“To be under the fly” is a stable phraseological unit that is used in relation to a slightly tipsy person. The expression can be found in classical literature: in the works of Mikhail Bulgakov, Joseph Babel and Vladimir Meshchersky. Not everyone knows the history of the appearance of the phrase, although its roots are closely connected with the development of the drinking business in Russia.
From taverns to taverns
In Russia, a tavern was called a drinking establishment, where people gathered not only for drinking and eating, but also for fun, playing music and solving important matters. The name comes from the ancient Slavic word “korm”, that is, food, feast or treat. There are references to taverns in documents from the XNUMXth century, when they were widespread in the southern part of Russia. Drinking establishments served as a place for people’s gatherings – they discussed the latest news, and the messengers introduced the people to the new laws.
In Belarus and Ukraine, the remains of huge taverns survived for quite a long time. Large drinking houses served as a place for public amusement. Institutions were freely visited by women, and young people had fun in the backyards. Since that time, an old saying originates: “In the tavern and in the bathhouse, all equal nobles.” They mostly drank beer, mash and mead, ate pickled berries, pickled vegetables, and pies. The tavern served as a guest house – travelers received shelter and a table there.
Quite a different situation was observed in Muscovy. In the north-east of Russia, public life was not so developed, so these regions had their own form of tavern, which later became a tavern. Institutions were forbidden to visit women and priests, and the sale of alcohol was discouraged. In the XNUMXth century, the Arabs brought distillation technology to the Slavic territories, and since that time, drunkenness has become a national problem. Taverns ceased to be inns – they were visited only to drink, while food was served in taverns.
How did the expression “be under the fly”
By the end of the XNUMXth century, the sale of alcohol was already under full state control. The alcohol trade brought colossal revenues to the treasury, so taverns were opened even where they were in decline. Nobody wanted to go to the kissers (tax collectors), since the servicemen answered with their heads for shortfalls in taxes. When there was a crop failure and there was simply nothing for the people to drink, the problem was solved by robbing the population.
After returning from Europe, Peter I made an attempt to civilize the drinking business in Russia. Taverns in Germany have existed since the time of Diocletian, who wrote as far back as the XNUMXrd century that he had encountered similar establishments in Gaul. Secular and spiritual society gathered in German inns-herbergs, court proceedings were held. In England, the hotel business flourished, and in France there were cabarets, where drinks and food were served, and the owners were respected by the whole neighborhood.
Peter began by ordering the opening of taverns, where food was served along with alcohol. It was not easy to lure people there, so the tsar ordered the visitor to pour the first glass for free, in the expectation that in the future he would be treated to his own money. Assessing possible losses, innkeepers for these purposes ordered tiny glasses, which contained 10-15 ml of alcohol. The pranksters immediately noticed that it is difficult even for a fly to drown in such an amount of vodka, and inventive people simply went to newfangled establishments to drink the only free glass.
It was difficult to get drunk from 10-15 ml of alcohol, but alcohol gave some whirling in the head, so this condition was called “under the fly.” Meanwhile, Peter’s idea took root poorly. The nobles ignored the common people’s establishments and visited only the “gerbergs”, where they served wine, chocolate, coffee and tobacco. The nobility preferred to dine at home or with relatives and stayed in hotels-taverns only during trips.
The reputation of institutions began to change for the better only in the second half of the 1917th century, when the line between a restaurant and a luxurious tavern began to blur. However, in most cases, low-class “drinking yards” were ignored by a decent public. After XNUMX, the concept of “tavern” disappeared from the list of Soviet catering establishments. But the expression “to be under the fly” remained in the Russian language, although the history of its origin among the people was firmly forgotten.