Category Archives: Japanese

Not the good kind

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Confanity

自暴自棄 ji.bou.ji.ki Literally: self – violence – self – abandon Alternately: Coming unmoored and lashing out, to the point of actually harming one’s own self or interests, in a surfeit of disillusionment or desperation. Impulsive and self-destructive flailing without regard … Continue reading →

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AND I WOULD WALK TWO HUNDRED NINETEEN POINT SIX MILES

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Confanity

AND I WOULD WALK TWENTY FOUR POINT FOUR MORE, JUST TO BE THE MAN WHO WALKED A HUNDRED RI TO FALL DOWN AT YOUR DOOOOOOOOOR 百里を行く者は九十里を半ばとす (Hyakuri wo iku mono wa kujuuri wo nakaba to su; “To one traveling a … Continue reading →

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You want me to shave *what*?

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Confanity

Ohhh, it’s a metaphor. (My deepest apologies to my readers! On Sunday, in place of the regularly-scheduled kotowaza, I instead posted a song as a joke. At the time I promised that the real thing – which had already been almost … Continue reading →

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It’s mondo useless!

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Confanity

Apparently the latter word is supposed to be “pseudo-Italian.” Eh. 問答無用 mon.dou.mu.you Literally: question – answer – nothing – use Alternately: “Further discussion is pointless.” “I’m not going to argue any more.” Notes: 問答 is a discussion; in this case, … Continue reading →

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We have to try!

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Confanity

Puffer-fish lined up (Boy, if you got that one, massive points. You win.) (出ん出らりゅうば出て来るばってん 出ん出られんけん出て来んけん 来ん来られんけん来られられんけん 来ん来ん; “If it’s the case that if it tries to come out then it will be able to come, then it will come out, … Continue reading →

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But do we need the sea?

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Confanity

天地無用 ten.chi.mu.you Literally: heaven – earth – nothing – use Alternately: “This side up.” As in, “Please don’t turn this box upside-down.” In this case, 天地 simply refers to “up and down,” and 無用 expresses prohibition.

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Yinstring and Yangtwine

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Confanity

禍福は糾える縄の如し (Kafuku wa azanaeru nawa no gotoshi; “Good and ill fortune are entwined like (the strands of) a rope”) Definition: Good luck and bad luck are intimately and inextricably connected; you can’t have only one or the other. Every cloud … Continue reading →

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Janus

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Confanity

表裏一体 hyou.ri.i-.ttai Literally: surface – back – one – body Alternately: Two things (especially things seen as being in opposition to each other) are inextricably linked, parts of the same whole, opposite faces of the same coin.

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But what comes from a lyre?

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Confanity

In Rome, a big fire? 噓つきは泥棒の始まり (Usotsuki wa dorobou no hajimari; “A liar is the beginning of a thief”) Definition: Someone who becomes capable of lying glibly will also be able to calmly steal or rob. Lies are the first … Continue reading →

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But are we getting a Tucker, a Church, or a Caboose?

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Confanity

起死回生 ki.shi.kai.sei Literally: wake up – death – revolve – life Alternately: Coming back from the brink. Recovering from a seemingly-hopeless situation. A sudden turnaround. A Blue Team win deep in Red Team territory. Notes: Apparently this phrase comes to … Continue reading →

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