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word-groups associated with the sea and the life of seamen are
especially numerous in English vocabulary. Most of them have
long since developed metaphorical meanings which have no longer
any association with the sea or sailors. Here are some examples: to
be all at sea — to be unable to understand; to be in a state of
ignorance or bewilderment about something; to sink or swim — to
fail or succeed; in deep water — in trouble or danger; in low
water, on the rocks — in strained financial circumstances; to be in
the same boat with somebody — to be in a situation in which
people share the same difficulties and dangers; to sail under false
colors – to pretend to be what one is not; to pose as a friend and,
at the same time, have hostile intentions; to show one's colors — to
betray one's real character or intentions; to strike one's colors —
to surrender, give in, admit one is beaten; to weather (to ride out)
the storm — to overcome difficulties; to have courageously stood
against misfortunes; to bow to the storm — to give in, to
acknowledge one's defeat; three sheets in(to) the wind (sl.) — very
drunk; Half seas over (sl.) – drunk.
The thematic principle of classifying phraseological units
has real merit but it does not take into account the linguistic
characteristic features of the phraseological units.
In this respect a considerable contribution was made by
Russian scholars, especially by Academician V.V. Vinogradov.
His classification system of phraseological units is considered by
some linguists of today to be outdated, and yet its value is beyond
doubt because it was the first classification system which was
based on the semantic principle, which is of immense importance.
In his classification founded on the degree of semantic cohesion
between the components of a phraseological unit (its motivation)
V.V. Vinogradov developed some points first advanced by the
Swiss linguist Charles Bally. Units with a partially transferred
meaning show the weakest cohesion between their components.
The more distant the meaning of a phraseological unit from the
current meaning of its constituent parts, the greater is its degree of

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