\"Bastille taken\": Idioms, proverbs, sayings, and jokes about the main fortress of France On the 14th of July, 1789, the Parisian mob laid siege to the fortress-prison of the Bastille. This event resounded throughout the world and forever changed the course of history. However, along with the revolution, the Bastille gave rise to an entire layer of culture — idioms, proverbs, sayings, and countless jokes that are still alive today. From school anecdotes to philosophical quotes, the image of the Bastille has deeply embedded in the language, becoming a symbol not only of freedom but also of national humor. \"Take the Bastille\": The main phraseologicalism of the revolution The most well-known idiom associated with the Bastille is undoubtedly \"take the Bastille.\" In the literal sense, it means the siege of the fortress on the 14th of July, 1789, but in a figurative sense, it symbolizes the victory over oppression, the overthrow of the old order, and the triumph of freedom. As historians write, \"its fall symbolized the end of the old world.\" This phrase has become an epitome of any decisive action against injustice. In literature, we encounter it in various contexts. For example, in one of the quotes from Russian classicism, we read: \"It's good if there's a tribune whose voice will point the way — the order of human nature, if there's a common goal — a fortress that needs to be taken, the Bastille that needs to be destroyed. — The Bastille has been taken. The revolution has won.\" Here the Bastille acts as a metaphor for any tyranny that the people must smash. The name \"Bastille\" itself (from the French bastille — a fortress) has also become a catchphrase in many languages for a prison or a place of detention. In English slang, for example, the word \"bastille\" was used as a general term for a prison, and its shortened form \"steel\" was a favorite expression among the lower classes. In a figurative sense, \"sitting in the Bastille\" meant being in custod ... Read more