持もち切きり

も

ち

き

り

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

hot topic; talk of the town

Used when everyone is talking about the same thing; often appears as 〜で持ち切りだ or 〜の話で持ち切りだ.

最さい近きん、彼かれの結けっ婚こんの話はなしで持もち切きりだ。

Lately, everyone's been talking about his marriage.

町まち中じゅうがその事じ件けんで持もち切きりだった。

The whole town was abuzz with that incident.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉で持もち切きりだeveryone is talking about X
学がっ校こう中じゅうがその事じ件けんで持もち切きりだった。
The whole school was abuzz with talk of the incident.
〈事こと〉の話はなしで持もち切きりだtalk of X is on everyone's lips
町まちは新あたらしい店みせの話はなしで持もち切きりだ。
The town is buzzing with talk of the new store.

Kanji

持hold, have
切cut, cutoff, be sharp

Related words

話わ題だいN3
話題 is the neutral word for 'topic of conversation', while 持ち切り stresses that everyone everywhere is talking about the same thing at once.
噂うわさN3
噂 refers to gossip or rumor that may be true or false, whereas 持ち切り describes a topic dominating conversation regardless of its truth.

Written forms

持もち切きりUsage13%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority in news and frequency lists.
もちきりUsage47%
持もちきりUsage39%
Common kana-mixed spelling; the okurigana きり is often written in kana.
持もち切きりUsage2%
search-only kanji form

Etymology

From 持ち (continuative form of 持つ 'to hold') + 切り (from 切る 'to cut off', here meaning 'completely' or 'exclusively'), literally 'holding exclusively'; the sense of a topic dominating conversation is an extension of this.

Search-only form; the okurigana 切り is written in kanji.