Home page » Phraseologisms » The meaning of the phraseological unit “white flies”
Author: Maria Znobishcheva
Philologist, candidate of philological sciences, poet, member of the Union of Writers of Russia. Publication date:09/23/2021
What biological subspecies do they mean when they talk about white flies? Or maybe these are relatives of white crows? Who or what is called this? Let's imagine and analyze!
Expression value
The phraseological unit “white flies” is a figurative and poetic folk expression, a constant metaphor for the first snow. This is what they say not about real snowfall, but about separately flying snowflakes, always especially beautiful, large and clearly visible against the dark autumn background.
From childhood, I remember very well how my grandmother once said, walking out of the gate for the first time in a fluffy winter scarf: “The white flies have flown.” It seemed as if grandma had come up with it herself. I loved watching how our yard dog, joyfully clattering his mouth and jumping high, caught these white flies in the same way as he tried to catch black ones in the summer.
Later it turned out that the grandmother did not come up with anything. White flies are found in Russian riddles, songs, and on the pages of works of art. This is how the long-awaited first snowflakes have long been called in Rus', separating autumn from winter with a thin lace curtain.
Field of Miracles answers October 1, 2022
Answers Field of Miracles for October 1, 2022 (10/1/21). Good evening, dear readers of the Sprint-Answer website. Today is Friday on our calendars, which means you can watch the capital show “Field of Miracles” from October 1, 2022 on Channel One.
Before the start of the game, the Domisolka Children's Musical Theater performed an interesting musical performance. Today's episode of the TV game Field of Miracles is dedicated to Teacher's Day. Today we will talk about education and teachers.
As usual, the host of the program Field of Miracles takes on topics about our past, about Mother Rus', and about the traditions of the Russian people. Players bring gifts and gifts to Leonid Yakubovich, often made with their own hands. And of course, they perform creative musical numbers.
Winner of the game 10/1/2021 (sprintotvet.ru). Photo: Channel One
Origin of phraseology
The idiom comes from observations of nature. The life of our ancestors was entirely determined by natural cycles, and therefore every nuance of weather changes was carefully noted.
The disappearance of ordinary black flies indicated that autumn had arrived, and the appearance of white flies indicated that winter had come. Thus, the phraseological unit, similar in meaning, “Tolerate until the white flies”, meaning “to endure until the cold weather”, contains a reproach for the sluggish owners who did not harvest the crop from the field in time.
From the point of view of language, a process of metaphorization occurred: the property of a living being (insect) passed on to designate a natural phenomenon.
It occurred to an attentive person to compare the first snowfall with the movement of a swarm of flies: the fluffy first snowflakes fall large, scattered, rarely, at low speed - as if heavy flies are circling alone against the backdrop of bare dark earth.
This cannot be compared with the mosquito-like flickering of a real thick snowfall in the second half of December or with a continuous white February downpour.
What was the name in Rus' for students who learned to read and write from a sexton for free?
Answers Field of Miracles 10/1/2021. Here is the task for the third round. In Rus', children learning to read and write from a sexton, who came for a fee, were called maslaks, sprintotvet.ru. Those who studied for free helped the teacher with housework, for example, he lit his stove. This word comes from the name of the oven. What were these students called? (7 letter word)
In addition to visiting students, who were called “maslaks,” the teacher also had living students—“grubniki,” usually from the poor or orphans. They were fully supported by the master and were required to help with the housework, in particular, to light the stove - “rude”.
Synonyms
There are many poetic proverbs, sayings, and riddles about the first snow. Here are some of the most famous idiomatic expressions:
- — Don’t let grass grow after autumn, don’t let flowers grow in the snow;
- - Not the snow that sweeps, but the one that comes from above;
- “The summer has passed, the autumn has passed, and now it’s snowballing.”
By the way, the last proverb gave birth to the phraseological unit “out of the blue,” conveying the suddenness of change for the worse. Winter is beautiful, but the main thing for the people is that they need to prepare for it (for example, the sleigh had to be made in the summer). For zealous owners, winter is good when the bins are full, the firewood is stored, the sleigh is oiled, and the horses are well-fed. By the way, what else is on the list? And it’s not far from white flies!
What do people call white flies?
Quiz about snow and winter.
Magic snow covered the earth. He carefully covered the fields, meadows, and forests. What is snow? Silvery fluff, transparent lenses. People call slowly falling snow (often the first snow) “white flies.”
“Snow and snow, all one, eternally virgin snow, Yes, purple patterns of chained rivers, Yes, dark pine forests.” Author: L.A. May
The Snow Quiz contains 21 questions. All questions have been answered.
1. What is snow? Answer: a type of precipitation
2. Which country is the snowiest? Answer: Russia
3. What is a tiny particle of snow called? Answer: snowflake
4. What is the weight of one snowflake? Answer: approximately one milligram
5. Can snow be slippery? Answer: yes
6. Does the snow creak or crack? Answer: they usually say that snow creaks, but frost crackles
7. What animals love snow? Answer: polar bear, lynx, deer, penguin
8. There are birds that love to tumble in the snow. What are their names? Answer: kea, a bird of the parrot family
9. What is the name of a large pile of snow? Answer: snowdrift
10. Are there people on earth who have never seen snow? Answer: yes
11. What kind of snow can it be? Answer: loose, fluffy, wet, in the form of snow porridge, in the form of flakes
12. What snow removal machines do you know? Answer: snow blowers, snow blowers, snow blowers, sweepers, snow loaders and other machines
13. Give lines from poems containing the word “snow.” Answer: “...snow fell only in January” A.S. Pushkin
“In the morning the cat brought the first snow on its paws! First snow! It has the Taste and smell of the first snow! First snow!" Author: Y.Akim
“White, fluffy snow swirls in the air and quietly falls to the ground and lies down.” Author: I.Surikov
14. What phrases with the word “snowy” do you know? Answer: snow drifts, snow storm, snow avalanche, snow woman, snow cover
15. Who is the author of the lines? “The snow is spinning, the snow is falling - snow! Snow! Snow! Animals and birds are happy about the snow, and, of course, man!” Answer: Sergey Mikhalkov “Blank verses”
16. Is there snow on Mars? Answer: yes
17. What proverbs and sayings with the word “snow” do you know? Answer: “a lot of snow means a lot of bread” “We need it like last year’s snow” “You can’t beg snow from him in winter”
18. Name words consisting of 8 letters with the word “snow” Answer: snowmobile, snowfall, snowman
19. Which bird has the word “snow” in its name? Answer: bullfinch
20. Complete the pyramid:
Snow Snowball Snowman………Snowmelting Snowblower Snow retention
21. Does it happen that it snows in Africa? Answer: it happens
Winter-winter stays in Russia for a long time. And he will let the snowstorms show their temper and will not spare the snow, and will allow the cold wind to roam. Today we will talk in more detail about winter. Do we know everything about her? All questions in the Winter quiz have been answered.
1. Daylight hours in winter... Short + Long Medium
2. The earth receives heat in winter... A lot Little + Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little
3. What kind of precipitation usually occurs in winter? Snow + Hail Rain
4. How do we speak? Snow sings Snow creaks + Snow chirps
5. What determines the speed at which snowflakes fall to the ground? From the mass of snowflakes + Shapes of snowflakes + Size of snowflakes +
6. Mark the correct examples of winter phenomena in inanimate nature: Frost + Rain Blizzard +
7. Why don’t plant seeds freeze over the winter? Because under the snow the temperature is higher than on bare ground + Because the seeds are hardened Because the seeds seem to be “sleeping”
8. How do animals prepare for winter? They make food reserves + Insulate their burrows + Accumulate a fat layer +
9. Indicate the correct statements: In winter, the fur of a hare is white + In winter, the coat of a squirrel is warmer + The hedgehog changes its spines in winter
10. Is it possible to see green herbaceous plants under the snow in winter? Yes + No Depends on the weather
11. What animal sleeps in winter? Bear + Lynx Hedgehog +
12. Which statements are true? “By winter, moose are preparing a permanent home for themselves” “Hamsters are one of the most thrifty animals” + “Bears sing a quiet song in winter”
13. It will be frosty if the Cat sings songs. The Cat is curled up in a ball + The Cat is hiding its face.
14. At what temperatures does it snow and rain? At temperatures close to zero + At temperatures minus 5 At temperatures minus 10
Other phraseological units
Belgorod jelly
Misleading, cunning deception for the greater good.
Pound the water in a mortar
Doing meaningless, fruitless things.
Nonsense on vegetable oil
A worthless trifle, junk or low-quality product.
Easy to remember
We remembered about him, and he just came.
All phraseological units
A book from the authors of this article!
Collection: “100 popular phraseological units of the Russian language”
More details
What is the alphabet of the ancient Slavs called now?
Answers Field of Miracles 10/1/2021. Here is the task for the second round. In ancient Rus', writing already existed among the pagan Slavic tribes. Historians claim that it was owned by almost 100% of the population, sprintotvet.ru. This letter is named after the ancient Russian pagan god. The ancient Slavs used a letter that is currently called ... How? (10 letter word)
What kind of alphabet did the ancient Slavs have? We call her Velesovitsa. To write these manuscripts, the ancient Slavs used a kind of script, which in our time has been called “Velesovitsa”, in honor of the ancient Russian pagan god Veles.
Signs of plant damage
It is not difficult to notice affected plants. It is enough to touch the leaf and small midges will begin to fly away. It is better not to wait until the pest has gone through its full development path. The larva is difficult to notice, so it is recommended to pay attention to the leaves. Their surface has small spots with a white coating.
Whiteflies most often live on plants such as:
- peppers;
- tomatoes;
- cucumbers;
- zucchini.
Important: scientists have identified about 1,600 species of whiteflies, so they can also be found on other plants.
Most often, the pest appears in greenhouses, but it can be found on the leaves of vegetables in open ground. Despite its small size, the insect reproduces quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of it as soon as possible.
The appearance of snow flakes
It turns out that the reason for the appearance of the phraseological unit is the fall of the first snow on the ground in the autumn. How to explain the reason for the snow? Where do “white flies” come to us from?
If you resort to the help of science and try to understand the reason for the appearance and formation of snowflakes, you can come to the following conclusion. Snow is a special type of precipitation that is formed when small raindrops freeze. “White flies” fly to earth from the sky in the form of frozen rain. Snow consists of individual snowflakes, which in appearance are similar to six-pointed stars.
The first condition for the appearance of so-called “white flies” on earth is the onset of cold weather. The main condition for the appearance of precipitation in the form of snow is considered to be a temperature of 0 ºC, at which water begins to turn into ice. In the sky at this temperature, rain clouds freeze, after which the usual raindrops turn into “white flies.”
Due to the fact that there are a huge number of different shapes of snowflakes, scientists have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to meet two snowflakes with an identical pattern. 95% of such precipitation consists of air. It is for this reason that if there are no strong gusts of wind outside, the speed of falling snow is about 0.9 km/h.
It should be noted that through research in countries such as Norway, Finland and Sweden, it turned out that there are more than 180 words that are used to refer to snow and ice. In the Eskimo language there are slightly fewer such expressions - about 40. Thanks to them, people indicate the quality of snow and its location.
How to deal with white fly?
The white fly is a very small insect, but despite this, it quickly destroys plants. To save the crop, you need to use one of the methods to combat them, namely:
- biological;
- chemical;
- folk
The choice of method depends on the number of insects and human capabilities.
Biological method of control
Scientists studying insects and wildlife in general have found that white flies can be fought with the help of other insects that do not harm the garden. These “rescuers” include:
- predatory ichneumon wasp;
- ladybug;
- predatory mite;
- predatory bug Nesidiocoris.
Important: despite the ability to eliminate whiteflies, predatory insects can pose a danger to humans.
Chemical method
A quick way to eliminate adult individuals is with chemicals, such as:
- "Pegasus";
- "Aktara";
- "Fitoverm";
- "Confidor".
The drugs are sold at any household chemical store.
Important: Chemicals only affect susceptible stages of the insect.
Scientists have found that the whitefly is capable of developing susceptibility to drugs with each new generation. Therefore, a chemical that has been used before may not work, so you will have to experiment.
Traditional methods
Not everyone wants to poison plants with chemicals, so they prefer to choose traditional methods. There are many recipes, but most often gardeners use the following recipes:
- Yarrow tincture. For preparation you need 80 g of yarrow leaves and 1 liter of water. The plant is crushed and poured with boiling water. The decoction must steep for 24 hours. The tincture can be applied by spraying or rubbing.
- Sugar solution. You will need 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar and 1 glass of water. The solution is applied to the affected leaves by spraying. The procedure is repeated after 7 days.
- Garlic tincture. Chop 15 g of garlic per 100 ml of water. The resulting solution is infused for 5 days. Since the infusion is highly concentrated, it must be diluted before use. For 1 liter of water 5 g of tincture.
Important: there is no need to store decoctions and tinctures for a long time, as they lose their effectiveness.
