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Definition 2024

メンチを切る

メンチを切る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
切
き
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative forms

Idiom

メンチを切る ‎(hiragana and katakana メンチをきる, romaji menchi o kiru)

  1. (Kansai, slang) to stare or glare in challenge; by extension, to pick a fight
    • 2013, 我龍真吾逮捕／大麻汚染はなぜつづく (Garyū Shingo Taiho / Taima Osen wa Naze Tsuzuku, “Shingo Garyū Arrest: Why Does Marijuana Pollution Continue?”; in Japanese), All About, Inc.; text here
      我龍はM-1ミドル級王者のスタイルを保持（逮捕後の27日に返上）、K-1MAXを始めキック各団体に参戦。元暴走族という“前歴”を売りに、金髪に染めたヘアスタイルに、特攻服のヤンキースタイルで入場、対戦前には相手にメンチを切る（にらみ合う）という不良パフォーマンスで人気を博した名物選手。
      がりゅうはM-1ミドルきゅうおうじゃのスタイルをほじ（たいほごのにじゅうしちにちにへんじょう）、K-1MAXをはじめキックかくだんたいにさんせん。もとぼうそうぞくという“ぜんれき”をうりに、きんぱつにそめたヘアスタイルに、とっこうふくのヤンキースタイルでにゅうじょう、たいせんぜんにはあいてにメンチをきる（にらみあう）というふりょうパフォーマンスでにんきをはくしためいぶつせんしゅ。
      Garyū wa M-1 midoru-kyū ōja no sutairu o hoji (taiho-go no nijūshichi-nichi ni henjō), K-1MAX o hajime kikku kaku-dantai ni sansen. Moto bōsōzoku to iu "zenreki" o uri ni, kinpatsu ni someta hea sutairu ni, tokkō-fuku no yankī sutairu de nyūjō, taisen-zen ni wa aite ni menchi o kiru (niramiau) to iu furyō pafōmansu de ninki o hakushita meibutsu senshu.
      Garyū styled himself as the king of middle-weight M-1 (returning on the 27th [the day] after his arrest), and competed in K-1 MAX and the other kickboxing leagues. He was a famous competitor who gained popularity for his bad-boy performance, playing up his "past history" as a former biker gang member, with his hair dyed blond, coming into the ring wearing his gang regalia, and glaring a challenge out into the crowd before a match.

Conjugation

Synonyms

  • (Kansai) メンタを切る (​menta o kiru)
  • (Kantō) 眼を付ける (​gan o tsukeru)
  • (Kantō) 眼を飛ばす (​gan o tobasu)
  • (Kantō) 眼を垂れる (​gan o tareru)

References

  1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9

Etymology

Phrase composed of メンチ ‎(menchi, various possible derivations; see below) + を ‎(o, object particle) + 切る ‎(kiru, “to cut something, to cut across something, to break something; to do something boldly”).

Unknown derivation. メンチ ‎(menchi) on its own generally means mince, as in mincemeat, ground meat.[1][2] That does not fit this idiom, however.

One explanation is that メンチ ‎(menchi) is an alteration of メンタ, as found in the synonymous Kansai expression メンタを切る ‎(menta o kiru). In this, menta is an alteration of 目の玉 ‎(me no tama, “eyeball”): /me no tama/ → /mentama/ → /menta/. The standard term 目玉 ‎(medama, “eyeball”) is also used metaphorically to mean a glare, a stare; a scolding; compare English hairy eyeball, to eye. In this case, the phrase could be parsed as: menta o kiru → “to boldy eyeball someone” → “to glare in challenge”.

Phonetically, however, there is no clear mechanism for メンタ ‎(menta) to change into メンチ ‎(menchi). A more likely phonetic origin might be 面子 ‎(mentsu, “face, honor”). In this case, the phrase could be parsed as: menchi o kiru → “to cut / break someone else's honor” → “to glare in challenge”.

The derivation may be a combination of the above, where menta may have been influenced by mentsu to become menchi.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [mẽ̞ɴt͡ɕi o̞ kiɾ̠ɯᵝ]

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