"lying like a cobbler" allusion? [Dostoevsky]
Hello,
In Chapter xi of Part I of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, the UM claims that he is "lying like a cobbler." (Pevear & Volokhonsky's translation of я вру как сапожник).
My question: is this referencing some kind of Russian folk tale or proverb?
I thought perhaps it might refer to the Arabian Nights, which depicts a cobbler who tells the truth, but whom no one believes. I know FD alludes to the Arabian Nights in some of his other works, but I wasn't sure if there was a more obvious allusion in this particular case.
спасибо!
Re: "lying like a cobbler" allusion? [Dostoevsky]
There is an expression "пить как сапожник" (drink like a cobbler). So I think Dostoevsky's hero means "I'm telling rubbish like I'm drunk".
Re: "lying like a cobbler" allusion? [Dostoevsky]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
There is an expression "пить как сапожник" ...
Ещё есть "ругается как сапожник или... извозчик".
Вроде никто, кроме Достоевского, не говорит "врёт как сапожник".