"The cap is on fire on the thief": the meaning of the phraseological unit, its origin

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

There are many interesting set expressions in Russian. Some of them are outdated and not popular. But there are some that are still relevant today. Among them, one can single out the phrase "the cap is on fire on a thief." The meaning of phraseology, its origin and application you will find in this article.

Interpretation of expression

This is how a person works, that by his behavior he often betrays himself, his sins, feeling guilty. When this happens, he explains the expression "the hat on the thief is on fire." Thus, it is implied that the person is giving himself away.

Why is this happening? Of course, in reality, a headdress on a thief or someone guilty of something will not blaze with fire. This is so unbelievable. But the behavior of the person himself will show everything for him. Such is the psychology of people. If they are to blame for something, they behave extremely unnaturally, nervously, as if the truth is about to be revealed. That's what "the cap is on fire on the thief" means.

Expression synonyms

There are several stable turns, similar in meaning to the phrase "the cap is on fire on the thief." The meaning of the phraseological unit "God marks the rogue" is the same. However, it is rarely used in colloquial speech. Rogue is a criminal. That is, a synonymous expression means that the fraudster is marked with some sign.

Let's consider another turnover, similar in meaning to the phrase "the cap is on fire on the thief." The meaning of the phraseological unit “the cat knows whose meat it ate” is also similar to the expression we are considering.

It implies that the guilty person knows his guilt, expects retribution, and thus gives himself away.

The origin of the expression "the cap is on fire on the thief"

The meaning of the phraseologism, as we have already noted, is not at all connected with the headdress burning on the head of the criminal. However, how did this expression come about?

There is a legend that says the following. Several centuries ago, in one of the large cities in Russia, thefts in the market became more frequent. Both sellers and buyers suffered from thieves.

However, the thieves could not be caught and caught. Exhausted by this state of affairs, the merchants decided to turn to the old sage. He listened carefully to them and promised them to come to the market on the day when many people would gather to recognize the thieves. Time passed, but the sage was not there, and the thefts continued as before. Everyone hoped for the old man and waited for him. And then he came.

It happened on one of the big holidays, when all the townspeople gathered in the square. The sage shouted loudly: “People, look. The thief's hat is on fire! And then the pickpockets immediately grabbed their heads, giving themselves away. They were seized and they found stolen money andthings.

People asked the sage why he was so slow. To which he replied that he was waiting for the whole city to gather. On any other day, he would have been able to catch only one or two thieves, but now he was able to identify all at once.

Since then, the expression "the hat on the thief is on fire" has appeared. The meaning of a phraseological unit expands the possibilities of its use. Nowadays, it can be found in literary works, print media, blogs, etc. They decorate the speeches of artistic heroes, headlines and the texts themselves.