What does the Russian phrase ‘bit baklushi’ (‘beat a dummy’) mean?
This famous phraseology in modern language is already considered a little outdated. However, you can often meet it in literature, when someone disapprovingly speaks about those who idle. But, where did the expression come from?
There are many expressions for idleness in the Russian language. “Бить баклуши” (“bit baklushi”), or “beating a dummy” is one of those expressions.
Laziness is said to be one of the main Russian character traits. Not by accident, one of the main folk tales' characters is Ilya Muromets, who lay on a stove for 33 years. Or remember Ivan Goncharov's novel ‘Oblomov’", whose hero spends half of the book lying on the couch?
Most often, such expressions as 'bit baklushi' are used in colloquial speech and in a negative way. Usually, parents tell off children who are too lazy to study or clean their room in this way.
A ‘baklusha’ or ‘dummy’ is a piece of wood, a blank for making a wooden spoon. The spoon-maker puts the spoon on a log and beats it with a special carpenter's tool, giving it the desired shape.
It was considered a very easy task that anyone could do. Often, masters assigned their apprentices to do it and they would get bored with this monotonous task. Over time, this action and acquired a figurative meaning.
