defining semantic attribute of the verbs is «to echo or to imitate consciously or
thoughtlessly and irresponsibly a contemporary fashion».
A peculiar step in the verbalization of the concept and representation of a certain
part of it, related to ideas or the image, is phraseology. This linguistic unit, by its
structure, transmits the national-cultural specifics of the concept.
In the process of analyzing the semantic features of phraseological units that
verbalize the concept «Fashion», all phraseologisms were divided into two large
groups: 1). Phraseological units with the positive evaluation, a basis of which is moral
and ethical ideal of a man. They are adopted by an ethnic group and comply with its
ethical standards and norms; 2) Phraseological units with the negative evaluation,
which involve the semantics of something undesirable, bad, that doesn’t correspond to
ethical and aesthetic norms accepted in the society .
The first group of the phraseological units has several subgroups:
1) Modernity and popularity of fashion novelties: all the go / rage, the popular
cry, quite the go, pretty the thing – the latest cry of the fashion, after the latest fashion;
hot stuff – something exciting, sexually attractive, sensational; the cat’s meow /
pajamas / whiskers –
someone or something is very appealing, the
first grade; like
wildfire / bushfire / like a forest fire – to enjoy popularity, demand; to come into the
public eye – to be famous and written about in newspapers and magazines and seen on
television.
2) A desire of some fashionists to impress people around them with their
appearance, splendor and shine in clothes and accessories: look as if one ( just ) came
( stepped ) out of a band-box – to be in a festive dress, dressed up as at a wedding;
spick-and- span – elegant, well-dressed; to be in one’s glory – to look very fine and
impressive, at one’s best; to be in fine feather, to be in good style – to have an excellent
appearance; a silk stocking – a luxuriously and fashionably dressed man, is used
relating mainly to an aristocratic man, a representative of an upper class; a red carpet
– an elegant person; as neat as a bandbox – impeccably dressed, stylish; to be fine and
dandy – to be beautiful, lovely; to be like a new pin – to be in good and neat order,
bright and clean. A person’s desire to look better is welcome: to raise oneself above
the crowd – to furbish up, to smarten oneself up.
3) Fashion as an imitation element: make up the running – to do the best and most
work; give tone to / set the tone for –
to establish a particular mood or
character
for
something.
4) An individual style innate to one particular person: against / abreast the current
– not to be like everyone, to have an individuality; follow one’s bent – to remain
faithful to one’s own tastes, hobbies, opinions.
The second group of the phraseological units also has several subgroups:
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