Tag Archives: wasted effort

A cup of water onto the sand.

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Confanity

In the Dry Land. 爪で拾って箕で零す(Tsume de hirotte mi de kobosu;“Scraped up with the fingernails; spilled with a basket”) Definition: Some resource that was gathered slowly and with great effort over an extended period of time is used up in an … Continue reading →

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The one before the Metal Friend

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Confanity

元の木阿弥 (Moto no mokuami; “The former Mokuami”) Definition: Back to square one; ending up where you started. For something, or a situation, to revert to a previous (worse) state after temporarily improving. The ur-example is of a poor person who … Continue reading →

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Like taking candy from a baby…

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Confanity

…by beating it in a game of chess 暖簾に腕押し (Noren ni ude-oshi; “arm-wrestling a curtain”) Definition: A deed with no resistance, therefore requiring no real effort, and therefore giving no thrill or satisfaction for the accomplishment. A waste of effort. … Continue reading →

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