ざる碁ご

noun

poorly played game of Go; amateurish Go

Colloquial term for a Go game played by weak or careless players, often full of obvious mistakes. The prefix ざる (from ざる 'basket/strainer') implies 'full of holes' or 'leaky', i.e., full of oversights.

• あの二人ふたりの対たい局きょくは、見みていられないようなざる碁ごだった。

  The game between those two was such a poor Go match that I couldn't bear to watch.

• 初しょ心しん者しゃ同どう士しだと、どうしてもざる碁ごになりがちだ。

  When beginners play each other, the game tends to turn into a leaky, mistake-ridden match.