What to do from an elephant fly phraseological unit. The meaning of making an elephant out of a fly is in the phraseology reference. The meaning of the phraseological unit "to make an elephant out of a fly"

what does phraseologism mean to make an elephant out of a fly ?? and got the best answer

Answer from CHRISTIN. [Guru]
From an insignificant, simple case, from a small problem to inflate everything into a huge, most complex, colossal problem.
Compare: a fly is an elephant!

Answer from BAGIRA[expert]
Make a very essential thing of an insignificant

Answer from Ksenia Katunova[newbie]
means to exaggerate something

Answer from Nastya Gryzlova))[newbie]
"To make an elephant out of a fly" - do not exaggerate, do not worry.
-Do not make an elephant out of a fly, everything is fine! - as you can see, you can understand that this is "do not worry" do not "exaggerate"

Answer from Liudmila Sharukhia[guru]

In Russia, in such situations, the phraseological unit is used: "Make an elephant out of a fly."
This catch phrase came to us from Greece. It was introduced into circulation by the writer Lucian, who lived two millennia ago, in his satirical work Praise the Fly. Yet Lucian was not the real author of the expression. Lucian only used an already existing proverb, the authorship of which is still a mystery. “I interrupt the word, although I could have said a lot so that someone would not think that, according to the proverb, I am making an elephant out of a fly,” writes Lucian at the end of his Praise to the Fly.

Answer from Ksenia Kogut[active]
Make a big problem out of a small one!

Answer from Maria Alexandrovna Sirotkina[newbie]
When someone greatly exaggerates, turning an insignificant fact into a big event, the French will ironically remark: "He makes a mountain out of emptiness." The British, in this case, will utter a more specific version of the saying: "He makes a mountain from a pile of mole."

Answer from Mado[active]
booty
80 goals

Answer from 3 answers[guru]

Hey! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: what does phraseological unit mean to make an elephant out of a fly ??

TO MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS

greatly exaggerate something, attach great importance to something insignificant. The expression is a tracing paper from the French language, it goes back to an ancient saying.

Handbook of phraseology. 2012

Where did the expression “make an elephant out of a fly” come from?

First, let's try to figure out how the phraseological unit “to make an elephant out of a fly” came to the Russian language. Unfortunately, no linguist will be able to accurately name the author of the winged expression. However, experts are sure that the phraseological unit owes its appearance to the Greeks.

In general, the Hellenes gave a lot to the world, including a rich cultural heritage. But back to our phraseological unit. The first mention of the expression “to make an elephant out of a fly” can be found in the work of the ancient Greek satirist Lucian entitled “Praise to the Fly”. However, call

Lucian as the author of the phraseological unit “to make an elephant out of a fly” cannot be, since the satirist in his work makes a clear indication of the folklore origin of the expression. Lucian writes that he, according to the proverb, "makes an elephant out of a fly." This is a confirmation of the fact that in the time of Lucian there was a proverb, which included the expression of interest to us.

The meaning of the phraseological unit "to make an elephant out of a fly"

But what does phraseological unit mean? Everything is pretty simple here. People "make an elephant out of a fly" in those cases when they attach too much importance to any insignificant event. Simply put, they exaggerate.

It is not surprising that, due to its meaning, the expression “making an elephant out of a fly” is most often used to express the irony of someone in relation to the behavior of another person. Also, the expression is often used in a joking form.

Many people wonder why people tend to exaggerate. It's simple. Emotions are the driving forces that push people to "make an elephant out of a fly". For example, fear can be a powerful catalyst.

A striking example of when the expression "making an elephant out of a fly" can perfectly describe the current situation is the case when, by slightly cutting his finger, a person tries to call an ambulance, thereby winding up those around him. In fact, there are many such examples. This can easily explain the high popularity of this phraseological unit.

Admit it, you also sometimes want to cry on someone's waistcoat. And in order to evoke sympathy from those around you, you choose the simple way: you exaggerate your failures and the difficulties that you faced. In fact, you yourself understand that the problems are not so great. But you need attention, so sometimes it’s missing. And in this, in general, there is nothing terrible, if you do not overdo it ...

It's another matter if you dramatize and create phraseological units constantly, with or without reason, spoiling the life of yourself and those around you. How to learn not to mistake a trifle for a tragedy?

Leave speculation!

Often you make an elephant out of a fly simply because you are afraid of imaginary consequences that have not yet come, or may not come, but your imagination has already drawn them.

Think, perhaps, you attach too much importance to the event, creating a phraseological unit, making an elephant out of a fly, or you misjudged it. The chief asks to visit him, and you immediately start wondering why they will reprimand you or even fire you? Or maybe he wants to give you an assignment or to thank you? Be optimistic, don't jump to conclusions and don't come up with a fatal ending.

In the morning I got stuck in a traffic jam, in the afternoon I received a comment from the boss, in the evening I quarreled with my husband and decided that life was not successful? Stop generalizing! It was just not the most successful day, and not the beginning of a black streak and catastrophic bad luck.

Switch your thoughts to something pleasant, except for phraseological units. Watch a comedy, go shopping. And best of all, find yourself an interesting activity to distract yourself - put together a puzzle, solve a crossword puzzle, download your favorite songs on the Web.

The truth is in the eye

But what if you really made a mistake, and while creating a phraseological unit? Scientists have found that we remember our mistakes 10 times longer than victories. Scrolling through the failures in your head, you relive the unpleasant sensations, increasing the scale of events. Leave the past behind! Do not panic and clutch your head shouting: "Everything is lost!" Ask yourself, "What actually happened?" Speak the situation to yourself as if you were telling a stranger about it. By the way, you can do this in front of a mirror, looking into your eyes and following your expression.

You can't cope with anxiety on your own during a phraseological unit - describe the problem to your friend or husband, clearly setting out the events for a phraseological unit to make an elephant out of a fly. Speaking out is one of the ways to calm down, and loved ones will help you to consider the positive aspects.

Do not wind yourself up with phraseological units. Imagine that you are standing on a mountain or balcony of the 15th floor and looking at your "terrible" problem from a height. Is it really that great?

Do not divide events into black and white. Learn to see the good even in the bad. Didn't you get an award? Well, on the other hand, you have a job unlike the others. Sometimes comparisons are very helpful.

And remember, problems must be solved as they become available, and not with the help of phraseological units. And it is better to calculate the possible negative consequences in advance and be prepared for them, then they will not be so scary.

We know how to express ourselves beautifully

When someone over-exaggerates the significance of events, we say: "Makes an elephant out of a fly." Did you know that this famous proverb comes from Ancient Greece and was first mentioned in the II century in the satirical work of Lucian (already at that time this expression was in use)? But the British in such cases say: "He makes a mountain from a pile of mole."

With a drop of pessimism

According to American researchers Manju Puri and David Robinson, optimists are more successful in business than pessimists who make idioms. The success is explained by the ability of the former to make any decisions, including financial ones, in a more balanced and reasonable manner. At the same time, scientists warn that excessive optimism is also dangerous: it prevents a person from critically assessing the situation and often pushes them to take risky actions. Everything needs a middle ground! By the way, the same part of the brain is responsible for the positive and depressive mood ...

Origin phraseological unit "to make an elephant out of a fly" lost somewhere in antiquity, but translation and explanations are not required to understand it.

And here with a mosquito had to figure it out.

Let's look at the meaning and origin, synonyms-antonyms, as well as sentences with phraseological units from the works of writers.

The meaning of phraseological units

To make mountains out of molehills - exaggerate, attach great importance to something insignificant

Phraseologisms-synonyms: make a lot of ado about nothing, fan the censer, exaggerate, make a tragedy (partially)

Phraseologisms-antonyms: not very important (partially), not worth a damn (partially)

In foreign languages, there are expressions similar in meaning. Among them:

make a mountain out of a molehill (English)
faire d "une mouche un éléphant, faire d" un rien une montagne (French)
Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen (German)

The origin of the phraseological unit

Unfortunately, it was not possible to find traces of discussions about the origin of this phraseological unit: all sources available to me agree that the earliest mention of it was found in the work "Praise to the Fly" by the ancient satirist Lucian (about 125-192 AD) ... This little "speech", ridiculing the speeches of the rhetoricians, ends with the phrase of interest to us: "But I interrupt my word - although I could still say a lot - so that someone does not think that I, according to the proverb," make an elephant out of a fly. " ... It follows from it that this expression already existed as a proverb known to the readers of Lucian. But where she came from is no longer known.

And yet, traces of a kind of discussion were found. True, it was conducted not between different versions of the origin of the expression, but between its possible characters. If the elephant settled in it reliably enough, then the fly had to repel the inclinations of various small insects.

The mosquito was especially dangerous. Thus, the late antique rhetorician Libanius (314 - circa 393) used the expression “to compare a mosquito with an elephant” (Κώνοπα έλέφαντι παραβάλλειν), and already in Russia the famous poet Nekrasov also preferred the mosquito:
Publicity thrives there
The seeds of science began there,
There is such clarity in everyone's heads
That a mosquito won't be mistaken for an elephant. (N.A. Nekrasov, "Friendly correspondence between Moscow and St. Petersburg")

The advantage of the mosquito was that the mosquito is smaller than the fly, and the advantage of the fly was that the "fly" is smaller than the "mosquito" and also better pronounced in this expression. In the end, our language still chose a fly.

By the way, there is information that this expression came to the Russian language not from Greek, but from French (Faire d "une mouche un éléphant).

Examples from the works of writers

There they all, according to their usual habit, ran too far ahead and made an elephant out of a fly. (F.M.Dostoevsky, "The Idiot")

You make an elephant out of a fly, father, - look at everything through a magnifying glass. " (N.G. Garin-Mikhailovsky, "Tyoma's Childhood")

Fear has big eyes, prince. You always make an elephant out of a fly. A soldier sneezes, and you are already ready to see the shaking of the foundations in this, - ironically Gobyatko (A.N. Stepanov, "Port Arthur")

It seemed to me that the frightened, hunted "bourgeois" are afraid even of their own shadow and make an elephant out of a fly. (I. V. Odoevtseva, "On the banks of the Neva")

But diplomats would not be diplomats if they did not consider it their duty to complicate simple things, make an elephant out of a fly and delay the solution of any important issue in all sorts of skillful ways. (S. Zweig, "Marie Antoinette")

What a report!
What a report!
Glory to the detachment
And honor!
The counselor sighed:
- Here are the ones!
Out of the fly
They made an elephant! .. (S.V. Mikhalkov, "How they made an elephant out of a fly")

As you can see, to the phraseological unit "to make an elephant out of a fly" is quite words can be applied "A good thing in the household will come in handy", he easily and for a long time took root in the Russian language. In general, the history of its origin is quite typical for part