Did you knоw that the smallest shot glass in Russia was called 'Муха' [mu-kha] (a fly) and held 15 ml?

🔻The history of this shot glass is tied to the emergence of the first taverns. They were opened in Russia by order of Peter the Great. Taverns were meant to to become places where visitors could not only drink but also eat.

🔻To attract visitors to the taverns, Peter I ordered their owners to serve the first shot for free, with the expectation that guests would then order additional drinks and snacks at their own expense.

🔻Knowing the habits of their guests (to drink the first shot for free and then leave), the owners of drinking establishments made small shot glasses, holding 10 to 15 ml of liquid. It was because of this small volume that the shot glass received the popular name 'Муха' (a fly).

🔻But those who liked to drink for free found a way out of this situation: throughout the day they would visit different taverns. After a few free Муха the tavern guest would leave in good spirits.

🔻And the expression:
• Ходить под мухой
[kha-dit' pad mu-khay]
Literally: to walk under the fly began to be used in reference to tipsy (slightly drunk) people.

▶️Ходить (imperf., 2nd conjugation)

#brief_and_interesting
#phraseology
#spoken_Russian

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