Jūbako no Sumi wo Tsutsuku (重箱の隅をつつく - Quibbling on Insignificant Detail)

Jūbako no Sumi wo Tsutsuku

In my post the day before yesterday, I introduced the word 'jūbako' (重箱), which means multitiered boxes in which food is stored.

There is an idiom that uses this word, 'jūbako no sumi wo tsutsuku' (重箱の隅をつつく).

Since 'sumi' (隅) means "corner" and 'tsutsuku' (つつく) means "to poke," the literal meaning of 'jūbako no sumi wo tsutsuku' is "to poke a corner of multitiered boxes for storing food."

Since the shape of 'jūbako' is a rectangular parallelepiped, some food often remains in the corners.

Compared to poking and eating the food left in the corner of 'jūbako', this idiom means to pick up insignificant things and quibble about that.

I do not like to quibble about insignificant things, but I want to eat the food left in the corner of 'jūbako'.

重箱の隅をつつく

一昨日の投稿で、重ねることができる料理を入れる箱を意味する「重箱」という言葉を紹介しました。

「重箱」を使った慣用句に「重箱の隅をつつく」というものがあります。

「隅」は "corner"、「つつく」は "to pick" を意味するので、「重箱の隅をつつく」の文字どおりの意味は "to pick a corner of multitiered boxes for storing food" となります。

重箱は直方体であるため、隅には料理の一部が残ることがあります。

その隅に残った料理をつついて食べることから、この慣用句は「ささいなことを取り上げ難癖をつけること」という意味を持ちます。

私は、難癖をつけるのは好きではありませんが、重箱の隅に残った料理はしっかりと食べたいです。

• Jūbako no Sumi wo Tsutsuku (重箱の隅をつつく - Quibbling on Insignificant Detail)
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Jūbako no Sumi wo Tsutsuku
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• In my post the day before yesterday, I introduced the word 'jūbako' (重箱), which means multitiered boxes in which food is stored.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• There is an idiom that uses this word, 'jūbako no sumi wo tsutsuku' (重箱の隅をつつく).
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Since 'sumi' (隅) means "corner" and 'tsutsuku' (つつく) means "to poke," the literal meaning of 'jūbako no sumi wo tsutsuku' is "to poke a corner of multitiered boxes for storing food."
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Since the shape of 'jūbako' is a rectangular parallelepiped, some food often remains in the corners.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Compared to poking and eating the food left in the corner of 'jūbako', this idiom means to pick up insignificant things and quibble about that.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• I do not like to quibble about insignificant things, but I want to eat the food left in the corner of 'jūbako'.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

We say "to nitpick". Unlike your idiom which is about finding the last bits of food in a box, ours is about looking for louse eggs in someone's hair.