nekodamashi; hand-clapping feint in sumo
A sumo technique where a wrestler claps his hands in front of the opponent's face at the initial charge to startle and distract him. The term is also used figuratively for a sudden distracting action.
Some sumo wrestlers use the nekodamashi at the initial charge.
He disrupted his opponent's rhythm with a nekodamashi.
Standard kanji spelling for this sumo term.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; it is a variant.
Literally 'cat trick' or 'cat deception', from 猫 (cat) and 騙し (deceiving). The name likely comes from the sudden, startling movement resembling a cat's paw swipe.