The expression “crocodile tears” appeared in the first millennium BC. This is due to the fact that while eating the victim, the crocodile cries. But how this phrase acquired a different meaning and began to be used in many languages of the world can be found out by studying the texts ancient Greece or by reading this article.
History of phraseology
The origin of the phraseological unit “crocodile tears” goes back to the amphitheater of ancient Greece. In ancient times, ordinary citizens were not spoiled by entertainment. Any event or spectacle attracted a lot of onlookers. Thanks to this, amphitheaters began to appear around large cities.
By appearance the hall resembled modern stadiums without roofs and with stone benches. The stage was divided into two parts. In the middle there was a moat with water where crocodiles were kept. It was in ancient Greece that genres such as comedy and tragedy were invented.
People sat on the benches and the action unfolded on the stage. First they staged the tragedy. Slaves appeared on the stage and were forced to fight wild animals to the death. However, human life at that time it was valued much cheaper than animals, so people were often released to fight each other.
After this bloody massacre, the blood was covered with sand, and human remains were swept into the reptile moat.
The crocodiles caught pieces of bodies and crawled onto the platforms, where they ate them and hypocritically cried over the innocent victim.
And on the other side of the stage, a comedy with no plot was already unfolding. Actors in masks and animal skins ran and jumped around the stage making the audience laugh.
Origin in Russian
The catchphrase “crocodile tears” passed into the Russian language in the 18th century, after a literal translation from German - the word Krokodilstränen. In the first “Azbukovniki” (the prototype of modern encyclopedias) it meant the crocodile’s feigned pity for its victim.
Why do crocodiles cry from a scientific point of view?
Scientists have proven that crocodiles' kidneys are not able to remove large amounts of accumulated salts. Additional tool for their removal, there are special glands located in the eye area. This is why crocodiles secrete salty fluid from their eyes when they eat.
The phraseology “shedding crocodile tears” means feigned and deceitful regret for a person who has been hurt or harmed. But in fact, the crocodile’s body simply removes excess salt.
Various idioms, so-called aphorisms, have become firmly established in our lives. In this article we will look at the following expression: “Shedding crocodile tears.” Many people probably know the meaning of the phraseological unit, but its origin remains a mystery. Why was the crocodile given such an honor - to be mentioned in this phraseological unit?
"Crocodile Tears" The meaning of phraseology
This expression is usually used in relation to a person who insincerely laments and sheds tears over someone whom, as a rule, he himself has destroyed. Such people demonstratively show pity, but in their hearts they gloat and rejoice. "Crocodile" tears are fake and deceitful. Unfortunately, there are people who not only can destroy someone, they will also put on a performance, expressing “regret” for the torment of their victim and shedding “crocodile tears.” The meaning of the phraseological unit is as follows: “crocodile tears” is a pretense that is inherent in especially insidious people. Why are these human individuals compared to crocodiles? This is no accident. Crocodiles have a certain feature that gave birth to this expression.
Origin of the saying
In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were considered bearers of evil.
They tried to appease them, fed them and addressed them with spells in order to pacify their anger. People considered these reptiles to be treacherous and bloodthirsty. This served as a reason for various fantasies. For example, there is a belief among many peoples of the world that a crocodile cries out of “pity” when eating its prey. This belief did not appear empty space. In fact, it was noticed that while eating food, a liquid similar to tears actually flows out of the crocodile’s eyes.
Even in ancient Greece, this feature of reptiles was used in theatrical performances. The sight of crying crocodiles is very firmly entrenched in the memory of the Greeks. The tears pouring from the eyes of the bloodthirsty reptiles while eating their prey excited the imagination. A little later, the Romans picked up the baton. They also began to use the expression "crocodile tears." The meaning of the phraseological unit expressed feigned sympathy for a defeated opponent. Just as a crocodile “cries” after destroying its victim, so the winner, who has defeated the enemy, “sympathizes” with the loser, rejoicing in his soul and rejoicing in victory.
Do crocodiles really cry when they eat their prey?
Very for a long time people did not know the true reason for the crocodile's tears during meals. Endowing the reptile with human feelings, the ancient people could only explain this by saying that the crocodile felt sorry for the victim whom it had taken life. And if for the ancient Greeks this was still excusable, then in modern world this fact raised serious doubts. Scientists tried to find out what kind of liquid is secreted from the eyes of a crocodile. And this is the conclusion they came to: due to underdeveloped kidneys, reptiles have formed special glands to remove salts from the body. The ducts of the glands are located near the crocodile's eyes, therefore, during the operation of the glands, it is from the eyes of reptiles that a liquid is released that has nothing to do with tears. Thus, crocodile tears are not tears of regret at all. This is just a feature of the body’s functioning, removing excess salts.
Although scientists have found out the cause of the crocodile’s “tears,” the phraseology “crocodile tears” has firmly entered our speech. We found out the meaning and origin of the phraseological unit. However, knowledge of the true origin of “tears” in reptiles has not led to the fact that this saying has lost its popularity. It is still used exactly in the sense that was originally intended in it.
"Crocodile Tears" The meaning of phraseology briefly
Summarizing everything written above, we can draw the following conclusion. If you meet in your life an insidious and vile person who has caused you or someone else some harm, and who at the same time falsely sympathizes with his “victim,” you can characterize his insincere manifestations using the expression “crocodile tears.” The meaning of the phraseological unit, in this case, will help you briefly and clearly indicate that you do not believe such “sympathy” and see the true intentions of a vile person who has nothing to do with the concept of “compassion”.
The Russian language is rich in catch phrases, phraseological units and aphorisms that accompany life and communication between people, often making it possible to most accurately describe a person’s emotion, behavior, character or situation. In this article we will analyze the origin of the expression “crocodile tears”, which is very entertaining, like many other stable phrases of our language.
The meaning of phraseology
Many of us from early childhood understand or intuitively feel what this phraseological unit means. For those who don't know, let's explain what we mean. “Shedding crocodile tears” means insincerely lamenting and empathizing with the failure, misfortune or trouble of another, often being the culprit of what happened.
People who “shed crocodile tears” pretend to show sympathy and pity, while experiencing absolutely nothing of the kind inside, and perhaps secretly gloating and mocking. Deceit, deceit, pretense - these are the qualities, which most accurately characterize such people.
But you need to understand that this is not always what happens, and people who “shed crocodile tears” were the cause of the misfortune that occurred. So, good example An illustration of the other side of the expression “crocodile tears” is insincere condolences and feelings about the death of a stranger. After all, if we think logically, condolences are completely meaningless; they bring neither support nor relief from the suffering of other people. On the contrary, experiences that are exposed and not coming from the heart only irritate the wound.
It should be said that often this happens not even on the initiative of the sympathizer, “shedding crocodile tears,” but simply because it is so accepted. Death is the fate of everyone, and we should regret it a priori.
“Okay, but what do crocodiles have to do with it?” each of us will ask. And indeed, why are such negative characteristics suddenly compared to large reptiles, which also cry? Let's look into history and trace the origin of the phrase.
Origin
Turns out, the expression goes back centuries, during the times of ancient Egypt and Rome.
Scientific explanation
Indeed, the fact that when eating food, a certain liquid resembling tears is released from the eyes of a crocodile is beyond doubt. For a very long time, people did not find any other explanation for this, except that, having killed its prey and starting a bloody meal, the crocodile, being an impressionable animal with a subtle mental organization, cries and reproaches itself, but cannot do anything with its nature. But such a view was understandable and acceptable in ancient times. Nowadays, scientists have taken the issue seriously and come to quite scientific conclusions:
So, the usual physiological feature of ferocious predators, in no way connected with deceit, pretense, insincere and false compassion for the victim, served as the basis for superstitions and firmly entered the language and consciousness of peoples. Therefore, even knowledge and understanding the real reason“crocodile tears” did not cause the expression to disappear and lose its former popularity. Imagery of people's thinking, conciseness and accuracy of characterization will always be stronger than any scientific arguments.
In the Russian language there is such a phrase as “crocodile tears”, which each of us has probably heard at least once. This phrase paints before us the image of a crocodile shedding tears and wiping them with a handkerchief. What does the expression “crocodile tears” mean? Do crocodiles really cry? Below you will find answers to all these questions.
Crocodile tears - the meaning of phraseology
The Russian language is rich in various expressions that have a figurative meaning and are often understandable only to Russian people. One of these is the phraseological unit “crocodile tears”. What is the meaning of the phrase “crocodile tears”?
« Crocodile tears“- this means insincere tears, hypocritical and feigned regret, false compassion. It is noteworthy that the phraseological unit “crocodile tears” is one of the few that is used not only in the Russian language. It is also found in many other languages.
The expression “crocodile tears” is used in relation to those people who pretend to be overly upset by the trouble or misfortune of someone to whom they themselves caused it.
But in reality these people don't experience negative emotions, but only pretend and even rejoice at the troubles of those people for whom they prepared them. They say about such a person that he “sheds crocodile tears.”
Why do crocodiles cry?
Since ancient times, there has been a legend that a crocodile cries over its prey during a meal. But a crocodile is a bloodthirsty and terrible predator. The crocodile's tears are unlikely to be a manifestation of emotion or remorse for the murdered victim. Indeed, crocodile tears have nothing to do with compassion or regret. This is how the international phraseology “crocodile tears” arose.
So why do crocodiles cry? All these beliefs from ancient times about the tears of a crocodile prompted scientists to clarify this controversial issue. Researchers have made many observations of these predators. And it turns out that crocodiles really cry, but not out of pity.
In fact, everything is very simple, and crocodile tears are just a way to remove salts from the body. The thing is that crocodiles suffer from excess salts in the body. And in order to reduce their level, crocodiles have special glands that are located in the eye area.
All reptiles of the genus true crocodiles have such special glands. For example, in the Nile crocodile. When too many salts accumulate in a crocodile, the glands begin to actively work and cause tears.
Thus, the crocodile cries only when it needs to remove salts from the body. Along with the crocodile's tears, unnecessary harmful substances also come out. This is an unusual feature of these predators, which has nothing to do with the feeling of compassion of crocodiles for their victims.
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Since ancient times, many peoples have believed that a crocodile cries when it eats its prey. And it seems that he is crying out of pity for the one he is now eating. Since “this cannot be, because it can never be,” then the expression crocodile tears(or shedding crocodile tears) in a figurative sense means to hypocritically show regret to one’s victim, to hypocritically worry, to show feigned condolences.
In fact, a crocodile has glands under its eyes through which excess salt is removed from the body. , which looks very similar to tears. By the way, our human tears also partially perform the function of removing salts - try your tears on your tongue - they are salty.
Crocodile tears- one of the few absolutely international phraseological units. It has been known since the time ancient Rome. In Rome it meant “to shed tears over the vanquished.” In German dictionaries it looks like Krokodilstranen, V English language direct analogue - Crocodile tears.
In general, shedding crocodile tears among all nations means falsely, insincerely showing regret or sympathy for someone whom they themselves have destroyed.
During the heyday of the art song, the song “Monologue of the Nile Crocodile” was popular at bard festivals. I first heard about it in song back in 1979! The lyrics are cool, the guitar accompaniment is very simple - three chords.
Monologue of the Nile crocodile
I crawled out of the Nile onto the coastal sand,
Having eaten a cow's forehead.
And now crocodile tears are flowing down
On the sad cheeks into the toothy mouth.
I touch my swollen belly with my paw,
And the memories come again
That she was such a moonhorn,
Full of fire and charm.
She walked to the water with a tired gait,
Leaning over, she drank it, cold.
Then I kissed her on her scarlet lips,
And a hungry passion floated through my heart.
Oh, why did I like you so much?
Why were you irresistible?
Why did you return the kiss to me, beauty...
Where are you now, my beloved????...
It's good to lie down and soak in the sun,
And stroke the swollen belly with your paw....
I know everything will pass, everything will be digested....
Only tears are dripping and tears are dripping...
Alexander Bystritsky
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