discarding a just-drawn tile
In mahjong, the act of drawing a tile (ツモ) and immediately discarding it without using it in one's hand. Often done to maintain a concealed hand or when the tile is not useful.
See also: ツモ
ツモ切りを繰り返して、手牌を整えた。
He repeatedly discarded the tiles he drew, arranging his hand.
安全牌をツモ切りして、リーチに備える。
I discard the safe tile I just drew, preparing for riichi.
手出し means discarding a tile that was already in your hand, as opposed to ツモ切り where you discard the tile you just drew.
Standard mahjong term; katakana for ツモ is common in this context.
Ateji spelling using kanji for the mahjong term 自摸 (ツモ). Rarely used.
Compound of ツモ (drawing a tile in mahjong) and 切り (cutting/discarding). The term is specific to mahjong jargon.