shiny bald head; person with a shiny bald head
Colloquial and slightly humorous term for a completely bald, shiny head or the person who has one. Often used in casual, teasing, or self-deprecating contexts.
おじいちゃんはつるっぱげで、いつも帽子をかぶっている。
Grandpa has a shiny bald head and always wears a hat.
彼は若いのにもうつるっぱげだ。
He's already bald and shiny-headed even though he's young.
Rare kanji spelling; the character 禿 means 'bald' but this form is seldom seen.
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or in casual writing.
From つるつる (smooth, slippery) and はげ (baldness), with the つる reduplicated and geminated for emphasis. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it is a colloquial compound.