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思案投首 (shiannagekubi) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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た
ち
尽つ
くし
た
。
He stood there at his wit's end over the difficult problem.
Kanji 首 neck, counter for songs and poems Related words 途と 方ほう に 暮く れる A common verb phrase meaning 'to be at a loss', more everyday than the literary yojijukugo 思案投首.
首くび をひねる Literally 'to twist one's neck', an idiom for being puzzled or doubtful; 思案投首 incorporates a similar gesture but as a fixed four-character compound.
Written forms 思し 案あん 投なげ 首くび
Standard yojijukugo spelling.
思し 案あん 投な げ 首くび
Variant spelling with 投げ首; less common but still used.
Etymology A yojijukugo combining 思案 (thought, consideration) and 投げ首 (throwing one's head, i.e., tilting the head in perplexity). The exact origin is uncertain, but it vividly depicts the posture of deep thought when stumped.
