Colossus with feet of clay - this is a kind of characteristic or assessment of something outwardly majestic and powerful, but in fact weak.

Where did this expression come into use in our everyday life - colossus on feet of clay?

Firstly, what is a colossus? Translated from Ancient Greek word colossus means big statue. This word went down in history and passed almost in its original form into other languages, thanks to the famous Colossus of Rhodes – giant statue, erected by the Greeks at the entrance to the port harbor of the city of Rhodes, located on the island of the same name in the Aegean Sea.

The inhabitants of Rhodes erected this statue as a sign of gratitude to the Sun God. Helios, which they believed helped them endure a long siege and drive out the invaders who attacked the city in 305 BC. They decided to erect the statue to an unprecedented size so that it could be seen from everywhere not only by the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes, but also by all the ships entering the port or sailing past on the sea.

A sculptor named Hares worked on the construction of the statue for twelve years, and he managed to present the god Helios in the form of a tall and slender youth, with a radiant crown on his head and with a torch in his raised hand. The statue was installed on a marble pedestal facing the sea. Helios seemed to be peering into the distance. In any case, this is how the Colossus of Rhodes is described historical sources, although no one has seen either the statue itself or its “lifetime” images.

The statue was made of clay, which was coated with a metal frame. From above, the entire figure of the monument was covered with bronze sheets. The height of the Colossus of Rhodes was 36 meters - approximately the height of a 12-story building! (According to other sources, the statue was even higher - 60 meters!) According to legend, the metal for the construction and covering of the statue was captured - the invaders, who had besieged the island for a whole year, fled, leaving behind all their siege weapons and other heavy metal equipment.

The Colossus of Rhodes stood in all its splendor for sixty-five years. In 222 BC. e. the statue collapsed under the shock of the earthquake. As the historian Strabo wrote, “the statue lay on the ground, overthrown by an earthquake and broken at the knees.” But the recumbent Colossus also caused surprise with its size. Other famous ancient historian Pliny the Elder mentioned that “only a few could grasp with both hands thumb hands of the statue."

The remains of the Colossus of Rhodes lay on the ground for more than a thousand years, then they were sold by the Arabs, who captured the island in the tenth century AD, to some enterprising merchant. Why the merchant needed the statue, for what... purpose is not known.

It is interesting that in idea and in description, the Statue of Liberty in America is very similar to the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes. Also located in the harbor, also on an island, also holding a torch in her hand...

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Colossus with feet of clay

Colossus with feet of clay
From French: Colosse auxpieds d\"argiles.
From the Bible. IN Old Testament, (Book of the Prophet Daniel, chapter 2, v. 31 - 35) speaks of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge, terrifying metal idol with clay feet. But suddenly a stone, torn from the mountain, hit these clay legs, broke them, and the colossus was defeated. The dream turned out to be prophetic: the Babylonian kingdom soon collapsed, like an idol with feet of clay.
WITH late XVIII V. this expression began to be used in relation to Russia. And as the French ambassador to the court of Catherine II, Count Segur, reports in his essay “Memoirs, or Memoirs and Anecdotes” (Paris, 1827), the first to call Russia that was the French philosopher-educator Denis Diderot (1713-1784), who visited the country (1773-1774). ) at the invitation of Catherine.
Recalling his stay in Russia, Segur writes in his Memoirs that if formerly Russia“was only a colossus with feet of clay, then this clay was allowed to harden and it turned into bronze.” This characterization of Russia is explained by the fact that Segur’s memoirs were written by him after the defeat Napoleonic army and the capture of Paris by Russian troops.
In 1830, when the question of armed intervention in Russian-Polish relations, many again remembered the words of Denis Diderot. A. S. Pushkin wrote in his poem “Borodin Anniversary”:
But you, troublemakers of the chambers,
Easy-tongue twists,
You, the rabble of the disastrous alarm,
Slanderers, enemies of Russia!
What did you take?.. Is Russia still
A sick, relaxed colossus?
Is there still northern glory?
An empty parable, a false dream?
German literature gave its own options famous words Diderot is the “Asian Colossus” (1833), the author of which was Heinrich Laube (1806-1884), and the “Northern Colossus” by the German critic and publicist Karl Ludwig Berne (1786-1837). The latter expression was applied in the 1840s not only to Russia, but also to its Emperor Nicholas I. The phrase “Russian colossus” was also popular at this time.
The Western European press later widely used the expression “colossus with feet of clay,” using it to characterize the no longer Tsarist Russia, and the Soviet Union.
Allegorically: something outwardly great, strong, grandiose, but in fact weak from the inside, easily vulnerable, which makes all the power of this “colossus” illusory.

Encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

Colossus with feet of clay

The expression is used when talking about something majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the Bible (Daniel, 2, 31-35), from the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal image on clay feet; a stone torn from the mountain struck the clay feet of the idol and broke them (a symbol of his kingdom, which was destined to collapse).

Dictionary of catch words. Plutex. 2004.

See what “Colossus with Feet of Clay” is in other dictionaries:

Cm … Dictionary of synonyms

COLOSSUS, a, m. (book). A statue, a structure of enormous size. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

A winged expression that characterizes something that is majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the biblical story about the interpretation by the prophet Daniel of the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:31 35). History of the expression ... Wikipedia

Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the Colossus about the feet of clay as a biblical expression. IN figurative meaning“colossus with feet of clay” fragile, unfaithful, unreliable, unsteady, unstable, unsteady, dangerous, risky, brittle, brittle, slippery, ... ... Wikipedia

Colossus with feet of clay- Book Iron. Something that looks majestic and impressive, but is actually weak and fragile. But although he [Hitler] himself claimed that Soviet Union this is a “colossus with feet of clay”, in the depths of his consciousness he began to gradually feel that the war with Russia... ... Phrasebook Russian literary language

Colossus with feet of clay- wing. sl. The expression is used when talking about something majestic in appearance, but essentially weak. It arose from the Bible (Daniel, 2, 31 35), from the story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw a huge metal... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary I. Mostitsky

colossus with feet of clay- What am I talking about? outwardly majestic, but essentially weak. From the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw in a dream a huge metal idol with clay feet, which collapsed when a stone torn from the mountain hit him on... ... Dictionary of many expressions

Book Iron. or Neglect What l. majestic, powerful in appearance, but weak, easily destroyed in essence. FSRYA, 202. /i> Goes back to the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who saw a giant in a dream (cf. colossus from ... ... Big dictionary Russian sayings

Wed. Slanderers, enemies of Russia! What did you take? Is Ross still the Sick, Relaxed Colossus? A.S. Pushkin. Borodino anniversary. Wed. The large, terrible idol had a head of pure gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of copper, legs... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

colossus with feet of clay- book. , often ironic. or neglected something majestic, powerful in appearance, but weak and easily destroyed in essence. The expression goes back to the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who had an ominous dream. He saw... ... Phraseology Guide

Books

• Rus' between two fires - against Batu and the “dog knights”, Mikhail Eliseev. There is no sadder story in the world than “The Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land” from Batu’s invasion, and debate about the causes and culprits of this catastrophe has been raging for centuries. How did the steppe hordes manage to...

How to explain the origin of the expression “colossus with feet of clay”? We owe the appearance of this phrase to the Book of the Prophet Daniel. It tells the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The story describes his dream, in which the king saw a huge metal idol scary looking. The head of this idol was gold, the chest and arms were made of silver, the body was made of copper, and the legs were made of iron. Legs mostly were made of clay. In the king’s vision, one stone came off the mountain, which, falling on the feet of the idol, broke them.

But the word “colossus” does not appear in the source. Where is the connection then? To thoroughly understand this issue, it is necessary to know the original meaning of the word “colossus”. To do this, you should contact Greek language, where the word meant nothing more than “large statue.” This is exactly what they called the gigantic statue of the ancient Greek sun god Helios or Apollo. This copper statue was erected in 280 BC in the harbor of the island of Rhodes.

The book of the prophet Daniel appeared around 165-168 BC. Therefore, we can assume that Daniel was fully aware of the existence and meaning of the word “colossus.” Unfortunately, the original of the prophet’s work has not survived to this day. Therefore, we can only guess that when translating this book, the expression “large idol” became a replacement for the word “colossus”. But there is no doubt that the phrase “colossus with feet of clay” came to us from a biblical story. This expression means something that looks monumental and majestic, but is also very fragile, weak and easily destroyed.

The expression comes from the biblical story about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who had an ominous dream. He saw a huge image whose head was made of gold, its chest and arms were made of silver, its belly and thighs were made of copper, its knees were made of iron, and its feet were made of clay. A stone falling from the mountain hit his clay feet, and he turned to dust. The king gathered priests and soothsayers, and one of them interpreted this dream as a fatal omen of future destruction and death Babylonian kingdom under the attacks of the Persians (which happened soon, according to legend, in fact).

This story is told in the Old Testament (Book of the Prophet Daniel, chapter 2, v. 31 - 35):

“31. You, king, had such a vision: behold, some kind of large idol; this idol was huge, it stood before you in extreme splendor, and its appearance was terrible.

32. This image had a head of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of copper,

33. His legs are of iron, his feet are partly iron, partly clay.

34. You saw him until a stone was torn away from the mountain without the help of hands, and struck the image, its iron and clay feet, and broke them.

35. Then everything was crushed together: iron, clay, copper, silver and gold became like dust on the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, and no trace remained of them; and the stone that broke the image became great mountain and filled the whole earth."

This expression uses the word "colossus"(not the ear). The word “colossus” means - 1. A gigantic, enormously sized statue, column, etc. 2. About something overwhelming in size or greatness (Explanatory Dictionary, 1935-1940).

The word colossus originally meant “giant”, “idol” and has ancient Greek roots. Thus, the expression means a Giant with feet of clay (and not a stalk (ear) with feet of clay).

The phrase is also used in other languages, for example, in French - Colosse aux pieds d'argiles.

Examples

Vadim Serov

Encyclopedic dictionary of popular words and expressions. — M.: “Lockeed-Press”. 2003 The author writes that foreign states often used the phrase “Colossus with feet of clay” in relation to Russia and the USSR:

“German literature gave its own versions of Diderot’s famous words - “Asian colossus” (1833), the author of which was Heinrich Laube (1806-1884), and “northern colossus” by the German critic and publicist Karl Ludwig Berne (1786-1837). The latter expression was used in the 1840s, not only to Russia, but also to its Emperor Nicholas I. At this time, the phrase “Russian colossus” was also popular in the Western European press and later widely used the expression “colossus with feet of clay,” using it to describe no longer. Tsarist Russia, but the Soviet Union."

(1799 - 1837)

“Borodino Anniversary” (1830):

"But you, troublemakers of the chambers,
Easy-tongue twists,
You, the rabble of the disastrous alarm,
Slanderers, enemies of Russia!
What did you take?..
Is Russia still
A sick, relaxed colossus?
Is there still northern glory?
An empty parable, a false dream?

"Colossus with feet of clay." Who do they call that? “Pravmir” continues to talk about how famous people are changing biblical expressions, ending up in journalistic texts and blogs. This time we will talk about an allegorical definition of something outwardly majestic, but in reality weak.

REFERENCE

A colossus with feet of clay they call something grandiose, seemingly powerful, but essentially insignificant, ready to collapse at any moment.

The source is a biblical story about how King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was interpreted. The prophet found himself at the court of the Babylonian ruler, having come to him as a hostage, and revealed to the king the secret of his dream:

“You, king, had such a vision: behold, some kind of large idol; This idol was huge, it stood before you in extreme splendor, and its appearance was terrible. This image had a head of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of copper, its legs of iron, its legs partly of iron and partly of clay. You saw him until the stone came off the mountain without the help of hands, struck the image, his iron and clay feet, and broke them ... "

Interestingly, the biblical texts themselves do not contain the word “colossus.” It only appeared in mid-19th century, after Count Segur in his memoirs cited the words of Diderot, who called him “a colossus with feet of clay” Russian Empire. Perhaps the writer remembered the biblical story of the colossus. Diderot's expression caught on in the press and became popular in relation to Russia.

In the 21st century press they call it a colossus with feet of clay. different countries. And not only countries, but also large companies, departments and even just individuals. For example, in the Ukrainian press I found the headline “Dwarf with Feet of Clay.” The article was about Ukrainian statehood (which was given such a definition) and that the Orange Revolution did not live up to expectations. Here it’s not even a colossus, but a dwarf! That is, he no longer even seems huge and powerful, as in the original expression, but appears small, and, moreover, ready to completely disappear at any moment.

And in one of the articles the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs was called “a monster with feet of clay.” The department received this name after the so-called “Vradiev case.” His defendants - police officers - are accused of beating and raping a local girl (Vradievka - a village in the Nikolaev region). Monster - because it turns out that the police should be afraid. And he has feet of clay - because the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as they say in the opposition, is not in control of the situation and looks confused; The authorities use the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their own purposes.

"Tandem with feet of clay." This, of course, is about Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin. In an article with this title, we're talking about about the Magnitsky case and why the Russian leadership cannot punish those involved in the death of the lawyer.

Rarely, but still this expression is used not in political, but in other texts. Even in sports. For example: “Wimbledon 2013. Authorities have feet of clay.” The point is that those who were most expected to win suddenly lost.

Journalists themselves call Rupert Murdoch’s empire in one of their articles “a colossus with feet of clay” - due to a series of scandals that led to resignations.

Another large corporation, General Motors, was described in one of the publications of The Washington Times as “a superpower with feet of clay.”

“stands on feet of clay” - you can also find such statements.

And finally, direct, not figurative meaning: “Fakes with feet of clay.” This article is about idols and modern idolatry.

It is curious that this expression is used, as a rule, only in journalistic texts. You rarely hear it in blogs and live communication. Although it would be quite possible to call some bosses this way, for example. And any person whose reliability is deceptive.