ヒラメ

noun

flounder; bastard halibut; olive flounder

Refers broadly to flatfish of the families Paralichthyidae and Bothidae, especially the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), a common food fish in Japan.

• 今こん夜やの夕ゆう食しょくはヒラメの刺さし身みだ。

  Tonight's dinner is flounder sashimi.

• ヒラメは海かい底ていに平ひらたく張はり付ついている。

  Flounders lie flat on the seabed.

noun

sycophant; toady; brown-noser

Slang metaphor derived from the fish's flat shape, implying a person who flattens themselves before superiors. Often used in workplace or hierarchical contexts.

• あいつは上じょう司しにペコペコするヒラメだ。

  That guy is a toady who sucks up to the boss.