大おおぼら吹ふき

Meanings

A person who habitually tells exaggerated stories or boasts; often used in a derogatory or humorous way. The 大 (big) intensifies the base word ほら吹き (braggart).

Kanji

大large, big
吹blow, breathe, puff
法method, law, rule
螺small, edible, helical fresh-water mollusk

Related words

ほら吹ふき
ほら吹き is the base word meaning 'braggart' or 'someone who tells tall tales'. 大ぼら吹き adds 大 (big) for emphasis, implying an even more exaggerated or habitual braggart.

Built from

大おおぼら+吹ふく

Written forms

大おおぼら吹ふき
Common mixed-kanji-kana spelling; ぼら is usually written in kana.
大おおボラ吹ふき
Katakana variant of ぼら; sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
大おお法ぼ螺ら吹ふき
Full kanji spelling using 法螺 (conch shell, tall tale); rarely used in modern writing.

Etymology

Compound of 大 (big) + ほら吹き (braggart). ほら吹き itself comes from 法螺 (conch shell, also meaning 'tall tale') + 吹き (blowing), literally 'conch blower', referring to someone who 'blows' exaggerated stories.