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逆ねじを食わせる (さかねじをくわせる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, ichidan verb
retort ; turn the tables on someone
Idiomatic expression meaning to counter an opponent's argument or action in a way that puts them at a disadvantage, often by using their own logic or words against them.
さか
ねじ
を
食く
わ
せる
の
が
彼かの
女じょ
の
得とく
意い
技わざ
だ
。
Turning the other person's words against them is her specialty.
Written forms 逆さか ねじを 食く わせる
Standard spelling using ねじ in kana; the kanji 捩 is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
逆さか 捩ね じを 食く わせる
Kanji spelling with 捩じ; this character is uncommon and the form is rarely used in modern writing.
Kanji 逆 inverted, reverse, opposite Similar words やり 返かえ す やり返す is a more general verb for 'to retaliate' or 'to do something back to someone', while 逆ねじを食わせる specifically implies a clever verbal counterattack that uses the opponent's own argument.
論破ろんぱ する 論破する means 'to defeat in an argument' or 'to out-argue', focusing on logical victory. 逆ねじを食わせる emphasizes the twist of using the opponent's own point against them.
Etymology Literally 'to make someone eat a reverse screw'. The image is of a screw being turned in the opposite direction, causing the opponent's own force or argument to backfire. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a figurative phrase that has been used in Japanese for many decades.
