The Russian language is not in vain considered one of the most difficult languages. And not only because of the branched and extensive grammatical system. There are many turns in our language that decorate speech, make it more expressive, vivid, expressive. One of the means of achieving the figurativeness of a syllable is set expressions - phraseological units. Each of them is built on some kind of metaphor, that is, a comparison.
Idioms are sometimes paradoxical in their content, but quite simple and understandable in meaning, which is historically assigned to a certain phrase and is conditioned by the collective consciousness of people. A vivid example of this is the phraseological unit "dead poultice". You will learn about its meaning, origin, possible variants of use in speech from this article.
To the dead poultice: meaning and construction principle
In order to correctly use phraseological units in speech, so that their use is appropriate in a particular communicative situation, you must first knowthe meaning of the idiom. The expression "like a dead poultice" means the futility and inexpediency of any action.
The phrase is also used to convey the worthlessness of a thing, to show its uselessness. For example, if you are persistently offered to buy some kind of thing, while not understanding your polite refusals, they literally “push” your goods, in the language of sellers, then it would be appropriate to harshly cut off the obsessive merchant. For this, the already familiar phrase "like a dead poultice" is suitable.
The idiom is built on the principle of comparison, that is, using this expression, we willy-nilly compare this or that action of a person or object that we evaluate as unnecessary, with the usefulness of a poultice for the dead.
What is a poultice?
With the deceased, everything is clear, but the word poultice for some, perhaps, will raise questions. Therefore, let us explain its meaning.
A poultice used to be called any compresses that were used to treat diseases. Now the meaning of the word is understood more narrowly. It is customary to call a poultice a means of treatment in which a hot bandage with a medicine is applied to a sore spot - these can be herbal infusions, heated plant seeds, peat, ash … Basically, as you might have guessed, this method of treatment is used in folk, alternative medicine.
You may be familiar with this procedure under a different name. Synonyms for the word "poultice" will be words such as compress orlotion.
Such procedures are performed for burns, wounds, bruises and other damage to the skin, they also treat headaches with compresses, relieve fever.
Why would a dead man need a poultice?
Having learned what it is - a poultice, a reasonable question arises: why do it to the dead, because there is nothing to save from death. That's right - no need. Exactly the same question arises when we evaluate someone's inappropriate actions.
Useless, stupid actions cause surprise, and sometimes even indignation. To express your emotions, the phrase "dead poultice" is the best fit. Accurate and precise, expressive and expressive, it will well convey the meaning of what you think about the behavior of a person.
Don't overdo it
However, we should not forget that too violent and vivid expression of our thoughts and feelings, especially negative ones, can often be unpleasant to our interlocutor or even offend him. Therefore, you need to know not only what “like a dead poultice” means, but also to understand how appropriate the use of this phraseological unit is, because in some situations it can sound quite rude and harsh. If you do not want to pass for, as it is now fashionable to say, a verbal aggressor, then always take into account the peculiarities of the person's perception of your words, the composition of the audience, the occasion and the reason for your communication.
For example, being in high society, attending a social event, communicating with bohemians, and in otherin cases involving communication in a literary, pure language, the use of this phraseological unit is undesirable. This idiom is more appropriate for a situation of easy communication, not limited by rigid conditional frameworks.
Synonymous phraseological units
Like many other phraseological units of the Russian language, the expression "like a dead poultice" has a number of synonymous idioms, that is, those that are similar in meaning and which can be used instead of this phrase. Such synonyms include the expressions: "like a dog's fifth leg", "like a goat button accordion" or "like a cart's fifth wheel". Of course, you can come up with your own comparisons in order to show the futility of something, but we talked about what has already taken root in our national consciousness and is enshrined in the dictionary.
