Giving up catching a cat with 匙を投げる
Idiom Explanation: Giving up with 匙を投げる
Eve takes the job of catching a cat that ran away from its owner. Following a successful mid-air catch off the roof and into a tree, Eve returns the cat to its owner.
- お城ちゃん:
- 「よかったぁ うちの仔すばしっこすぎて業者さんに匙投げられて…」
- “Thank goodness! Our little one was so quick that the hired help gave up on us...”
- 「ありがとう 魔女さん」
- “Thank you, Miss Mage.”
The idiom 匙を投げる literally means “to throw the spoon” and originates from doctors giving up on treating a patient when their condition seemed hopeless (throwing away the medicine spoon). In modern usage, it means to give up on any difficult situation or person.
Vocabulary
- 仔
- little one, child
-
- Affectionate term often used for young animals or children
- すばしっこい
- quick, nimble
- 業者
- contractor, fellow trader
- 匙を投げる
- to give up, to throw in the towel
-
- Literally means "to throw the spoon" but idiomatically means to give up on something, especially when a situation seems hopeless
- 魔女
- witch
Grammar
- 〜すぎて
- Too much; so... that. Indicates an excessive degree that leads to a result.
- 〜に〜られて
- Receptive form showing that someone was affected by an action (the hired help gave up on them).