Itachi no Saigoppe (イタチの最後っ屁)

Previously, I introduced the Japanese idiom, "itachi gokko" (いたちごっこ), which means that two people repeat the same thing to each other.
http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/336384032876116770444877313398606169134

In Japan, there is another famous idiom that uses the animal "itachi" (イタチ - weasel).

It is "itachi no saigoppe" (イタチの最後っ屁), the literal meaning of which is "weasel's final fart."

"Itachi no saigoppe" means to use the last resort when you are in trouble or thrust into a bad situation.

This comes from the fact that weasels give off a terrible smell to escape when they are driven by an enemy.

イタチの最後っ屁

以前私は、同じことの繰り返しを意味する「いたちごっこ」という慣用句を紹介しました。

日本には、動物の「イタチ」を使う慣用句に、もう一つ有名なものがあります。

それは、「イタチの最後っ屁」です。

イタチの最後っ屁は、困った時や追い込まれた時に最終手段を用いることを意味します。

これは、イタチが追いつめられた時、悪臭を放って相手をひるませて逃げる事実に由来します。

• This comes from the fact that weasels give off a terrible smell to escape when they are driven by an enemy.
• This comes from the fact that weasels give off a terrible smell to escape when they are cornered by an enemy.

Hahaha, that idiom's hilarious! I wanna use it some time. I mean, it's probably not gonna be a good thing if I ever get to use it in real life, but the imagery is quite funny.