Phraseologism caliph for an hour. King for a day

Phraseologism "Caliph for an hour" meaning

The person who received a short time some privileges, power, etc.

King for a day- so they say about people who came to power by accident and for a short time, and then forced to say goodbye to it. "You are here - the caliph for an hour, and I am a zemstvo man!" - the marshal of the nobility, a local native, says dismissively to one official appointed from above - the governor, in one of the stories of the writer N. Leskov. By this he wanted to say: you will be removed from here, but I will stay.
The meaning is clear, but what is the origin? It is borrowed from Arabian tales"Thousand and One Nights". famous hero According to Eastern legends, the caliph (king) of Baghdad Harun al-Rashid condescended to the desire of one of his subjects - although for a short time to become caliph (compare ""). This man was put to sleep, transferred to the palace, and when he woke up, they began to give him royal honors. However, this comedy did not last long: soon the newly-appeared caliph was put to sleep again and returned to his hut. This fairy tale and later gave rise to our ironic saying.

Example:“Kerensky is between two millstones, if not the one, the other will erase him ... He is the caliph for an hour” (M. Sholokhov).

(An expression from the fairy tale “Awake dream, or the Caliph is upon us”, which is part of the collection of Arabic fairy tales “A Thousand and One Nights.” According to the plot of the fairy tale, the young Baghdad Abu-Hassan, who dreamed of being a caliph for at least a short time, without knowing it, becomes one of them day. He quickly gets the taste and gives various orders. But, waking up the next morning, he finds himself again in his house).

0 Many catchphrases came into our speech from old fairy tales, myths or legends. Some ancient works turned out to be so popular that they were literally torn into quotes, one of them can rightly be called a book " Thousand and One Nights"Even today it is read in one breath, not to mention medieval times, when such texts made many people tremble with horror and worry about the adventures of the heroes as if they were their own. We will talk about one of the aphorisms of this tale today, this King for a day, you can find out the value a little lower. Our resource site contains transcripts of many youth terms and criminal slang, so do not forget to add it to your bookmarks.
However, before I continue, I would like to advise you to familiarize yourself with a couple more interesting publications on the topic of phraseological units. For example, what does Blood with milk mean; what are winged words; which means where the eyes look; the meaning of the expression Get out of the water, etc.
So let's continue what does caliph for an hour mean? The word Caliph in some countries of the East denotes the title of the supreme ruler of Muslims, usually combining spiritual and secular power.

King for a day- so they say about a person who received certain privileges or power for a short time

Synonym of Caliph: (part.) president, lord, king, secretary general, leader, leader.

In The Thousand and One Nights, there is main character who is called Caliph Haroun Al Rashid. In fact, his real name was Abu Jafar Harun ibn Muhammad (March 17, 763 - March 24, 809). This man was an Arab caliph, the ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate. His nickname "ar-Rashid", which translates as "Righteous", he received from his father, Caliph Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Mahdi, when he was appointed heir to the throne.

In those days, nobles and rich people had great power, but they were constantly bored. A man gets bored with everything, that's how he is arranged, and when expensive stallions, women and wars get bored, the rich look for new entertainments.
Harun al Rashid got rid of boredom by walking in his own hometown Baghdad. He changed clothes common man and watched how his people lived. On one of his outings, Harun got into a conversation with a guy who dreamed of becoming a caliph, at least for a couple of days. Hearing this desire, Harun immediately realized that this could entertain him for a while.

By order caliph, this man was drunk, and after he fell into a dream, he was transferred to the royal chambers. When he woke up, the whole world was already at his feet. The whole day, this man tasted the joys of royal life, tasting unprecedented dishes, and feeling the concubines. Then he was put to sleep again, and transferred back to where they had been taken from. It is this parable that explains the expression Caliph for an hour, the meaning of which we analyzed a little higher.

Our life is full of not only falls, but also dizzying ups, the main thing is to be ready for everything that can happen. This is especially noticeable in the acting profession, here you are a young aspiring actor who is not known to anyone, and suddenly after one film, you take off to Olympus and become interesting to literally everyone. Time passes, your success is slowly forgotten, and now you again vegetate in obscurity and drag out a miserable existence.
Most people in life occupy a place somewhere in the middle, they do not climb to the top, but they are still far from the very bottom. As a result, no one will judge if he does not achieve anything in life, because in general, life is already quite favorable to him.

From all of the above, we can conclude that you need to be afraid of your desires, which may unexpectedly come true. It's good that Harun turned out to be a normal guy, albeit with signs star disease. However, if there had been another ruler in his place, for example, Genghis Khan, everything could have been more deplorable.

After reading this short post, you have learned Caliph per hour value

Included in the collection oriental tales“A Thousand and One Nights” includes the Arabic fairy tale “Wake Dream, or Caliph for an Hour” (the author of the first European translation from Arabic is the French orientalist Antoine Galland (Galland, 1703-1717))

In this tale, the young Baghdadian Abu-Ghassan invited a stranger, a foreign merchant, to visit him, not suspecting that the caliph Harun al-Rashid was in front of him. Abu Ghassan shared with the stranger his cherished dream- at least for one day to become caliph. The real caliph, wanting to have fun, puts sleeping pills in Abu-Gassan's wine, gives the order to transfer him to the palace and instructs his retinue to render him, when he wakes up, honors befitting a caliph.

Waking up, Abu-Ghassan believed that he was a real caliph. All day long he enjoyed the luxury of palace life. But in the evening he is again served wine with sleeping pills and brought back home. The operetta Caliph for an Hour, based on the fairy tale by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), contributed to the widespread use of this expression.

The Thousand and One Nights (Tales of Scheherazade), a famous collection of oriental tales and stories in Arabic. Refers to the X-XV centuries.

Examples

(1905 - 1984)

"Quiet Don"(1925 - 1940), book 2, part 4 ch. 12:

"Kerensky between two millstones - if not the one, then the other will erase him. Let him sleep for the time being on Alice's bed. He is a caliph for an hour."

(1828 - 1910)

"Resurrection" (1889 - 1899), part 1, ch. 50.

King for a day

King for a day
From the Arabic fairy tale "Wake Dream, or Caliph for an Hour", which is part of the collection "A Thousand and One Nights". (The author of the first European translation from Arabic is the French orientalist Lntuan Gallan.)
In this tale, a young Baghdadian, Abu-Ghassan, invites a stranger to visit him, not suspecting that he is facing the caliph Haroun al-Rashid, walking around Baghdad under the guise of a visiting merchant. Abu-Ghassan shared with the stranger his cherished dream - to become caliph at least for one day. Harun al-Rashid, wanting to have fun, puts sleeping pills in Abu-Ghassan's wine, gives the order to transfer him to the palace and instructs his retinue to render him, when he wakes up, honors befitting a Caliph.
The joke succeeds. Abu Hassan believes that he is a real caliph, enjoys the luxury of palace life all day and begins to give various orders. In the evening, he again receives wine with sleeping pills, and he, sleepy, is taken home. In the tale, the awakening of Abu Ghassan is associated with many comic details.
The operetta Caliph for an hour by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) contributed to the popularity of this expression.
Allegorically: about a person who is endowed with power for a short time, by chance (ironic).

encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .

King for a day

So called a person endowed with power for a short time. This expression arose from the Arabic fairy tale "Dream Waking, or Caliph for an Hour", included in the collection "A Thousand and One Nights". In this tale, a young Baghdadian, Abu-Ghassan, invites a stranger to visit him, not suspecting that he is facing Caliph Haroun al-Rashid, who was surveying Baghdad under the guise of a visiting merchant. Abu-Hassan expresses to him his cherished dream: by some miracle, at least for one day, to become caliph. Harun al-Rashid, wanting to have fun, puts sleeping pills in Abu-Ghassan's wine, gives the order to transfer him to the palace and instructs his retinue to render him, when he wakes up, the honors befitting the Caliph, so that he believes that he really caliph. The joke succeeds. Abu-Ghassan is gradually convinced of his greatness, enjoys the whole day the luxury of palace life and, having entered the role of caliph, begins to give various orders. In the evening, he again receives wine with sleeping pills, and when he is drowsy, he is taken home. The awakening of Abu Ghassan is accompanied by many comic details. Offenbach's (1819-1880) opperta Caliph for an hour contributed to the popularity of this expression.

Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004

Synonyms:

See what "Kalif for an hour" is in other dictionaries:

Vremenshchik Dictionary of Russian synonyms. caliph for an hour n., number of synonyms: 1 temporary worker (2) Dictionary of synonyms ASIS. V.N. Trishin ... Synonym dictionary

- (inosk.) temporarily having power Cf. Wedding boyar (joking.). Wed At the wedding, all the boyars were caliph for an hour. Wed The leader said to one governor: you are the caliph here for an hour, and I am a zemstvo man. What's with! Leskov. Laughter and grief. 71. Wed. Former… … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

King for a day- wing. sl. So called a person endowed with power for a short time. This expression arose from the Arabic fairy tale "Dream in wakefulness, or Caliph for an hour", included in the collection "A Thousand and One Nights". In this tale, the young Baghdadian Abu Ghassan calls to ... ... Universal optional practical Dictionary I. Mostitsky

King for a day- Book. Express. A person whose power is short-lived. Kerensky between two millstones, not the one, so the other will erase him ... He is caliph for an hour (Sholokhov. Quiet Don). The expression goes back to the name of the Arabic fairy tale "Awake dream, or Caliph for an hour" from the collection ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

king for a day- 1. about a person who received power by accident, for a short time; 2. about a person who accidentally and briefly became someone who took up a business that is not characteristic of him (usually prestigious). The expression goes back to the Arabic tale “Awake dream, or Caliph on ... ... Phraseology Handbook

Caliph for an hour (inosk.) temporarily in power. Wed Wedding boyar (joking). Wed At the wedding, all the boyars were caliph for an hour. Wed The leader said to one governor: you are the caliph here for an hour, and I am a zemstvo man. What is it! Leskov. Laughter and ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

See the master for half a third year ... IN AND. Dal. Proverbs of the Russian people

king for a day- iron. About a person endowed with or seized power for a short time ... Dictionary of many expressions

Caliph for an hour Man of the Moment ... Wikipedia

- (arab. chalifah, from chalafa to inherit). The title of the Sultan of the Ottomans, as the head of the Mohammedans. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. CALIPH Arab. chalifah, from chalafa, to inherit. The title of the Sultan of the Ottomans, as the head of ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Books

• Russian theater or Complete collection of all Russian theatrical works. Ch. 26. Operas: N. P. Triumph of Good Morality. - D. Gorchakov. King for a day. - . Milozor and Prelesta.
• Russian theater or Complete collection of all Russian theatrical works. Ch. 26. Operas: N. P. Triumph of Good Morality. - D. Gorchakov. King for a day. -. Milozor and Prelesta. , . The book is a reprint edition of 1786. Although serious work has been done to restore the original quality of the edition, some pages may…

The meaning of the phraseologism "Caliph for an hour" is suitable for those cases when people talk about a person who does not stay long at the top. You can say that about almost anyone.

Story

The popular expression came to us from the wonderful, and sometimes terrible, fairy tales "A Thousand and One Nights." They have famous character, a favorite not only of children, but also of adults (for example, American writer O. Henry) - caliph Harun-al-Rashid. This ruler did not like boredom and was a great entertainer.

It is no secret that the ruler of Baghdad had a habit of going to the people in disguise. There he saw with his own eyes how his subjects live.

One day the caliph met a man who shared his cherished dream with him: the man wanted to reign for at least a day, to be a ruler. The future victim of the prank did not suspect that in front of him was the one who could fulfill his desire. A real ruler has only one goal - entertainment.

The young man was drugged and brought to the palace. He woke up a caliph. All day the temporary lord enjoyed his position, and then he was also put to sleep and transported to his former home.

Such is the history of the expression "Caliph for an hour", the origin of the phraseological unit is explained precisely by this tale.

Meaning

So they say about a person who, in many respects by chance or for a while, was at the helm of power or became the ruler of thoughts. Human life is full of ups and downs, so we can say that many of the people are temporary figures in different areas life. The randomness of the vital flow is especially clearly visible in the example acting profession. If you take the trouble to watch several Hollywood films of a certain decade (60s, 70s, 80s, etc.), you can see: each new such time period is marked by new faces, and only recognized masters remain. Thus, the meaning of the phraseologism "Kalif for an hour" is ideally suited to the constant circulation of actors in the industry.

Hank Moody and idiom

The scandalous character of "Californication" in the first season of the series used the expression for its intended purpose. When he met a fan in a bookstore with his creation in her hands, the hero approached, and the girl asked him:

So you are that great writer?

No, rather, caliph for an hour.

The meaning of the phrase no longer needs explanation.

Creative professions as a haven for "caliphs"

Most people strive for stability, but some originals sacrifice stability in the hope of reaching the stars and remaining in history. Of course, you can “fall scorched”, but life is fraught with risk, there is nothing to be done.

For example, now everyone is completely addicted to Pelevin or Fifty Shades of Grey, and earlier the reader was held in high esteem (twenty years ago) by authors such as Sidney Sheldon, Harold Robbins and Jace Hadley Chase. Probably not many people remember them. It turned out that the meaning of the phraseologism "Caliph for an hour" is fully applicable to them. Twenty years by the standards of history is like one day.

Things were even worse with the great painters. They, as a rule, did not receive any fame or money during their lifetime, of course, not all, but many. For example, Gauguin and Van Gogh died beggars.

Athletes can also, with certain reservations, be attributed to the "creative intelligentsia." Here the situation is not as sad as with writers and artists. The best of the athletes live like kings, in honor and wealth, but only narrow specialists know how many talents were lost on the way to glory. All these young people, who never “shot”, fit the meaning of the phraseological unit “Caliph for an hour”.

However, let's not talk about sad things. In their youth, many people want to “leave in history”, but closer to middle age they understand that they are most likely destined for a completely ordinary life with its sorrows and joys.

The middle and the ordinary are not always bad, an inconspicuous life has one undoubted advantage: no one expects anything special from an ordinary citizen, which means that he is free both before people and before the face of history. Can achieve something - great! If he can't, he won't be judged. Either way, he wins.

We examined the phraseological unit "Caliph for an hour", its history and meaning. The wise reader will understand that the moral of the expression is this: be afraid of your desires, for they may come true. It is good that Harun al-Rashid played a good joke on the young man, and he could test him in a big way.

Caliph for an hour is:

Caliph for an hour Caliph for an hour
From the Arabic fairy tale "Wake Dream, or Caliph for an Hour", which is part of the collection "A Thousand and One Nights". (The author of the first European translation from Arabic is the French orientalist Lntuan Gallan.)
In this tale, a young Baghdadian, Abu-Ghassan, invites a stranger to visit him, not suspecting that he is facing the caliph Haroun al-Rashid, walking around Baghdad under the guise of a visiting merchant. Abu-Ghassan shared with the stranger his cherished dream - to become caliph at least for one day. Harun al-Rashid, wanting to have fun, puts sleeping pills in Abu-Ghassan's wine, gives the order to transfer him to the palace and instructs his retinue to render him, when he wakes up, honors befitting a Caliph.
The joke succeeds. Abu Hassan believes that he is a real caliph, enjoys the luxury of palace life all day and begins to give various orders. In the evening, he again receives wine with sleeping pills, and he, sleepy, is taken home. In the tale, the awakening of Abu Ghassan is associated with many comic details.
The operetta Caliph for an hour by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) contributed to the popularity of this expression.
Allegorically: about a person who is endowed with power for a short time, by chance (ironic).

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M .: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003.

Caliph for an hour This is the name given to a person endowed with power for a short time. This expression arose from the Arabic fairy tale "Dream Waking, or Caliph for an Hour", included in the collection "A Thousand and One Nights". In this tale, a young Baghdadian, Abu-Ghassan, invites a stranger to visit him, not suspecting that he is facing Caliph Haroun al-Rashid, who was surveying Baghdad under the guise of a visiting merchant. Abu-Hassan expresses to him his cherished dream: by some miracle, at least for one day, to become caliph. Harun al-Rashid, wanting to have fun, puts sleeping pills in Abu-Ghassan's wine, gives the order to transfer him to the palace and instructs his retinue to render him, when he wakes up, the honors befitting the Caliph, so that he believes that he really caliph. The joke succeeds. Abu-Ghassan is gradually convinced of his greatness, enjoys the whole day the luxury of palace life and, having entered the role of caliph, begins to give various orders. In the evening, he again receives wine with sleeping pills, and when he is drowsy, he is taken home. The awakening of Abu Ghassan is accompanied by many comic details. Offenbach's (1819-1880) opperta Caliph for an hour contributed to the popularity of this expression.

Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004.

Caliph (disambiguation)

Caliph:

• Caliph - the title of the ruler of the Muslims
• Caliph for an hour (Caliph for an hour) - a "winged" expression derived from the eponymous name of a fairy tale from the cycle "1001 Nights". Other versions of the name of the tale are "Caliph for an hour, or the story about Abu-l-Hasan-Kutila" and "A waking dream, or Caliph for an hour."
  • Caliph for an hour (film)
  • Caliph for an hour - a story by Yuri Grekov.
• Khalif, Lev Yakovlevich (born 1930) - Russian poet, prose writer.
• Caliph-stork - cartoon, 1981

"" Caliph for an hour "" - what does it mean? Where does this expression his story come from?

"" Caliph for an hour "" - what does it mean? Where does this expression come from?

Sergey v Karapin

So called a person endowed with power for a short time. The expression went to be from the fairy tale "A dream in reality, or Caliph for an hour", which was included in the collection "A Thousand and One Nights".

A young man from Baghdad, Abu-Ghassan, invites a stranger to visit, in whom he did not recognize Caliph Haroun-al-Rashid, who under the guise of a visiting merchant surveyed Baghdad. Abu - Ghassan shares his cherished dream with him: to become caliph in any way. Wanting to have fun, Haroun - al - Rashid pours young man sleeping pills and orders him to be transferred to the palace so that he believes that he is really the caliph. The joke succeeds. Abu-Ghassan is gradually convinced of his greatness, because the retinue of the caliph renders him the honors befitting the caliph, enjoying the palace life all day long. In the evening, lulled again with sleeping pills, he gets home. The awakening of Abu - Ghassan in his house causes many comic situations.

What is a qalif for an hour?

Wunschlos glucklich

Caliph for an hour speaks of leaders or bosses who have been in power for a while or by accident, whose position in the leadership chair is fragile and short-lived. As a rule, these are some deputies acting as the first person during his absence.
According to dictionaries, the word caliph or, more precisely, caliph comes from the Arabic word caliph, which means "successor", "deputy". The title of the Islamic ruler as the leader of the believers and the successor of Muhammad, the supreme head of the Islamic community, who exercised spiritual and secular leadership in the Islamic world. Under the deputy here is understood, apparently, the deputy (successor) of the Prophet Muhammad.
The very expression caliph for an hour has a somewhat ironic connotation and came to us from the tales of the Thousand and One Nights. According to a legend that existed in the East, the famous caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid, somehow decided to have fun and allowed one of his subjects to temporarily take his place and “work” as the caliph of the whole kingdom with all the royal powers and privileges. (Compare with ancient Greek myth about the sword of Damocles). According to legend, that man was put to sleep, then taken to the palace, and when he woke up, he found himself on the throne, and all the subjects paid him royal honors and praise. For a while he enjoyed his position, but then he was again put to sleep and returned to his own place. The story is over.
In politics, a caliph for an hour is a temporary worker who finds himself at the trough of power, whose task is simple - to have time to grab more and make his feet faster.

Valentin Khovrin

The answers above are detailed and simple.
There is a group
Faith No More
They have a song from the album of the same name
-King For A Day
King for a day.
Very nice song.

To be caliph for one hour. What does this mean?

Vein

What is "caliph for an hour"?

need a synonym

Tatiana baby

So they say about people who came to power by chance and for a short time, and then forced to say goodbye to it. “You are here - the caliph for an hour, and I am a zemstvo man! ”- the marshal of the nobility, a local native, says dismissively to one official appointed from above - the governor, in one of the stories of the writer N. Leskov. By this he wanted to say: you will be removed from here, but I will stay.
The meaning is clear, but what is the origin? It is borrowed from the Arabian tales of the Thousand and One Nights. The famous hero of Eastern legends, the caliph (king) of Baghdad, Garun al-Rashid, condescended to the desire of one of his subjects - although for a short time to become a caliph (compare "Sword of Damocles"). This man was put to sleep, transferred to the palace, and when he woke up, they began to give him royal honors. However, this comedy did not last long: soon the newly-appeared caliph was put to sleep again and returned to his hut. This fabulous story gave rise to our ironic saying in the future.