Winged words are one of the means of colourful and expressive literary speech. These are usually very colourful words and phrases express a very important idea or very good characterized behaviour of a person. Such winged words life a long live, sometimes hundreds years or even more.

The name 'winged words' goes back to Homer, in whose poems (Illiada and Odisseya) it is met several times. Homer called them 'winged' words because from the mouth of a speaking man they as if flow to the ear of a hearing person. Homer's expression 'winged words' has become a term of linguistics and stylistics.

Short quotations, colourful expressions, sayings of historical persons, the names of mythological and literary personages, that have become common (Hercules, Khlestakov), colourful and brief characteristics of historical personages marked by this term, have become a part of our every day speech.

The term 'winged words' was used first in the 19th century by the German scientist George Buchman, who in 1864 published his collection of 'Winged Words'. Soon this term was easily used in different languages. And one by one new books similar to Buchman's book appeared in the English, French, Spanish and etc.

In Russia the first summary of winged words was published in 1891. Its author was Maximov S.V.

If to speak about winged words we can say that they are varied by their origin. Some of them appeared in the far-off ages, others just recently. The culture of different ages and countries enriched their reserve. Antique and biblical myths, folk songs and poetry, ctiticism, publicistic writing, memoirs, historical documents, scientific compositions, speeches of political and public figures are abundant sources of winged words.

Being laconic formulations, condensing complicated images, they cause a lot of associations in our hearts. A very deep meaning is put into all winged words.