猿さる

noun

sly person

Derogatory use comparing a person to a monkey in the sense of being sly or crafty. As a standalone insult, it is context-dependent and should be used with caution.

• 彼かれは相あい手てをだました男おとこを「猿さるめ」とののしった。

  He cursed the man who had tricked the other person as a sly monkey.

noun

idiot; hick

Derogatory insult implying that someone is foolish, crude, or uncultured. It is offensive and dehumanizing when used of a person.

• 人ひとを猿さる呼よばわりするのはやめなさい。

  Stop calling people idiots like that.

noun

sliding wooden bolt

A specialized term for a wooden sliding bolt or bar used to keep a door or window shut, mainly relevant to traditional fittings.

• 古ふるい建たて具ぐでは、戸とを留とめる木きの横よこ木ぎを猿さると呼よぶことがある。

  In old fittings, the wooden crosspiece used to fasten a door is sometimes called a saru.

noun

pot-hook height clasp

Traditional hearth terminology: a clasp or fitting used to adjust the height of a pot-hook, associated with 自在鉤.

See also: 自在鉤

• 囲い炉ろ裏りの自じ在ざい鉤かぎには、猿さると呼よばれる調ちょう節せつ用ようの金かな具ぐが付ついている。

  The pot-hook over the hearth has an adjusting fitting called a saru.

noun

bathhouse prostitute

Archaic term referring to a prostitute associated with bathhouses, corresponding to a historical sense of 湯女. Not used as a modern ordinary noun.

See also: 湯女

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいの資し料りょうでは、湯女ゆなを猿さると呼よぶ例れいがある。

  In Edo-period materials, there are examples of bathhouse prostitutes being called saru.