from pillar to post


from pillar to post
От одной трудности к другой, от одного испытания к другому. Современный теннис, возможно, зародился во Франции в XV в. Вскоре он стал популярен в Англии, т. к. пространство внутри больших владений было ограничено и огорожено стенами, поэтому было сделано несколько теннисных кортов. Большинство джентльменов, начавших играть в теннис, играли в своих дворах (courtyards). Обычно у главного входа в замок обозначали одну сторону теннисного корта, а у входных ворот во двор замка — другую сторону. Таким образом, игра заставляла игроков передвигаться от колонн особняка (the pillars of the mansion) до столбов (posts) у входа во двор. Говорили, что игроки перемещаются from pillar to post, это выражение продолжают употреблять, хотя его происхождение забыто.

Getting a visa is a long, miserable business: you queue to get a form, then you queue to sit down to fill it in, then you queue to see somebody who checks it. You can spend the best part of a day going from pillar to post. — Получить визу — очень долгое и нелёгкое дело: нужно выстоять в очереди, чтобы получить анкету, потом ждать, чтобы сесть и заполнить её, а затем ждать своей очереди, чтобы попасть на приём к тому, кто проверит анкету. Можно провести большую часть дня, проходив туда-сюда.


English-Russian dictionary of expressions. 2014.

Смотреть что такое "from pillar to post" в других словарях:

  • from pillar to post — {adv. phr.} From one place to another many times. * /Sarah s father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • from pillar to post — {adv. phr.} From one place to another many times. * /Sarah s father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • From pillar to post — Pillar Pil lar, n. [OE. pilerF. pilier, LL. pilare, pilarium, pilarius, fr. L. pila a pillar. See {Pile} a heap.] 1. The general and popular term for a firm, upright, insulated support for a superstructure; a pier, column, or post; also, a column …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • From pillar to post — Post Post, n. [AS., fr. L. postis, akin to ponere, positum, to place. See {Position}, and cf. 4th {Post}.] 1. A piece of timber, metal, or other solid substance, fixed, or to be fixed, firmly in an upright position, especially when intended as a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • from pillar to post — If something is going from pillar to post, it is moving around in a meaningless way, from one disaster to another …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • from pillar to post — ► from pillar to post from one place to another in an unsatisfactory manner. Main Entry: ↑pillar …   English terms dictionary

  • from pillar to post — from one problem to another    After getting fired, he went from pillar to post more bad luck …   English idioms

  • from pillar to post — adverb from one place or situation to another (Freq. 1) we were driven from pillar to post • Syn: ↑hither and thither * * * phrasal : from one place or one situation to another : hither and thither the libr …   Useful english dictionary

  • from pillar to post — British & Australian if someone goes from pillar to post, they are forced to keep moving from one place to another. After his mother died, Billy was passed from pillar to post and ended up in a children s home …   New idioms dictionary

  • from\ pillar\ to\ post — adv. phr. From one place to another many times. Sarah s father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post …   Словарь американских идиом

  • from pillar to post —    If something is going from pillar to post, it is moving around in a meaningless way, from one disaster to another.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

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