noun
washing potatoes; potato washing
Literal meaning: washing potatoes, typically in a bucket or container. Often used in contexts like cooking preparation or traditional methods.
祖母は庭で芋洗いをしていた。
My grandmother was washing potatoes in the garden.
noun
being very crowded; packed like sardines
Idiomatic expression comparing a crowd to potatoes jostling together in a bucket. Often used for packed trains, beaches, or events.
The beach in summer is as crowded as a potato-washing bucket.
通勤ラッシュの電車はまさに芋洗い状態だった。
The rush-hour train was literally packed like sardines.
混雑 is a general term for congestion or crowding, while 芋洗い is a vivid idiomatic expression specifically evoking the image of potatoes being washed together.
すし詰め also means packed tightly, but it comes from the image of sushi packed in a box, whereas 芋洗い emphasizes the jostling, chaotic movement of a crowd.
Compound of 芋 (imo, 'potato') and 洗い (arai, 'washing'). The idiomatic sense comes from the image of many potatoes being washed together in a bucket, jostling against each other, which resembles a tightly packed crowd.