Concept in Definition ABC
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Javier Navarro, in Dec. 2015
A laborer is a type of worker who has little specialization. In general, the laborer is one who starts his work activity, who does not have a specific qualification and who receives a salary modest. Due to all this, he usually performs his functions as an assistant to other workers with higher job qualifications.
In other times there was in Spain the job as a road worker, who took care of the maintenance Y conservation of the roads. It is a profession that is currently defunct. However, there is a expression popular in which reference is made to this trade. Thus, it is said that someone asks road pawn questions when a person asks absurd or inappropriate questions, since they have an obvious answer. On the other hand, in some rural areas there are still peonadas, which are the working days of a laborer.
In the game of chess
In the game of chess there are a series of pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and, lastly, 8 pawns. The pawn is the most numerous piece and with the highest
weakness on the strategy of the game. It is the only piece that cannot go back, since it must always move forward in a vertical direction, although to capture an opponent's piece the pawn moves diagonally.There are several moves or piece positions in which the pawn plays a role (for example, the isolated pawn or the poisoned pawn). Chess players have various ways of playing with the pawns: some prefer to sacrifice them to achieve greater mobility and others use them to strengthen their position or to weaken the opponent.
From a strategic point of view, the pawn is the figure that symbolizes the role of the infantry in the army. In this way, losing a pawn in a game of chess would be like losing an infantryman in battle.
Moving the pawns without playing chess
In figurative language the concept of moving the pawns is used. Someone moves the pawns to margin of chess when you implement a strategy in which you sacrifice something without too much importance in order to obtain a greater triumph. In this sense, it should not be forgotten that the pawn in chess represents two values, the modesty and bravery. Consequently, in some circumstances of life someone with great power has the ability to sacrifice "his pawns" for some purpose.
In a figurative sense it could also be said that someone thinks like a pawn, that is, with a modest and humble mindset (as opposed to that of a king or queen). These uses of the word pawn highlight that the game of chess is present in language (for example, when something is too complicated and we must make an intellectual effort to solve it we say that it is like a game of Chess).
Photos: iStock - Lorado / kul20
Topics in Pawn