sweet-potato vines
Refers to the vines of the sweet potato plant. Also used in the idiom 芋づる式に (like pulling up sweet-potato vines), meaning one after another or in succession.
The sweet-potato vines in the field have grown wild.
The criminals were caught one after another, like pulling up sweet-potato vines.
Commonly used spelling; づる is often written in kana.
Kanji spelling for 蔓 (vine), but less common in modern writing.
Compound of 芋 (いも, sweet potato) and 蔓 (つる, vine), with rendaku voicing of つる to づる.