挙あげ句くの果はて

あ

げ

く

の

は

て

JLPTN1

Meanings

1

expression, adverb, noun

finally; in the end; after all that; on top of all that

Used to emphasize that after a long process or series of events, something (often negative) happens. Stronger than 挙句 alone, and frequently used with a negative outcome. Typically appears as ～に.

長ながい議

ぎ

論ろん

の

挙あげ

句く

の

果は

て

に

、

結けっ

局きょく

何なに

も

決き

まら

なかっ

た

。

After a long discussion, in the end nothing was decided.

彼かれはさんざん迷まよった挙あげ句くの果はてに、一いち番ばん高たかい車くるまを買かった。

After all that hesitation, he ended up buying the most expensive car.

Kanji

挙raise, plan, project
句phrase, clause, sentence
果fruit, reward, carry out
揚raise, elevate, hoist

Related words

挙あげ句くN1
挙句の果て is a stronger, more emphatic version of 挙句, typically used when the final result is negative or exasperating, while 挙句 is the plainer form simply meaning 'in the end'.
結けっ局きょくN3
結局 is a neutral, everyday word for 'in the end/ultimately', whereas 挙句の果て adds a strong negative or exasperated nuance about how a long process turned out.
とどのつまり
とどのつまり is used to sum up a final conclusion after much back-and-forth, while 挙句の果て specifically stresses that the outcome, often bad, came after a long, drawn-out process.

Built from

挙あげ句く+果はてる

Written forms

挙あげ句くの果はて
Standard kanji spelling.
揚あげ句くの果はて
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

From 挙句 (the concluding line of a linked poem) + の + 果て (end, extremity). The phrase originally referred to the final line of a renga poem, and by extension came to mean the final outcome after a series of events.