一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせる

also: ひとあわふかす

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一泡吹かせる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせる	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせない
Polite	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせます	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせません
Past polite	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせました	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせませんでした
Past	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせた	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせなかった
Te-form	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせて	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせないで
Desire	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせたい	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせたくない
Potential	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせられるalso 一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせれる	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせられないalso 一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせれない
Passive	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせられる	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせられない
Causative	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせさせる	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせさせない
Causative passive	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせさせられる	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせさせられない
Volitional	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせよう
Polite volitional	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせましょう
Imperative	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせろ	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせるな
Conditional	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせれば	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせなければ
Tara conditional	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせたら	一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせなかったら

Meanings

expression, ichidan verb

give someone a surprise; catch off guard and fluster; frustrate someone's plans; scare the hell out of

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression meaning to startle, fluster, or upset someone's expectations, often by a sudden action or revelation. The literal image is 'to make someone blow a bubble' of surprise or confusion. Used in casual to neutral contexts.

彼かれの突とつ然ぜんの辞じ任にんは、会かい社しゃに一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせた。
His sudden resignation gave the company a real shock.
ライバルに一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせるために、新しん製せい品ひんを発はっ表ぴょうした。
We announced a new product to catch our rivals off guard.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
泡bubbles, foam, suds
吹blow, breathe, puff

Related words

驚おどろかせる
A general verb meaning 'to surprise' or 'to startle'. 一泡吹かせる is more idiomatic and implies flustering or frustrating someone, often with a nuance of getting the better of them.
出だし抜ぬく
Means 'to outwit' or 'to steal a march on'. 一泡吹かせる focuses on the resulting surprise or fluster, while 出し抜く emphasizes the act of outsmarting someone.

Written forms

一ひと泡あわ吹ふかせる
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
一ひと泡あわ吹ふかす
Search-only variant with godan ending 吹かす.

Etymology

Built on 泡を吹く “to foam at the mouth,” an image of being overwhelmed or thrown into distress; the causative 吹かせる gives the sense “to make someone flustered or disconcerted.”