noun
quickly reversed cut (sword technique)
A sword technique where the blade is quickly reversed to strike, named after the swallow's agile flight.
佐々木小次郎の燕返しは有名な剣技だ。
Sasaki Kojirō's Tsubame Gaeshi is a famous sword technique.
noun
swallow counter (judo technique);
A judo counter technique that mimics the swallow's sudden turn; also called 'swallow flight reversal'.
燕返しは柔道の返し技の一つだ。
Tsubame Gaeshi is one of the counter techniques in judo.
noun
swapping one's hand with the bottom row of the nearest wall (mahjong cheating)
A mahjong cheating technique where a player secretly swaps their hand with tiles from the bottom row of the nearest wall.
燕返しは麻雀のイカサマの一種で、手牌を壁牌とすり替える。
Tsubame Gaeshi is a type of mahjong cheating where you swap your hand with the wall tiles.
noun
completing a hand with an opponent's discarded riichi tile (mahjong)
In mahjong, completing a hand by taking an opponent's discarded tile after they declared riichi; considered a skillful or lucky move.
リーチ者の捨て牌で燕返しを決めた。
I completed my hand with a Tsubame Gaeshi using the riichi declarer's discard.