The belief is widespread that the characteristic, which is often given to stiff leaders, comes from the surname of one of the organizers of the great terror. We checked the reliability of this version.

Nikolai Yezhov He headed People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs in 1936-1938. At this time, there was a peak of mass repressions, in Soviet historiography called Ezhovshchina. In just three years was About 1.7 million people were arrested, more than 1.3 million of them were condemned, including about 700,000. Yezhov himself on charges of espionage and the organization of a conspiracy against Soviet power in 1939 Arrested, and in 1940-executed. In the rehabilitation of the head of the NKVD, in the post -Soviet time, his heirs were denied.

The connection of the most severe repressions under the leadership of Yezhov and expressions, which meaning strict control over someone or something, is often told in social networks. For example, the phrase is reported about this origin enough Popular VKontakte public, users Facebook And Twitter. Sometimes in more neat formulations this version is broadcast by the media. So, "Express Gazeta" claimsthat the "expression" hedgehog mittens "entered into everyday language thanks to the name of Nikolai Yezhov."

Nikolai Yezhov was born In 1895, his party and state activities were in the 1930s. At the same time, the expression “keep in the hedgehog mittens” is recorded in the texts at least a hundred years before, primarily in fiction. The most famous example is the "Captain's daughter", written in 1836.

In the story of Pushkin, Grinev comes to a friend of his father, General Andrei Karlovich. Grinev gives him a letter in which his father Asks Combat Comrade "keep his son in the hedgehogs and" do not give him will. " Thus, even in the first half of the 19th century, the expression that interests us not only existed, but also had the meaning of us. Apparently, it was quite popular - for example, it was used in its texts Turgenev, Gogol and other classics of the middle of the century before last.

Phraseology experts, however, trace the story of the expression “keep in the hedgehog mittens” even deeper. So, in the XVIII century existed A similar proverb "with a hedgehog mittens and for a soft body is taken." Vladimir Dahl in the collection "Proverbs of the Russian People", first published in 1862, Curses A similar saying: "The hedgehog of the Golitsa to teach the craftswoman." Actually hedgehogs, or Golitsy, are the folk name of gloves without lining and fur, which were used to protect against damage during operation. Catching a hedgehog in them, of course, was also not so difficult.

Probably, the etymology of the expression “hold in the hedgehog mittens” appeared due to the hedgehog poster Boris Efimov "Steel Ezhovs of the Mittlebell". The People's Commissar depicted on them crushes a hand in a glove of snakes symbolizing the Trotsky-Bukharin-Rykov spies, pests, saboteurs. ” Half a century after the publication of the poster Efimov I remembered The story of its creation: “She (the surname of Yezhov. - Ed.) It was so cool combined with the original Russian informer“ keep in the hedgehog mittens ”that several editors simultaneously dawned on the idea of the corresponding“ friendly cartoon ”.”