揚げ足を取る

• 読み: あげあしをとる
• ローマ字: ageashi wo toru
• 漢字の分解: 揚 (yō/a) — raise, lift; 足 (soku/ashi) — foot, leg; 取 (shu/to) — take, grab
• 発音: /a.ɡe.a.ɕi.o.to.ɾɯ/

意味

To jump on someone's verbal mistake; to trip someone up. Finding fault with minor slips in what someone says.

An idiomatic expression using Group 1 (godan) verb 取る. Originally a sumo term meaning to grab an opponent's raised leg to topple them. Now used figuratively to describe nitpicking someone's words or seizing on trivial errors to undermine them.

例文

1. 彼はいつも人の揚げ足を取ってばかりいる。
2. 議論の場で揚げ足を取るのはやめてほしい。
3. 上司に揚げ足を取られないよう慎重に発言した。

使い方ガイド

場面: arguments, workplace, daily life

トーン: critical

起源と歴史

From sumo wrestling, where 揚げ足 refers to a raised leg during a throw attempt. Grabbing (取る) that raised leg to trip the opponent became a metaphor for exploiting someone's verbal misstep.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal