existed the expression "to freeze howl", that is, to "eat", "satisfy hunger". Over time, these phrases have merged into one, and the alcoholic overtones have been completely lost.