お茶を濁す

• 読み: おちゃをにごす
• ローマ字: ocha wo nigosu
• 漢字の分解: 茶 (cha) — tea; 濁 (daku/nigo) — muddy, turbid, unclear
• 発音: /o̞.tɕa wo̞ ni.ɡo̞.sɯ/

意味

To be evasive; to give a vague answer; to fudge an issue. To muddy the waters rather than address something directly.

A verb phrase (Group 1 godan: 濁す) meaning to give a noncommittal answer or to deflect rather than confront an issue honestly. Conjugates as: 濁さない, 濁し, 濁す, 濁せ. The expression also carries the meaning of making something inadequate pass for adequate. Used when someone deflects a difficult question, covers up an inconvenient truth, or offers a superficial response in place of genuine engagement.

例文

1. 記者の質問に対して、大臣はお茶を濁すような曖昧な答えしか返さなかった。
2. 都合の悪いことを聞かれると、彼はいつもお茶を濁して逃げる。
3. お茶を濁しているようでは、相手の信頼を得ることはできない。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, evasion, conversation, business

トーン: critical, wry

起源と歴史

From tea ceremony: a practitioner without proper training might use already-used leaves to make murky (濁る) tea, passing it off as properly prepared. This act of substituting poor quality for genuine skill became the metaphor for evasive or superficial responses.

文化的背景

時代: Classical-Modern

世代: Adult

社会的背景: General