Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Meaning, origin, examples of the use of phraseological units

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Winged words, phraseological units. Meaning, history of origin, examples of use

Winged words, phraseological units

Directory / Winged words, phraseological units

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Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel

Samuel Johnson

Phraseologism: Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Meaning: About patriotic motives of actions in order to justify crimes.

Origin: From English: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel". Usually attributed to L. N. Tolstoy and interpreted incorrectly: supposedly the writer condemned patriotism as a feeling worthy only of scoundrels. The author of the expression is the English poet, critic, literary historian and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), who wanted to emphasize the nobility of patriotism with this phrase. And even the word "patriot" he wrote only with a capital letter. So, in the article "Patriot" (1774), which had the subtitle "Appeal to the Electors of Great Britain", S. Johnson urged his readers to elect worthy people to the English Parliament, true defenders of the interests of their country, because "only a Patriot is worthy of a seat in Parliament. Nobody no other will protect our rights, no one else will deserve our trust." And a patriot, according to S. Johnson, is one "whose public activity is determined by only one single motive - love for his country, one who, representing us in parliament, is guided in each case not by personal motives and fears, not by personal kindness or resentment, but by common interests "(quoted from: Literary newspaper. 2001. April 18-24). Thus, the author's meaning of this statement is: not everything is lost even for the most notorious villain, if a sense of patriotism is still alive in him, obeying which he can perform a good deed, a noble deed in war or in peacetime. That is, patriotism for such a person is the last chance to be morally reborn, to justify his life. Subsequently, the expression was rethought and began to be perceived as a call not to trust the big words about patriotism and civic duty. But both in the first and in the second case it does not allow a scornful, derogatory interpretation of patriotism as the morality of scoundrels.

Random phraseology:

Morals of Rasteryaeva Street.

Meaning:

Wildness and incivility.

Origin:

The title of a series of essays (1866) by the populist writer Gleb Ivanovich Uspensky (1843-1902), in which he described the life of the working suburb of Tula - the life of factory workers, artisans, petty officials and its characteristic features - rudeness of morals, drunkenness, poverty, the absence of any or prospects.

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