吹き溜まり
Meanings
1
Refers to a place where wind-blown material like snow, leaves, or dust accumulates. Often used literally for natural phenomena.
A drift of fallen leaves had formed in front of the entrance.
After the blizzard, a large snowdrift formed on the north side of the house.
2
hangout for misfits; gathering place for dropouts
Figurative extension: a place where people who have fallen through the cracks of society tend to gather. Carries a slightly negative or pitiful connotation.
That park is said to be a kind of hangout for social dropouts.
Usage patterns
- 〈場所〉に吹き溜まりができるa drift forms in a place
A snow drift formed at the corner of the road.
- 〈場所〉が〈人〉の吹き溜まりになるa place becomes a hangout for social outcasts
That cheap bar had become a hangout for the town's misfits.
- 落ち葉が吹き溜まりになるfallen leaves pile up into a drift
The fallen leaves had piled up into a drift in the corner of the garden.