White flies is a poetic or colloquial idiom. Appeared in Russian thanks to the observation of ordinary people. What is popularly called white flies? And what is the history of this phraseological unit?
White flies: meaning
This idiom has always been understood as fluttering snowflakes or falling snow. White flies were called the first snowfall, which, as a rule, took place in the fall. Snow flakes, consisting of snowflakes stuck together against the general background of fallen leaves, bare trees, gray sky and dark earth, not yet covered with a snow cover, in appearance seemed like a large swarm of white flies moving in one direction. Therefore, "flies" began to be called "white".
With the beginning of winter, white flies were no longer remembered, since the falling snowflakes no longer had the ability to stick together as before, and there was no longer a black background that would have distinguished them so much. However, from the beginning of March, with the advent of spring, the metaphor began to be used again. Because the belated snow flakes against the general background of the earth with melted snow again became similar to the known image.
Method of forming a metaphor
If you approachmethod of formation of this turnover from a scientific point of view, we can say that it appeared through a metaphorical transformation of a free phrase. Nowadays, in dictionaries, this turnover “white flies” contains a “poetic” mark in the meaning of “falling snow”. It is used by authors of fiction.
You can also find this phrase marked "colloquial". As a rule, this is how ordinary people use it in everyday life, during a conversation.
The meaning of the statement "reached the white flies"
How else is the described phraseological unit used? In addition to the stable phrase, which is discussed in our article, the people also have the expression "reached for white flies." In everyday life, the peasants understood it as a delay in time with the harvest. Frosts have already passed or snow has fallen, and the crops from the fields have not yet been harvested.
Such a statement had a negative connotation and was used in a speech when one had to regret something or there was a need to reproach someone.
The emergence of snow flakes
It turns out that the reason for the appearance of phraseology is the fall of the first snow on the soil in the autumn. How to explain the reason for the appearance of snow? Where do white flies come from?
If you resort to the help of science and try to figure out the reason for the appearance and formation of snowflakes, you can come to this conclusion. Snow is a special type of precipitation that forms when small raindrops freeze. "White flies" come to earthfrom the sky in the form of frozen rain. The snow consists of individual snowflakes, which are similar in appearance to six-pointed stars.
The first condition for the appearance of the so-called "white flies" on earth is the onset of cold weather. The main condition for the appearance of precipitation in the form of snow is considered to be a temperature of 0 ºC, at which water begins to turn into ice. In the sky at this temperature, rain clouds freeze, after which the usual raindrops turn into “white flies.”
Due to the fact that there are a huge number of different shapes of snowflakes, scientists have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to meet two snowflakes with an identical pattern. 95% of such atmospheric precipitation consists of air. It is for this reason that if there are no strong gusts of wind outside, the speed of falling snow is about 0.9 km/h.
It should be noted that with the help of studies in countries such as Norway, Finland and Sweden, it turned out that there are more than 180 words that are used to refer to snow and ice. In the language of the Eskimos, there are slightly fewer such expressions - about 40. Thanks to them, people indicate the quality of snow and its location.
