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事寄せる (ことよせる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
ichidan verb, transitive verb
pretend ; use as a pretext
Used when someone uses a situation or reason as an excuse to do something else, often with a nuance of feigning or making a pretext. Commonly appears in the pattern 〜に事寄せて.
張ちょう
に
ことよせ
て
、
ついで
に
観かん
光こう
も
楽たの
しん
だ
。
Taking advantage of the business trip, I also enjoyed some sightseeing on the side.
Written forms 事こと 寄よ せる Usage 32%
Rare kanji spelling; the verb is almost always written in kana as ことよせる.
ことよせる Usage 68%
Standard kana spelling for this verb.
Kanji 寄 draw near, stop in, bring near Similar words 口こう 実じつ にする 口実にする means 'to use as an excuse' in a more direct, often negative sense. 事寄せる is more literary and implies using something as a convenient pretext or pretense, often with a softer nuance.
託かこつ ける 託ける also means 'to use as a pretext' and is similar in meaning, but 事寄せる is less common and slightly more formal or literary.
Etymology Compound of 事 (こと, 'thing, matter') and 寄せる (よせる, 'to bring near, to draw close'). The literal sense of 'bringing a matter close' developed into the figurative meaning of using something as a pretext or pretense.
