Once upon a time, the whole world was afraid to see «Kuzkina mat». But few people even then understood what it meant. And now the meaning of this expression has become completely incomprehensible to most young people.
Who was Kuzka? Why was his mother so feared? And why is he still often mentioned in threats and quarrels?
Why is Kuzka so scary
Back in Slavic folklore, the name Kuzka was associated with a person of bad character. В proverbs he was usually a pugnacious, feisty, and generally unpleasant character.
«Kuzkina's mother» was a whip, which traditionally the groom took with him to the wedding, as a symbol of power in the family.
Someone claims that the name is related to a Permian Komi word that meant «Devil» or «Leshy».
Stories of the origin and negative coloring of this name are numerous. But all converge to one thing - «Kuzkina mat» has never boded well.
Why the whole world was afraid of «Kuzkina mat»
All peoples of the world have folklore. But rarely does it transcend the boundaries of local culture. But «Kuzkina mat» was an exception.
The older generation is well aware of the Nikita Khrushchev story. In 1960, Khrushchev tried to attract the attention of the audience during his speech at the UN General Assembly. To do this, he took his shoe off his foot and tapped it on the podium. In addition, he shouted «I'll show you Kuzkin's mother!».
Of course, none of the foreigners present understood the threat. Although the interpreters tried very hard to convey the essence to them.
One thing was clear - the USSR was threatening the world with something terrible. And against the backdrop of the Cold War and the nuclear race of the time, this threat sounded especially strong. In the headlines of foreign newspapers there were even fears that the USSR was preparing the latest nuclear weapon called «Kuzkin's Mother». But all this turned out to be just a manifestation of Nikita Khrushchev's eccentric behavior.
Russian swear words
Swear words in Russian-speaking countries have always been multifaceted. You can find absolutely incredible expressions among the profanity. And it is impossible to explain them to foreigners.
And all thanks to the excessive emotionality of Slavic people. Russian swear words were invented not from words, but from emotions. Therefore, the vocabulary of profanity is replenished to this day.
Swear words were also actively used by Russian classics in works. In literature, frank words and expressions are present. Oh, Mayakovsky, Yesenin and even Pushkin were especially fond of inserting them into their works.
There are also softer swear words. They often slipped into classic novels and novellas by many authors.
Russian swear words have long been part of the cultural traditions of the Slavic peoples. But this does not mean that Russian-speaking countries are distinguished by boorish behavior and rude speech.
It is just a manifestation of high emotionality and a subtle worldview. Academic dictionaries sometimes simply do not have enough censorious words to describe a situation or a feeling.
Therefore, Russian swear words can be considered not profanity in the classical sense, but only a means of manifestation of emotions.
