Tag Archives: trickery

The best defense is a good stylin’

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Confanity

眉に唾を付ける (Mayu ni tsuba wo tsukeru; “to rub spit on your eyebrows”) Definition: To be on one’s guard against lies and trickery. A catchphrase meaning that somebody is likely to try to fool or deceive you in some way. Breakdown: … Continue reading →

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Thus was slapstick monetized

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Confanity

転んでもただでは起きない (Koronde mo tada de wa okinai; “Even falling down, they won’t get up as they were”) Definition: Cunning and greedy; angling to get some sort of profit even from a mistake or setback; like someone who slips and falls, … Continue reading →

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The good coyote?

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Confanity

(Or this one.) 権謀術数 ken.bou.ju-.ssuu Literally: authority – scheme – technique – number Alternately: A plan or strategy to fool people. Wiles; trickery; Machiavellianism. Notes: Apparently this compound comes to us from Zhu Xi’s (朱熹) The Great Learning (大学).

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Tubular wiles

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Confanity

(A sharp-eyed reader has alerted me that yesterday’s yojijukugo is a repeat from last August! This is pretty embarrassing, but it also gives us an interesting glimpse into my writing process through the similarities and differences between the two posts. I’ll leave it … Continue reading →

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Refusing to bite the hand that feeds you bait

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Confanity

その手は桑名の焼き蛤 (Sono te wa Kuwana no yaki-hamaguri; “That trick won’t work!”) Definition: This one is a pun! It has a serious meaning, saying that someone’s strategy or trickery (often verbal) isn’t going to succeed (usually against the speaker). But where … Continue reading →

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