We often hear about people without a king in their heads. If we act spontaneously and thoughtlessly, so may be said to us. Let's check if we correctly understand the meaning of the phraseological unit.
The meaning of phraseological units
The expression "without a king in the head" is pronounced when talking about a stupid, reckless, irresponsible person. For example, about who made an appointment and forgot this fact, forcing a friend to go to the other end of the city. Or about who, having received a large inheritance, lost it in a casino. Or about (oh, horror!) Who took the child to kindergarten and forgot to pick it up in the evening.
There are a great many examples of all kinds of recklessness. True, what one seems to be a variant of the norm is completely unacceptable to others. Seniors will always judge younger ones for choices that are different from their own. In their mouths, the phrase "without a king in the head" will be a reproach for disobedience, disagreement with their point of view.
But if you do not go into the nuances, the meaning of the idiom is clear. And he refers to a desperate, impulsive person, as we would say now, “crazy”.
The origin of the phraseological unit
Promotional video:
Linguist TV Rose in the "Big Phraseological Dictionary for Children" explains that the phraseological unit "without a king in the head" is a piece of the old proverb "Everyone has their own mind, their own king in the head." In this case, the "king" is the mind, reason. This means that the idiom is about recklessness, stupidity.
The role of the tsar in the life of Russian society was not limited to the function of government. In Russia, the monarch was called the tsar-father, he was considered God's messenger and, like a loving father, had to answer for his people before the Lord. “One God - one king,” people said.
They turned to the king when the local authorities could no longer help. It was believed that the sovereign would definitely help, and punish the crafty nobles. Because the monarch is truth, God's judgment on earth, justice itself.
Remember Nikolai Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas", when Vakula, like in a fairy tale, begs the Empress for Oksana's slippers? And what about Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter", in which the gracious empress, at the request of Masha Mironova, grants freedom to Peter Grinev?
Thus, the “king in the head” is the divine mind, the presence of which makes a person a person. This is a system of ideas about good and evil, ought and forbidden, the moral core on which the soul rests.
If there is no king, or, as F. Nietzsche said, “God is dead,” anarchy remains. Not freedom, but anarchy, which results in passions, emotional throwings, tragic follies.
A person, deprived of the foundations of culture, turns into an animal torn apart by internal contradictions, and remains one on one with chaos. Under the guise of a harmless fool, a dangerous madman can hide, destroying not only himself, but also the world around him.
Synonyms
The expression in question has a great many synonyms, for example:
- swims without a rudder, without sails;
- where the curve will take;
- head two ears;
- cudgel cudgel;
- stump with eyes.
Foreigners also did not skimp on figurative definitions of madmen:
- Pumpkin head, balloon head - "pumpkin head", "ball head", dunce (English);
- Knallkopf - "hit by the head", "explosive head" (German);
- Buffone - jester, clown, fool (it.).
Whatever one may say, giving up reason is reckless. But if a revolution nevertheless occurs in your head with the overthrow of the monarch, try to ensure that the ruling party behaves consistently and progressively.
Simply put, take care of the great treasure - Reason!
Author: Maria Znobishcheva
