The expression “put on the back burner” has, in principle, only one meaning. Moreover, it is consonant with the expression itself and has a negative meaning when used. It means putting off unimportant tasks for later, unbearably delaying their implementation.

Alternatively, the verbal expression “put on the back burner” is considered to be derived from the nominal phraseological phrase “long box,” which is most often used to denote the postponed execution of something. For example, a will is a postponement of the execution of some actions for a time after the death of a person.

It is much more interesting to learn about where this phraseological turn of phrase came from in our great and mighty Russian language. Because there are several versions of its origin.

Version one is the official one. It is believed that the origins of the meaning of the expression “put on the back burner” go back to the seventeenth century, during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet, the father of Peter the Great.

It was he who established the establishment of a box in the square opposite his Kolomna Palace for submitting all requests, proposals, petitions and complaints. Since at that time all records were made on long sheets of paper - rolls or birch bark - the box was quite long in shape.

The problem was that the box was checked very rarely, so complaints rarely reached the sovereign. Sometimes they didn’t arrive at all, because the courtiers sorted them out. Since we had to wait a very long time for an answer, the common people called this box the long one.

Version two is semi-official. Some believe that the expression “shelving” acquired its meaning much later, in the nineteenth century. At this time, in the offices and offices of officials there were obligatory chests of drawers with file cabinets of things that needed to be done. The drawers in these filing cabinets were very long.

And often cases that did not require urgent consideration were put off in the longest and furthest drawer. Hence the expression.

From the same working environment came a synonymous phraseological expression - put under the carpet. These same officials “hid” or put aside unnecessary matters under the cloth that covered the desks in their offices.

The third version is folk. In the Russian language, the semantics of the words “long” and “long” coincide in the common people. In other words, these words are synonyms.

Even the pronunciation of the phraseological phrase varies - some use both the pronunciation “put on the back burner” and the pronunciation “put on the back burner.”

Version four is foreign. In German there is a synonymous phraseological phrase: etwas in die lange Truhe legen. Literally this expression means to put something in a long chest. Most often in Germany, this expression is used in the judicial and legal industries to refer to too long an investigation of a case, “grouse”

But upon detailed semantic examination, it is very similar to Russian. Some philologists believe that the Russian-language expression is a reflection of the German-language version for certain situations.

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Put in a long box

(under red cloth) - foreigner: put off for a long time

Wed. The training that began to become a teacher did not end in anything, or, in any case, shelved.

Ch. Uspensky. Without your will. 1.

Wed. Without shelving, they immediately went to the lake (hunting).

Pisemsky. People of the forties. 3, 19.

Wed. His trial was pleasant to everyone, because it ended soon: immediately there was an analysis and punishment, in the back box did not love save: everything would go with his living hand.

P.I. Melnikov. Old years. 3.

At the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, in Kolomenskoye Selo, a long box was made in a pillar, where petitions were placed, which were quickly examined by the Tsar, but remained without movement due to red tape in the offices. In Rus' before Peter I, petitions to the Tsar were also laid in the Archangel Cathedral on the graves of his ancestors.

Wed. Etwas auf die lange Bank schieben.

Place (in) on a long bench.

In the old German judicial system, judges sat between the benches, on which cases that were subject to immediate consideration lay. These benches (benches) were like boxes, and the things put aside were stored in these (long) benches.

Wed. Mettre l'affaire aux oubliettes.

Cm. with a living hand.

Russian thought and speech. Yours and someone else's. Experience of Russian phraseology. Collection of figurative words and parables. T.T. 1-2. Walking and apt words. A collection of Russian and foreign quotes, proverbs, sayings, proverbial expressions and individual words. St. Petersburg, type. Ak. Sci.. M. I. Mikhelson. 1896-1912.

See what “put on the back burner” means in other dictionaries:

- (under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a box for requests). See IT'S TIME TO MEASURE HURRY... IN AND. Dahl. Proverbs of the Russian people

Put in a long box- What. Outdated Iron. Postpone the decision of the case for an indefinite period of time. The Senate, having interpreted the answer, put it, as they say, in a long box under a red cloth (Derzhavin. Notes) ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

Place the foreigner in a long box (under the red cloth). put off for a long time. Wed. The preparation that had begun to become a teacher did not end in anything, or, in any case, was put on the back burner. Ch. Uspensky. Without your will. 1. Wed. Not… … Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

What. Razg. Delay the execution of what? business for an indefinite period. FSRY, 543; BTS, 271, 1535; SHZF 2001, 29; FM 2002, 649; ZS 1996, 222, 342, 474, 476; F 2, 69; BMS 1998, 653; Mokienko 1986, 39; DP, 565...

Blue box. Simple Joking. iron. About TV. Mokienko 2003, 152. Long box. Jarg. corner. Joking. 1. Coffin. 2. Dark corridor. Baldaev 1, 113; Mokienko 2003, 152. /i> Cf. shelve. Put someone in a box. Jarg. they say Bring someone... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

Cm … Synonym dictionary

- (put) foreigner. put off for a more or less long time Under the cloth lies (the matter) Wed. Have mercy! tout coule, tout roule, but here the most useful projects lie under the carpet for half a year, and no one wants to think about anything! Saltykov. Little nothings of life. 1, 2, 2… Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary- In various styles of speech, phraseological units are widely used - stable phrases that form a semantic unity. Their function is varied: if in scientific and official business speech they are used mainly as... ... A reference book on spelling and style

Where this expression came from is not known for certain today. There are several opinions.

First. During the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, a box was installed in which people put their complaints and requests. The sheet on which they wrote was then rolled into a scroll (a tube). Therefore, documents were kept in boxes. So... Complaints were collected from the people, but no one answered them and no decisions were made.

Second. Officials in the 19th century sorted complaints according to a certain principle, putting them in filing cabinets, which were long boxes. Remember how it used to be in the library or archive. At that time, documents were no longer rolled into scrolls. But, nevertheless, they also looked at them for a very long time.

Third. As I said above, in those days when documents were rolled into scrolls, they were put in long boxes (stored like this). Well, such a case, let’s say a judicial one, will be put in such a box, and they will forget about it, they just don’t consider it necessary to consider it for some reason.

Each version has its place. Nowadays there are no such boxes anymore, we are gradually abandoning paper media and switching to electronic ones, but... this does not make our office work work better or faster.

Mental deviation or just promiscuity?

“Procrastination” (the habit of putting off) is translated from Latin as “for tomorrow.” And there are also synonyms: to hesitate, to procrastinate, to dig around, to take time, to drag, to put off, to delay, to slow down, to procrastinate, to stall for time, to shelve... I will deliberately not use the fashionable word “procrastination” in this text. In Western psychology it is used to define the phenomenon of laziness in general. But laziness is broader, more complex and multifaceted than simply postponing things for later.

Psychologists argue about the nature of procrastination. Some consider it a mental disorder, others - personal promiscuity. At the end of the 90s, there was even a report in the press that it was transmitted through genes and was, in principle, incurable. It seems to me, as a psychologist, that scientists take this natural human tendency to put off unpleasant things for later too seriously.

You can stall for time in different ways: don’t start it; do not decide to start; start and quit; doing many things at the same time, without finishing any of them; do many other things without touching the main thing, etc.

Here's what my survey participants said:

L. says:

“My husband, when the necessity of making any decision that requires further action, first ignores the problem for as long as possible, and then (under my pressure) gives out his sacramental: “We need to think!” That's what he said when I asked to buy it washing machine. A month later, I made a new request and heard: “We need to decide which model to choose.” Another 3-4 months passed... And only when I threatened that I would now go to a nearby (not the best) store and point my finger at the most expensive machine, my husband got scared. In the evening I already washed in the new washing machine.”

K says:

“I never do anything unless absolutely necessary. I won’t take out the trash until the bin is empty. I won’t buy groceries as long as there is at least something edible in the house. And so on. Of course, if they persistently ask, I do it. And this does not apply to interests and hobbies, of course. At work, measured work is not for me. Relaxation and then maximum concentration is my style. And, in general, I succeed.”

Causes of bad habit

And yet, the habit of procrastinating is a serious problem for many people, preventing them from living fully, working effectively and enjoying both work and rest. What causes it? Here are just a few reasons:

* inability to plan time;

* inability to concentrate;

* constant feeling of anxiety or fear;

* depression;

* diffidence;

* financial difficulties;

* family troubles;

* unrealistic expectations and hopes;

* perfectionism;

* fear of failure;

* fear of change;

* protest against rules and deadlines imposed from above;

Roast Rooster as a method

Those who always put things off for later are often said to be “putting their heels on.” One very important property of procrastination is noted here - the accumulation of tension. The longer you pull - either rubber or time - the larger it becomes. The outcome can be twofold. On the one hand, a stone thrown from a slingshot receives the energy to fly only when the rubber is properly tensioned. A person who is in no hurry to start work waits for such an impulse. When the deadlines are extremely tight, there is negligible time left, he feels a surge of strength and is able to fully concentrate on work (people also say: “the roast rooster has pecked”). On the other hand, if the rubber is pulled too long, it may burst. Storming is not The best way completing tasks, and sleepless nights are not the best time for this.

Scientists from the Center for the Study of Procrastination at Carton University (Canada), having studied several hundred students, came to the conclusion that young people who tend to procrastinate on studying are more likely to catch colds, sleep less, eat poorly, smoke and drink more. And the results of nightly vigils over textbooks, as a rule, are not the best.

Psychology of Saints

So what to do?

In Fatherland (stories about the holy fathers) there is the following parable: “One man had land, which, due to his negligence, turned barren and was overgrown with weeds. He needed to cultivate it, and he said to his son: “Go, clear our field.” The son went, but when he saw that it was overgrown with weeds, he lost heart and said to himself: “Will I ever eradicate all these weeds and cleanse the land?” With these words he lay down on the ground and fell asleep; He did this for many days. Then the father came to see what had been done and saw that nothing had been done. He said to his son: “Why haven’t you done anything yet?” The son replied: “I saw how many weeds there were and refused to work.” And the father said: “If every day you cultivated at least such a piece of land as you occupy while lying on it, then your work would little by little advance.” The young man acted according to his father’s instructions, and in a short time the field was cleared and cultivated.”

The Holy Fathers also knew about procrastination and developed their own recipes to combat it. Here, for example, is the advice given by Nikodim Svyatogorets in the book “Invisible Warfare.”

He noticed that the longer a task is postponed, the more difficult it seems and advises: “Do not hesitate to begin any task that you have to do, because the first short delay will lead you to a second, longer one, and the second to a third, even longer one.” long, and so on. Because of this, the work begins too late and... or is completely abandoned as burdensome... Not only during labor, but also when it is still far ahead, you will feel as if you have a mountain on your shoulders, you will be burdened by it and suffer, like slaves, in consisting of hopeless slavery. So even during your time of rest you will have no rest, and without work you will feel burdened with work.”

To overcome negligence, the Monk Nicodemus suggests... deceiving him, breaking the case into small blocks and taking breaks.

“If to perform any part of the service requires, let’s say, an hour of prayerful labor and it seems difficult for your laziness, then when you start this, do not think that you will have to stand for an hour, but imagine that it will continue for some quarter of an hour , and you will stand unnoticed, praying this quarter; Having stood for this, say to yourself: let’s stand for another quarter, it’s not much, as you can see; then do the same for the third and fourth quarters; and you will finish this work of prayer service without noticing the difficulties and burdens... Do the same in relation to your work and to the deeds of your obedience.”

Often we cannot start work because we are overwhelmed with things to do and, not knowing where to start, we fall into a stupor: “But don’t think about this multitude of things,” writes St. Nicodemus, “and reluctantly take on the first task and do it.” with all diligence, as if there were no others at all, and you will do it calmly; then do the same in relation to other matters and you will redo everything calmly, without confusion or fuss.”

For those who want to improve

Here is a list of tips for those who are prone to the habit of procrastination.

- Remember, what really important things have you been putting off for many years? Just don't name the first thing that comes to your mind. Your reluctance to start doing them is so great that the subconscious will obligingly provide you with any tasks other than these - truly important ones. So you will have to properly analyze your own life.

- Think about why you don’t want to start this particular activity. This requires honesty with yourself and, if you want, courage. Perhaps they are associated with pain or other unpleasant sensations. We are not always aware of this, but we subconsciously strive to avoid pain. But it is necessary to find out the reasons for the reluctance to take on something. Having found the roots of the problem, we are halfway to solving it.

- Think about the positive changes that will happen when you finally do these things.

— Try to calculate how you pay for inaction? Imagine how your life would turn out if you had not started putting off certain unpleasant but important things. What would be your health, level of education, position, marital status now?..

- Please note that we often instill in ourselves our attitude towards the upcoming work (“What a boring task I got!”) or to the person who assigned it (“The boss always assigns me the most hopeless projects! He hates me!”). Once spoken several times, this phrase becomes our firm belief. And, painfully forcing ourselves to sit down to work, we are already struggling with our own emotions, which we have just instilled in ourselves. Try to avoid such thoughts next time.

— Start a diary. This helps at least 30% of all people who like to save. Write down not only your to-do list, but also, which is very important, the results achieved.

- Having received a task, decide when you intend to begin completing it. Now or later? If the latter, mark the date in your diary.

- Analyze your feelings and thoughts. When does that moment come when you want to put off work indefinitely? As soon as you feel the first lazy urge, immediately tell yourself loudly and clearly: “Stop”! To be sure, you can even pinch yourself.

- The main thing is to start, overcome inertia - then things will be much more fun. After all, you have already taken off from the ground - and now you just need to fly, perhaps even enjoying the flight.

— Before starting work, promise yourself some small but pleasant reward. The main thing is that it is planned. You don't go out for coffee and quit midway through your work. You will do half the work – and after that you will allow yourself a coffee break. Do you feel the difference?

- Start doing the work with the simplest and least burdensome. Let the first stage be very small.

— Break your work day into blocks. The one who works without getting up for 2-3 hours achieves less than the one who allows himself a 10-minute break every hour. If you just can’t bring yourself to get down to work, break it down into very tiny, five-minute blocks. Most likely, once you get down to business, you will find that you get involved, and after five minutes you will feel sorry to quit what you started.

— If we are talking about a big project, once you start working on it, don’t stop. Even on days filled with other things, spend at least half an hour working on it, and if that’s not possible, then even 10 minutes. This way you won't lose the acceleration you gained at the start. If you stop, you will have to dial it again.

So, as we see, there are many ways to combat the habit of postponing things until later. If you decide to use them, remember the most important advice: take action today, this minute, not on Monday.

Like many phraseological units, the expression “shelve”, meaning to delay something for a long period of time, has ambiguous origins.

It is likely that this phraseological unit originates during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, nicknamed “The Quiet One,” on whose orders a long box for so-called petitioners was installed in the village of Kolomenskoye (the Tsar’s favorite residence) next to his palace.

Anyone could leave a message to the king in this box with a complaint or request. Complaints were collected only after this capacious box was completely filled. Then the messages were considered by clerks and boyars for a long time. And in Russian the word “dolgiy” means “long”. So it turns out that in order to file a petition, you need to “put it in a long box.” But still, we say: “put it on the back burner,” and not “put it away.”

Therefore, other philologists believe that the origin of the “long box” lies in the nineteenth century. At that time, various petitions, complaints and petitions were accepted to sort. So the officials laid out the submitted papers in different boxes. Cases that did not require a quick solution or simply did not want to be considered were put away in a desk drawer, which could be called a “long drawer.”

But it is also possible that the phrase “put on the back burner” came into Russian from German language: etwas in die lange Truhe legen, meaning “to put something in a long chest.” Indeed, in the eighteenth century, German courts actually had large and long chests for storing court papers. So, the affairs of the poor, unlike the nobility, whose affairs were resolved very quickly, were kept and waited for their “finest” hour in the farthest chest: well, what is not a “long box”.

In the end, I would like to note that the meaning of the last two versions fits very well with another phraseological expression “to put under cloth”, because official desks in government institutions were basically covered with cloth.