肩かたをいからせる

か

た

を

い

か

ら

せ

る

Meanings

1

expression, ichidan verb

square one's shoulders; throw one's shoulders back

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression describing a posture of puffing out the chest and squaring the shoulders, often to appear larger or more intimidating.

彼かれは肩かたをいからせて部屋へやに入はいってきた。
He came into the room with his shoulders squared.
怒おこった

上じょう

司し

は

肩かた

を

いから

せ

て

説せっ

教きょう

を

始はじ

め

た

。

The angry boss squared his shoulders and began to lecture.

Written forms

肩かたをいからせる
Standard spelling using kana for いからせる; the kanji 怒らせる is also used but less common for this idiom.
肩かたを怒いからせる
Kanji spelling using 怒らせる; may be encountered but the kana form is more typical for this expression.

Kanji

肩shoulder
怒angry, be offended

Similar words

肩かたを張はる
肩を張る means to be tense or stiff, often from nervousness, while 肩をいからせる is a deliberate, aggressive posture.
胸むねを張はる
胸を張る means to throw out one's chest with confidence or pride, whereas 肩をいからせる emphasizes intimidation through the shoulders.

Etymology

The expression combines 肩 (shoulder) with いからせる, the causative form of いかる (to be angry, to swell), literally meaning 'to make one's shoulders swell/angry'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is a fixed idiomatic phrase.