The word "bear" etymology already understood the previous articles. Here we will talk how the clumsy predator is displayed in names, sayings and popular expressions. 
Ф. N of the Fig. Buffoons in the village. 1857. Francois Nicholas Riss, commons.wikimedia.org Bern
Though many linguists also are convinced that the name of the Swiss capital contains other root, than the German word "Bar" ("bear"), the national rumor with it is not agrees. As it is displayed on a municipal coat of arms, and also in an accompanying legend.
It agrees the last, the founder of Bern – Berthold von Tseringen, the duke and the inveterate hunter – decided to call the city a name of the first animal which will kill in the neighboring woods. Judging by result, bears in Switzerland were the XII century more many…
-
Delta-9, commons.wikimedia.org -
npa.yarregion.ru, npa.yarregion.ru
-
Gustave Dore, jandelafonten.ru -
Workshop of the Serafimo-Diveevsky monastery. E.Petrov. Lithograph. RGB, liveinternet.ru/users/lviza_neo/post368358074/ -
Grandville, s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com -
Dmitry Moor, commons.wikimedia.org -
Alteration of a picture of John Luri., commons.wikimedia.org -
it is unknown, demotivation.me -
openclipart.org, commons.wikimedia.org
Similar legend explain also Toptygin’s appearance on the coat of arms of Yaroslavl where an animal, «it is standing, holds in the left paw a gold pole-axe». This time Yaroslav Mudry faced a bear – the truth, against the will. The she-bear itself attacked the prince in the dense woods along Volga, but that contrived and struck an animal with an axe. It is considered, what exactly in memory of this incident Yaroslav constructed a chapel on an attack place, and founded the city later. It is interesting that the settlement with the eloquent name "Backwoods" nearby settled down. "Backwoods"
As bears on streets go infrequently, and hide in the dense woods more, and expression "Backwoods" began to mean over time a deaf remote place – in the distance from a rapid current of life. Expression gained special popularity after the story of P.I.Melnikova-Pecherskogo with the same name. «To suck a paw»
Certainly, to endure wintering, the bear does not need to suck anything. The hypodermic fat saved up during the summer perfectly is processed in an organism and without extraneous manipulations.
Despite the unscientific nature, expression remained to this day. But if the proverb which has been written down in «Dahl’s Dictionary», says: «The bear sucks one paw and all winter is full lives», modern expression «to suck a paw» means, opposite – life half-starving.
Jokes:
Voted for fans of honey? Be going to suck a paw!
When the skilled boy scout was attacked by a bear, that did not become puzzled, started to suck to a bear a paw and lulled him. To "fool"
In order that it is easier to operate a manual bear, guides passed a ring in one of the most healthy places of an animal – his nose. For which an animal also drove, at the same time tempting with tips for performance of different focuses. As a result expression to "Fool" began to mean «to deceive, manipulate, not to carry out promised».
However, a nose of the person – too body quite fragile. It is enough to remember faces of boxers or a cruel school entertainment – "slivka" when twisted fingers a tip of another’s nose…
F.M. Dostoevsky "Demons":
«One of the most respectable foremen of our club, Pavel Pavlovich Gaganov, the person elderly and even deserved, took an innocent habit to any word with passion to sentence:« No — with, me will not lead for a nose!» It and let. But once in club when he, in any hot occasion, spoke this aphorism to the small group which has gathered about it of club visitors, Nikolay Vsevolodovich, standing apart one and to which anybody and did not address, suddenly approached to Pavel Pavlovich, unexpectedly, but strong seized it by a nose two fingers and managed to stretch for itself on a hall two-three steps». It "have Van Gogh’s ear for music"…
As a bear an animal heavy in addition not so melodious, this expression began to use in relation to the people at all deprived of ear for music.
Sergey Aksyonenko «Music of Bear Ears»:
… On ears come —
And Music leaves the world,
But from bones of bears
Do liras.
And music of neighbors
Enters into our apartments…
Background for Music — only April,
Rhythmics of the wood,
The sky looked in a window crack
Blue heavenly
Also chirped…
but midnight went down —
Teeth dropped out —
Music – youth – a flute calmed down…
Pipes sobbed… To "sell the skin before one has shot the bear"
The saying entered into our use after a translation into fable Russian «A bear and two hunters» the French writer of the XVII century – Fontaine. Heroes of the fable – self-confident hunters who took a deposit for a skin still not killed of a bear, on this money drank, have a snack, and then with a light heart went to the wood. However as a result did not fall nearly from bear paws…
The companion asked it:
«Tell, what on an ear he spoke to you?»
– That one after another should
Bear beforehand to kill.
And after that it is possible
And fur to sell and drink.
Expression to "Sell the skin before one has shot the bear" usually use in sense «to build on anything unreasonable calculations» or «to argue on benefits still the unrealized plan». "Ill turn"
The sources it is expression too Pustynnik and the Bear» takes in Fontaine known in transposition of Ivan Krylov’s as the fable «.
Here it is necessary to tell that many Christian eremites really got on with bears. For example, Serafim Sarovsky in the asceticism in the wood strong became friends with one Toptygin. The animal often came to the dwelling of the eremite, and that fed him – directly from hands…
And so… Heroes of the fable of Krylov too were bosom friends while the Bear did not decide to drive away flies from the sleeping Pustynnik.
Here Mishenka, without a word,
Weighty cobble-stone in paws сгреб,
Sat down on hunkers, does not translate to spirit,
Itself thinks: «Be silent, I you, воструху!»
And, at the friend on a forehead подкарауля a fly,
That forces are – the friend a stone in a forehead suffices!
It is easy to guess that "Ill turn" means such service from which there is more than harm, than advantage. Or, as it is written in the same fable: «The obliging fool is more dangerous than the enemy». "Bear-hunter"
On a thieves’ cant "bear-hunter" call the expert who is engaged in opening of safes and locks. Today, when from the burglar of locks meticulousness is required, sensitive hearing and dexterous fingers, it is difficult to understand, why this distinguished "specialty" began to associate with a clumsy bear. And all the matter is that earlier safes were not so perfect and for their opening remarkable "bear" force was required.
Mikhail Sukhaninsky «Breaking of safes in language «criminal the hair dryer»:
«The riveted seams of the safe шпаклевались also were painted over that allowed them to look like a monolithic product. Powerful blows a sledge hammer in certain places of the safe, allow to create movement of sheets of metal concerning to what they are connected клепками therefore клепки are cut off and the safe collapses on components».
According to other version, the name "bear-hunter" could occur and from thieves’ G-shaped """ "medvedka" with which opened suvaldny locks. However, and in this case force was not superfluous. «Preved, медвед!»
This almost the first Russian Internet meme appeared thanking… to a picture. Drew it (or, more precisely, the American actor and jazzman John Lurnye scribbled). The picture left simple, but quite ridiculous. On it pair having sex in the wood, and opposite to it – the bear who has left bushes with the lifted paws and exclamation «Surprise was represented!» («Surprise!»).
In 2006 the user under anybody Labzz not only перепостил the picture, but also Russified, having turned English "Syurprayz" in Russian "Hello". More precisely, "Preved" in fashionable then style of the so-called "padonkovsky" (meaningly distorted) language. Soon exclamation «Preved!» became not less popular, than «аффтар жжот» or «ржунимагу». This exclamation began to use even in "offline", accompanying a greeting a characteristic vskidyvaniye of hands. Special popularity expression «Preved, медвед!» got in 2008 when Vladimir Medvedev was elected the President of the Russian Federation. A burning Bear
Other network meme which sources lie in the following remarkable joke is less known: «There was a bear on the wood. Saw the burning car. Sat down in it – and burned down».
To explain, where here to laugh, it is impossible – the joke is extremely absurd, therefore either "is acquired" from the first, or not acquired in general. Absurdity of a joke caused the big response shown in the form of the most different imitations, parodies and demotivator on the Internet. Here only some of them.
There was once Masha on the wood and sees – three cars burn. Sat down in the first, sat – is not present, big too. Sat down in the second, in the third… Later time three bears come back, and the smallest speaks: «Who burned down in my car?!»
Taxi driver: «Where we go?» Bear: «We do not go anywhere, native … Here we burn».
There is a bear on the wood. Sees – other bear in the car burns, and thinks: «My God, after all it could be I».
Sit down – burn down!
The legend about one hero who could pass by the burning car was from generation to generation transferred at bears…
There was a polar bear on a polar circle. Sees – the car is filled up with snow. Sat down in it and froze. Arctic
Let’s begin with that «арктос» "bear" in Greek means. However do not hurry to connect the name of the northern okolopolyarny area with polar bears living there. Ancient Greeks meant animals heavenly – namely constellations of Big and Small She-bears.
First, by means of them in the sky found North star which, as we know, always points to the North. Secondly, Greeks knew that the more get to the North, the above over the head the Big Dipper rises. Not without reason on a flag of the most northern state of the USA – Alaska – we can see both a pole star, and so-called "ladle" of the Big Dipper. As to the name of the southern okolopolyarny area – "Antarctic", here everything is simpler – it means the "Anti-Arctic".
Well, and about unfairly bypassed polar bears, I will tell in the following article…