Where Did the Expression "to Be Under the Fly" Come From
The expression “to be under the fly” in Russian is defined as an idiom, that is, a fixed phrase whose meaning does not depend on the direct meaning of the words that make it up. It is used when someone wants to say that a person has had a drink and is in a state of mild intoxication.
The history of this idiom is connected with the history of the first taverns. They were opened in Russia by order of Peter I. In the tsar’s plan, taverns were supposed to replace the popular kabaks of that time, where only alcoholic drinks were served, and become places where visitors could not only drink, but also eat. But because of the higher prices, people were reluctant to go to taverns, and so, to attract customers, Peter ordered tavern owners to serve the first shot to everyone free of charge, expecting that after that guests would order drinks and snacks for payment. However, this marketing trick was very unpopular with the tavern owners, because bargain hunters began flocking to their establishments; after emptying the first free shot of bread wine, they would quickly “make themselves scarce”.
In order to carry out the tsar’s decree without going bankrupt, the owners of drinking establishments came up with the idea of pouring the free alcohol into small shot glasses holding 10 to 15 ml of liquid — exactly one tablespoon. This tiny shot glass came to be popularly known as a “fly,” since “only a fly would have room to drown in it.”
However, lovers of free drinks found a way out of this situation too: during the day they went from one establishment to another, trying to “knock back” as many free “flies” as possible. And since it was impossible to get properly drunk this way, people began using the expression “to go around under the fly” for someone who had had a few drinks.
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