Long box meaning of phraseological unit. How did the expression “put the matter on the back burner” appeared. And then we begin

Mental deviation or just promiscuity?

“Procrastination” (the habit of procrastinating) is translated from Latin as “for tomorrow”. And there are also synonyms: to procrastinate, to linger, to dig, to delay, to drag, to delay, to delay, to slow down, to drag out, to drag out for time, to put it on the back burner…. I will deliberately not use the buzzword "procrastination" in this text. In Western psychology, it is used to define the phenomenon of laziness in general. But laziness is broader, more complex and more multifaceted than just putting things off for later.

Psychologists debate the nature of procrastination. Some consider her a mental disorder, others - personal promiscuity. In the late 90s, the press even reported that it is transmitted with genes and, in principle, is incurable. As a psychologist, it seems to me that scientists are too serious about such a natural tendency of a person to postpone unpleasant things for later.

There are several ways to play for time: do not start it; not make the decision to start; start and quit; do a lot of things at the same time, not bringing one to the end; do many other things without touching the main thing, etc.

Here's what the participants in my survey responded:

Says L.:

“My husband, when the need to make any decision that requires further action is imminent, first ignores the problem for as long as possible, and then (under my pressure) gives out his sacramental:“ We need to think about it! ”. That's what he said when I asked to buy his washing machine. A month later, I made a new request and heard: "We need to decide which model to choose." Another 3-4 months passed ... And only when I threatened that I would now go to the next (not the best) store and poke my finger into the most expensive typewriter, my husband got scared. In the evening I already washed in a brand new washing machine. "

K .:

“I never do anything unless absolutely necessary. I will not take out the garbage until it falls out of the bucket. I will not buy groceries as long as there is at least something edible in the house. Etc. Of course, if they persistently ask, I do it. And this does not apply to interests and hobbies, of course. At work, measured work is not for me. Relaxation followed by maximum concentration is my style. And, in general, I succeed ”.

Reasons for a bad habit

And yet the habit of stalling for time is a serious problem for many people, preventing them from living fully, working effectively and enjoying both work and rest. What causes it? Here are just some of the reasons:

* inability to plan time;

* inability to concentrate;

* constant feeling of anxiety or fear;

* depression;

* self-doubt;

* financial difficulties;

* family troubles;

* unrealistic expectations and hopes;

* perfectionism;

* fear of failure;

* fear of change;

* protest against the rules and terms imposed from above;

Roasted Rooster as a Method

Of those who always postpone everything for later, they often say: "pull the rubber." One very important property of procrastination is noticed here - the accumulation of tension. The longer you pull - whether rubber or time - the more it becomes. The outcome can be twofold. On the one hand, a stone launched from a slingshot receives energy for flight only when the rubber is properly stretched. A person who is in no hurry to get down to work is waiting for such an impulse. When the deadlines are tightened to the limit, the time will be negligible, he feels a surge of strength and is able to fully concentrate on work (people also say: “the roasted rooster pecked”). On the other hand, if the rubber is pulled for too long, it can burst. Storming is not the best way to complete missions, and sleepless nights are not the right time for this.

Scientists from the Center for the Study of Procrastination at the University of Carton (Canada), having studied several hundred students, came to the conclusion that young people who tend to postpone school for later, catch colds more often, sleep less, eat poorly, smoke and drink more. And the results of night vigils over textbooks, as a rule, are not the best.

Psychology of saints

So what do you do?

In the Fatherland (stories about the holy fathers) there is such a parable: “One man had a land that, through his negligence, turned into barren, overgrown with weeds. It took him to cultivate it, and he said to his son: "Go clear our field." The son went, but when he saw that it was overgrown with weeds, he lost heart and said to himself: "Will I ever eradicate all these weeds and cleanse the land?" With these words he lay down on the ground and fell asleep; he did this for many days. Then my father came to see what had been done, and saw that nothing had been done. He said to his son, "Why haven't you done anything yet?" The son replied: "I saw how many weeds and refused to work." And the father said: "If you worked every day at least such a piece of land as you occupy, lying on it, then your work would move little by little." The young man acted on the instructions of his father, and in a short time the field was cleared and cultivated. "

The Holy Fathers also knew about procrastination and developed their own recipes to combat it. Here, for example, what advice Nicodemus Svyatorets gives in the book "Invisible War".

He noticed that the longer the case is postponed, the more difficult it seems and advises: “Do not hesitate to start any business that you have to do, because the first short hesitation will lead you to the second, longer, and the second - to the third, even more long, and so on. From this, the matter starts too late and ... or is completely abandoned as burdensome ... You will not only during work, but also when it is still far ahead, you will feel as if you have a mountain on your shoulders, you will be burdened by this and will suffer, like slaves, in hopeless slavery consisting. Likewise, during rest you will not have rest, and without deeds you will feel burdened with deeds. "

To overcome negligence, the Monk Nicodemus proposes ... to deceive him, breaking the matter into small blocks and taking breaks.

“If, let’s say, an hour of prayer labor is required to complete any part of the service, and this seems difficult for your laziness, then, starting this, do not think that you will have to stand for an hour, but imagine that this will continue for some quarter of an hour. , and quietly you will stand, praying this quarter; Having stood this, tell yourself: let's just hold a fourth, this is not much, as you can see; then do the same for the third and fourth quarters; and you will finish this work of the prayer ministry without noticing the difficulties and hardships ... Do the same in relation to your work and to your works of obedience. "

Often we cannot start work, because we are overwhelmed with things to do and not knowing where to start, we fall into a stupor: “But don’t think about this multitude of things,” the Monk Nicodemus writes, “but reluctantly grasp the first thing that is presented and do it. with all diligence, no matter how there are others at all, and you will make him calm; then act in the same way in relation to other matters and you will redo everything calmly, without confusion and hassle. "

For those who want to improve

Here is a list of tips for those prone to the habit of procrastination.

- Remember what matters - really important - you have been putting off for many years? Just don't name the first thing that comes to your mind. Your reluctance to start doing them is so great that your subconscious mind will obligingly provide you with any tasks other than these - really important ones. So you have to properly analyze your own life.

- Think about why this particular occupation you so do not want to start. This requires honesty with oneself and, if you will, courage. Perhaps pain or other discomfort is associated with them. We are not always aware of this ourselves, but subconsciously we strive to avoid pain. But to find out the reasons for unwillingness to take on something is necessary. Having found the roots of the problem, we are halfway to solving it.

- Think about what positive changes will occur when you finally do these things.

- Try to calculate how you pay for inaction? Imagine how your life would turn out if you hadn't put off some unpleasant but important things in due time. What would your health, level of education, position held, marital status be now? ..

- Keep in mind that often we ourselves inspire ourselves with an attitude towards the work ahead ("What a boring task I got!") Or to the one who entrusted it ("Always the boss entrusts me with the most hopeless projects! He hates me!"). Once spoken several times, this phrase becomes our firm conviction. And, painfully forcing ourselves to sit down to work, we are already struggling with our own emotions, which we ourselves have just instilled in ourselves. Try to avoid these thoughts next time.

- Create a diary. At least 30% of all those who like to postpone it helps. Write down not only a to-do list, but also - which is very important - the results achieved.

- Having received the task, decide when you intend to start its implementation. Now or later? If the latter, put the date on your diary.

- Analyze your feelings and thoughts. When does the moment come when you want to postpone work indefinitely? As soon as you feel the first lazy urge, immediately say to yourself loudly and clearly: “Stop”! You can even pinch yourself to be sure.

- The main thing is to start, overcome inertia - then it will go much more fun. After all, you have already taken off the ground - and now you only need to fly, perhaps even enjoying the flight.

- Before starting work, promise yourself some small but pleasant reward. The main thing is that it is planned. You don't go out for coffee after quitting your job in the middle. You will do half of the work - and then allow yourself a coffee break. Do you feel the difference?

- Start doing the job with the simplest and least burdensome. Keep the first step very small.

- Break the working day into blocks. The one who works without getting up for 2-3 hours achieves less than the one who allows himself a 10-minute break every hour. If you can't bring yourself to get to work, break it down into tiny, five-minute blocks. Most likely, getting down to business, you will find that you are involved, and after five minutes you will be sorry to quit what you started.

- If we are talking about a large project, once you start working on it, do not stop. Even on days filled with other things, devote at least half an hour to work on it, and if it is not possible, then 10 minutes. This way you will not lose the acceleration gained at the start. Stop - you have to type it again.

So, as you can see, there are many ways to combat the habit of postponing things for later. If you decide to use them, remember the most important advice: start acting today, this minute, not from Monday.

The expression "put on the back burner" has, in principle, only one meaning. Moreover, it is consonant with the expression itself and has a negative meaning when used. It means postponing insignificantly important things for later, unbearable delay with their implementation.

Alternatively, the verbal expression “put on the back burner” is considered to be a derivative of the nominal phraseological phrase “long box”, which is most often used to denote the deferred execution of something. For example, a will is a postponement of the performance of some actions until after the death of a person.

It is much more interesting to learn about where this phraseological phrase came from in our great and mighty Russian language. Because there are several versions of its origin.

The first version is official. It is believed that the origins of the meaning of the expression "put on the back burner" go back to the seventeenth century, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Quiet - the father of Peter the Great.

It was he who established the installation on the square opposite his Kolomna Palace of a box for submitting all requests, suggestions, petitions and complaints. Since at that time all the notes were made on long sheets of paper - rolls or birch bark - the box was quite long in shape.

The problem was that the box was checked very rarely, so complaints rarely reached the sovereign. Sometimes they did not reach at all, since they were taken apart by the courtiers. Since the answer had to wait for a very long time, in the common people this box was called long.

The second version is semi-official. Some believe that the expression "put on the back burner" got its meaning much later - in the nineteenth century. At this time, in the offices and offices of officials there were obligatory chests of drawers with filing cabinets to be done. The drawers in these filing cabinets were very long.

And often cases that did not require urgent consideration were put aside in the longest and most distant box. Hence the expression.

From the same working environment, a synonymous phraseological expression came from - to put on the rug. The same officials "hid" or put aside unnecessary affairs under the cloth, which was upholstered in the desks in their offices.

The third version is folk. In Russian, the semantics of the words "long" and "long" in the common people are the same. In other words, these words are synonyms.

Even the pronunciation of the phraseological turnover varies - some use both the pronunciation "put on the back burner" and the pronunciation "put on the long box".

The fourth version is foreign. In German, there is a synonymous phraseological turnover: etwas in die lange Truhe legen. Literally, this expression means - to put aside something in a long chest. Most often in Germany, this expression is used in the judicial and legal industries to denote an overly lengthy investigation of a case, "capercaillie"

But upon a detailed semantic consideration, it is very similar to Russian. Some scholars of philology believe that the Russian-language expression is a reflection of the German-language version for certain situations.

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Photo: Katarina Gondova / Rusmediabank.ru

The “long box”, that is, putting off something important for tomorrow is not only the killer of your dreams, it can literally become a killer. And your health, and relationships, and career, and family, sometimes - life itself. If you don't immediately shorten your lockbox, blame yourself!

What are we postponing?

Yes all! We only do what we postpone.
money for a future purchase;
using a new thing until a convenient occasion;
Mondays, from which a new life will begin;
fitness, sports, outdoor activities;
walks;
language learning;
serious relationship;
birth of children;
a trip to the zoo with them;
cleaning, washing, washing dishes, routine, unpleasant work;
clarification of relations and setting all points over i;
completion of started cases;
repair;
a call to mom, dad, friend;
confession and communion;
;
forgiveness;
declaration of love.

You can list it endlessly, and each will have their own list. Meanwhile, our whole life is on this list! As a rule, we put off what is important. To one degree or another, this is exactly what determines our future.

Why are we postponing?

Now let's think about why we are doing this. Perhaps this will help us overcome the consequences of postponing important matters, that is, by and large, postponing our own life, for which we, as you know, have only one chance.

Why?

1. We are tired of the routine, boring, unpleasant side of these matters.
2. Sometimes the quick attainability of the result is frightening. "We will redo all the business today, nothing will be left for tomorrow."
3. Fear of failure is very frightening from completing cases, especially if they are really difficult. "What if it doesn't work out?" - a powerful brake that forces us to postpone things that are fateful for us.
4. We are just too lazy.
5. Lost interest and, there is no incentive to continue what you started.
6. It seems to us that the efforts are in vain. The futility of effort kills initiative. If we do not have success, victories, it is extremely difficult to complete cases, because they look meaningless.
7. It seems to us that the time has not yet come. Everything is ahead or we are not ready for the final stage yet.

The consequences of postponing

It would seem that there is something dangerous here, well, the person is putting off his life, let him do what he wants. This is his own business. It turns out not always. Sometimes someone's postponement leads to family quarrels, conflicts, stressful situations and innocent people fall into the range of action.

And the child understands that the work started must be completed in order to move forward. But in life, we come up with thousands of excuses and reasons that help us cope with our own dishonesty and feelings of guilt for unfulfilled deeds.

We use killer arguments like
- lack of time, money, effort, means, desire, incentives, etc .;
- irrelevance of this case at the moment, there are more important things, now it is inconvenient, not the time, out of place;
- interference from loved ones, relatives, friends and foes, circumstances.

But our justifications only accumulate, turning into a snowball that inexorably moves towards us and threatens to crush us with the whole mass of unfinished plans and unfulfilled expectations.

And then we begin

to be nervous and freak out;
to make mistakes;
hurry;
freeze;
run away, etc.

And we are overtaken
- migraine;
- stress;
- self-doubt;
- disease;
- quarrels, reproaches, criticism;
- conflicts, breaks and even divorces.

Do you still feel that family fights have nothing to do with shelving? Look at your life with an open mind and as critical as possible. And you will find that
taps are leaking;
the dishes grow moldy in the sink;
laundry itself is not washed;
the dust under the bed is relentlessly turning into drifts;
“Madam I sit” without fitness and with it becomes wider and wider;
hair and face without care turn into a washcloth and washboard;
a mother who no one calls becomes lonely and unhappy;
the dog yearns without a walk;
life slowly but surely slides into the swamp of routine and boredom (without travel, walks, child, new meetings).

This is a catastrophe! We urgently need to change something!

How to save yourself from unfinished business?

There is an exit.
You can conduct an audit and select those without the end of which it is impossible to live on.
And immediately, just this very second, proceed to their completion. Not Monday, not tomorrow, just now. One an hour, a day, a week. And there you look, and there will be no unfinished business.
You should probably just forget about the rest, less important matters. Cross them off the pending list. Consider that they are already completed. If you still haven't finished them, then you don't really need them.
It should always be remembered that unfinished business is like unclosed gestalts and constantly stall our progress. We are unable to start new deeds until old ones are completed. Do not pour water into a full cup.

Therefore, obeying the law of filling voids, we should periodically dismantle our blockages and make room for new good beginnings and deeds. This is especially true on New Year's Eve, but you can find any other reason - New Year according to the Eastern calendar, new month, birthday, even, no matter how trite, Monday. And the vacant space will be occupied by new, interesting and so necessary undertakings.

Put on the back burner shelve / shelve Usually nesov. with neg. More often led. tilt or deer. To postpone the execution of something for an indefinitely long time, to delay the solution of any issue for a long time. Postpone what? decision, case, discussion ... on the back burner.

Chichikov wanted to finish everything as soon as possible, without putting it on the back burner. (N. Gogol.)

We will not postpone it, we will interrogate him now. (A. Chekhov.)

Yangui and Timofey Kosyakov volunteered to deliver their cargo to the expedition. They decided not to postpone this business on the back burner and go the next day. (V. Arseniev.)

(?) The expression is traditionally associated with the custom established by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter I) in his residence. A long box was installed in front of the royal palace, where everyone who wanted to lowered their petitions (requests). These petitions were considered for a very long time, so the long box began to be called long.

Educational phraseological dictionary. - M .: AST. E. A. Bystrova, A. P. Okuneva, N. M. Shansky. 1997 .

See what "postpone" is in other dictionaries:

Put on the back burner

shelve- to delay the execution of any case for an indefinite time. There are several options for the origin of phraseological units: 1. The expression dates back to the times of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a box for petitions was nailed in front of his palace, these ... ... Phraseology reference

shelve- To postpone the execution of what l. business for a long, indefinite time ... Dictionary of many expressions

Postpone / Postpone Usually nesov. with neg. More often led. tilt or deer. To postpone the execution of something for an indefinitely long time, to delay the solution of any issue for a long time. Postpone what? decision, case, discussion ... ... Educational phraseological dictionary

Shelve- Put aside IN A LONG BOX. Put aside IN A LONG BOX. (To postpone) indefinitely, for a long time. Prokhor was always tough in his actions, therefore, without postponing the troubles he had begun, at one o'clock in the afternoon he called Baroness Zamoyskaya (Shishkov. ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

Put on the back burner- what. Outdated. Iron. Postpone the decision of the case for an indefinitely long time. The Senate, after talking about the answer, put it, as they say, in a long box under a red cloth (Derzhavin. Notes) ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

Postpone / postpone (put) on the back burner- what. Spread. Delay the execution of what L. affairs for an indefinite period. FSRYa, 543; BTS, 271, 1535; SHZF 2001, 29; FM 2002, 649; ZS 1996, 222, 342, 474, 476; F 2, 69; BMS 1998, 653; Mokienko 1986, 39; DP, 565 ... A large dictionary of Russian sayings

postpone- postpone, carry, push back; suspend, unharness, postpone, underplay, delay, unplug, leave, shelter, reserve, stock, postpone, postpone for later, postpone until the Greek calendars, postpone for black ... ... Synonym dictionary

postpone- Postpone the care of what (colloquial) stop thinking, care about what n. I put aside an empty message. A. Pushkin. Set aside to postpone the execution of which n. affairs for an indefinite time. Look, do not hesitate with the answer, do not postpone in ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian language

Postpone- I'll postpone, postpone, Sov., who what. 1. (not sov. Postpone). Lay aside. "Zotov, putting down his pen, got up and bowed." A.N. Tolstoy. || Count (dice on the abacus). || Select (part) by placing it separately. Set aside a few pieces of ... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Unpress Administrator | 19 october 2018

PERCHATKIN ALEXANDER

FOREST TOWN

MY ARTICLE:

Some phraseological units occur in a certain historical era. How did the expression “put on the back burner” come about? It happened during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. Anyone could put a message to the king in this box with a complaint or request. Complaints were collected only after this capacious box was completely filled. Then the letters were considered for a long time by clerks and boyars.

But there is also a play of meanings of the adjectives "long" and "long". The point is not only in the shape of the box, but also in the fact that, turning to the king, the petitioners hoped for a fair and honest consideration of complaints, hoped that evil, oppression and lawlessness would be punished, and the court would make the right decision. However, cases from long (long) boxes were unfairly rarely considered or waited a long time in the wings. And most often it was not possible for ordinary people to hear a fair, truthful verdict. They put their complaints on the back burner and forgot or did not understand at all. It makes no sense to expect the triumph of truth and legality.

Also, many philologists believe that the expression "put the matter on the back burner" appeared in Germany. Indeed, the phrase "etwas in eine lange Brust setzen", which means "to put something in a long chest", still lives in the German people. Indeed, in the eighteenth century, there were large and long chests in German courts for keeping court papers. So, the affairs of the poor, in contrast to the nobility, whose affairs were resolved very quickly, were kept and waited for their "finest" hour. Why not a long box?

I can assume that similar historical forms presupposed the emergence of phraseological units that were close in meaning.

Phraseological units do not bypass me either. Once I returned from school on Friday in a wonderful mood: the weekend is ahead! I thought: "Maybe I'll learn the lessons right away?" But this thought quickly disappeared, being replaced by another: "It will succeed ...". I took apart my briefcase, took out my textbooks and notebooks, put them in a drawer of my writing desk and closed it with pleasure. Rest, textbooks, and I will rest!

On Sunday evening, my mother reminded me that it was tomorrow for school, and asked me to pack my portfolio without forgetting anything. Well, textbooks, notebooks, and a diary were pulled out of a drawer. I didn't want to, but I still looked into the diary to make sure that nothing was asked for the weekend. But it was not there! I completely forgot that in the Russian language we had to write an essay on phraseological units. I got the phraseological phrase "put the matter on the back burner." Once again I read the topic and thought: “How long can a box be? It can be rectangular, square, narrow, wide ... But long? Probably, I wrote down the topic incorrectly. Okay, I'll clarify tomorrow, it's too late today, and I don't even have the strength to think about the box. Sleep, because everyone knows the wonderful proverb: "The morning is wiser than the evening." Here in the morning and think about it! Before going to bed, all the events of an interesting weekend flashed before my eyes, and I fell asleep sweetly.

And it was like this. In the Russian language lesson, all the children took turns reading the written compositions. Kolya wrote very well about how people beat their thumbs, Nastya read about how harmful it is to count crows, Petya - about how you can't break in the door. When it came to my turn, I explained that I had not written the essay, because, probably, I had written the theme incorrectly. After all, the box cannot be long ?!

Elena Borisovna asked for my diary and sent me to the school library for a phraseological dictionary. And then I began to read aloud the article from the dictionary. It turns out that the expression "postpone the case" means "postpone the case for an indefinitely long time."

And the hard Monday ended with the fact that, after returning home, I took out my textbooks, notebooks and put them all in the same long box.

The study of phraseological units, the reasons for their appearance, semantics, shades of their use - all this gives food to the mind, develops horizons, enriches speech.