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くだを巻く (くだをまく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ku)
ramble drunkenly ; babble in one's cups
idiomatic expression
Idiomatic expression for talking on and on in a drunken, often incoherent or complaining manner. The word くだ originally referred to a spool or tube, and the phrase evokes the image of unreeling thread endlessly.
あの 人ひと は 酒さけ が 入はい る と すぐ に くだ を 巻ま き 始はじ める 。
That person starts babbling drunkenly as soon as he has a drink.
Written forms くだを 巻ま く
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling for this idiomatic expression.
管くだ を 巻ま く
Full kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
クダを 巻ま く
Katakana spelling of くだ; sometimes used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
Kanji 管 pipe, tube, wind instrument Similar words 愚ぐ 痴ち る 愚痴る means to complain or grumble, not necessarily while drunk. くだを巻く specifically implies drunken rambling.
酔よ っ 払ぱら う 酔っ払う simply means to get drunk. くだを巻く describes the act of talking incoherently as a result of being drunk.
Etymology The phrase くだを巻く literally means 'to wind a spool/tube'. くだ (管) refers to a spool or tube, and 巻く means 'to wind'. The idiom evokes the image of endlessly unreeling thread, likening it to drunken, rambling speech. The exact origin is uncertain, but it has been used since the Edo period.
