What does the expression “to starve a worm” mean?
If someone tells you that they’d like to “заморить червячка” (“zamorit chervyachka” or “starve a worm”), don’t be alarmed. No one is going to starve anyone, but your interlocutor is basically implying they are not averse to having a snack.
To explain the meaning of this expression, you first need to span back to the Roman Empire. The thing is that it migrated to the Russian language in the 19th century from the Romance languages, in particular, from French. And it got there from Latin. As well as the belief itself that a glass of strong alcohol before a meal helped to fight against parasites.
However, very soon, the anthelmintic meaning of the phrase was forgotten: In the Russian language, it merged with the expression “заморить выть” (“zamorit vyt”). According to Vladimir Dahl’s dictionary, ‘выть’ was another word for ‘appetite’ or ‘hunger’. Therefore, when someone uses this expression, they’re hoping to have a light snack.
