In English, there are many weapon related idioms that we use in daily life. Lock, stock and barrel, Have an axe to grind, saber rattling, bury the hatchet, etc.
It is the same in Japanese, only that most are obviously related to the sword. Here are some examples that the Japanese use on a daily basis without really being aware any more that they originate in swords. For those of you who are sword fans, these idioms would really ring a bell and should be easy to remember.
1.切羽つまる Seppa Tsumaru To be driven into a corner, to be put in a desperate situation. Tsumaru means to get clogged up or get stuck or jammed, so the idiom originally means that the Seppa of your sword is stuck and you cannot draw, though you are in danger.
2.元の鞘に収まる Motono Saya ni Osamaru To bury the hatchet, to make up. Motono Saya means, the scabbard it originally came out of. Osamaru means to be accommodated. So it describes the situation in which a sword is drawn in a fight, but gets sheathed again to make up. It is often used to describe how couples can have a fight, but get back together again. It is often abbreviated simply as Motosaya.
3. 反りが合わない Sori ga Awanai Not to get along with another person. Sori is the curvature of the sword. Awanai means it does not match. Literally it means unmatching curvature, and comes from the fact that unless a scabbard is custom made to match the sword, the sword and scabbard cannot get along with each other.
4. 鞘当て Saya Ate. Saber rattling, to quarrel over trivial matters. Ate means a hit, so literally a hitting scabbard. Hitting another samurai's scabbard with your own as you crossed paths was the samurai version of giving someone the finger to provoke a fight.
5.目抜き通り Menuki Doori. Main Street of a town. Doori is Street and Menuki being in the center of the grip and having a crucial function of holding the sword together, it came to mean the main street.
6.抜き打ち Nuki Uchi. An action taken without forewarning, a surprise attack . Nuki is the noun form of drawing a sword and Uchi is to strike, so it means to draw and strike in one move. Nuki Uchi Shiken is the toughest kind of exam a student can face, as it is done without forewarning allowing no preparation.
7.単刀直入 Tanto Chokunyu To get immediately to the point, not to beat around the bush. Tanto means a single sword, Chokunyu means to go right in. It comes from one samurai attacking an enemy stronghold.
There are many more, but these words are used in daily conversation, so you can see that the Japanese still have difficulty putting their swords away.
It is the same in Japanese, only that most are obviously related to the sword. Here are some examples that the Japanese use on a daily basis without really being aware any more that they originate in swords. For those of you who are sword fans, these idioms would really ring a bell and should be easy to remember.
1.切羽つまる Seppa Tsumaru To be driven into a corner, to be put in a desperate situation. Tsumaru means to get clogged up or get stuck or jammed, so the idiom originally means that the Seppa of your sword is stuck and you cannot draw, though you are in danger.
2.元の鞘に収まる Motono Saya ni Osamaru To bury the hatchet, to make up. Motono Saya means, the scabbard it originally came out of. Osamaru means to be accommodated. So it describes the situation in which a sword is drawn in a fight, but gets sheathed again to make up. It is often used to describe how couples can have a fight, but get back together again. It is often abbreviated simply as Motosaya.
3. 反りが合わない Sori ga Awanai Not to get along with another person. Sori is the curvature of the sword. Awanai means it does not match. Literally it means unmatching curvature, and comes from the fact that unless a scabbard is custom made to match the sword, the sword and scabbard cannot get along with each other.
4. 鞘当て Saya Ate. Saber rattling, to quarrel over trivial matters. Ate means a hit, so literally a hitting scabbard. Hitting another samurai's scabbard with your own as you crossed paths was the samurai version of giving someone the finger to provoke a fight.
5.目抜き通り Menuki Doori. Main Street of a town. Doori is Street and Menuki being in the center of the grip and having a crucial function of holding the sword together, it came to mean the main street.
6.抜き打ち Nuki Uchi. An action taken without forewarning, a surprise attack . Nuki is the noun form of drawing a sword and Uchi is to strike, so it means to draw and strike in one move. Nuki Uchi Shiken is the toughest kind of exam a student can face, as it is done without forewarning allowing no preparation.
7.単刀直入 Tanto Chokunyu To get immediately to the point, not to beat around the bush. Tanto means a single sword, Chokunyu means to go right in. It comes from one samurai attacking an enemy stronghold.
There are many more, but these words are used in daily conversation, so you can see that the Japanese still have difficulty putting their swords away.
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