Abura ga Noru (Putting on Fat)
Abura ga Noru
脂が乗る
Today I will talk about the Japanese idiom “abura ga noru.”
今日は「脂が乗る」という慣用句を紹介します。
The literal meaning is “to put on fat,” and it means that someone gets into the full swing of his/her work, or someone is in the prime as a man/woman.
「脂が乗る」は、仕事や勉強が調子に乗ってはかどることや、男盛り、女盛りであることを表す言葉です。
Usage example: Recently his work has put on fat (he has gotten into the full swing of his work). It is said that men put on fat (men are in the prime of manhood) at around age 35.
例：彼は最近ようやく仕事に油が乗ってきた。男性は35歳頃に油が乗ると言われている。
Originally, this idiom has been used for fish or birds.
もともとこの言葉は、魚や鳥に対して使われる言葉でした。
The amount of fat included in fish and birds increases depending on the season, then the taste improves.
魚や鳥は、季節によって脂肪が増え（脂が乗り）、味が良くなります。
From this fact, “abura ga noru” (to put on fat) came to mean that something/someone gets better.
このため、「脂が乗る」は調子が良くなるという意味で使われるようになりました。
