full of holes; leaky
Metaphorical use describing something with many holes or gaps, like a sieve. Often used in compounds like ざる法 (a law full of loopholes) or ざる碁 (a Go game with many weak points).
zaru soba
Abbreviation of ざる蕎麦 (zaru soba), cold soba noodles served on a bamboo draining basket.
See also: ざる蕎麦
heavy drinker; someone who can drink like a fish
Colloquial term for a person who can drink a lot of alcohol without seeming affected, as if their body is a sieve that lets alcohol pass through.
I put the washed vegetables in a draining basket to let the water drip off.
Please drain the water by putting it in a colander.
Zaru soba is served by placing boiled soba noodles on a bamboo draining basket.
This law is full of loopholes; it's a 'zaru law'.
His defense is full of holes, so they score easily.
In summer, zaru soba is delicious.
He's a heavy drinker, so no matter how much he drinks, he doesn't get drunk.
It was hot, so I ordered zaru soba for lunch.
This rule is full of loopholes, and people quickly find ways around it.
I drained the boiled pasta using a colander.
A colander/strainer can also be counted with 枚 when treated as a flat kitchen utensil, but 個 is more general.
Usually written in kana; the kanji 笊 is rare and not commonly used.
Katakana spelling is sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
Rare kanji form; not commonly encountered.
Originally referred to a traditional bamboo basket used for draining. The metaphorical sense 'full of holes' developed from the basket's structure. The abbreviation for zaru soba and the slang for a heavy drinker are later extensions.