追い打ちをかける

• Reading: おいうちをかける
• Romaji: oiuchi wo kakeru
• Kanji breakdown: 追 (tsui/o) — pursue, follow; 打 (da/u) — strike, hit; 掛 (ka/kake) — apply, deliver
• Pronunciation: /o.i.ɯ.tɕi.o.ka.ke.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To deal a further blow; to add insult to injury; to pile on when someone is already down.

A Group 2 (ichidan) idiomatic compound centred on かける (kakeru, to apply/deliver). 追い打ち literally means 'a pursing strike' — attacking an enemy who is already retreating or fallen. The modern figurative sense describes delivering an additional hardship, setback, or criticism to someone already struggling. Used when bad news follows bad news, or when a further problem compounds an existing crisis. The phrase can be used with the nominalised form 追い打ち as a standalone noun.

Examples

1. 試合に負けた直後、エースが負傷するという追い打ちをかけるような出来事が起きた。 Right after losing the game, their ace player got injured — adding insult to injury.
2. 給料が下がったうえに家賃まで上がるとは、まさに追い打ちをかけられた形だ。 Having my salary cut and then my rent go up was like being kicked while I was down.
3. 批判が続く中、新たなスキャンダルが追い打ちをかけた。 As the criticism continued to mount, a new scandal dealt yet another blow.

Usage Guide

Context: crisis, news, sports, business

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Military idiom from samurai warfare: 追い打ち refers to the tactic of pursuing and striking a retreating enemy. The figurative extension emerged in the Edo period, applied to any situation where additional misfortune strikes someone already weakened.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal