you keep checking everything with him.
5. Kore dake katte ireba, dame-oshi suru hitsuyō wa nai.
With the way we're winning, there's no need to play it safe.
dan-chigai
vast difference in levels
TOMODACHI 1:
Saikin, Eikaiwa, narai-hajimetan' desuyo.
TOMODACHI 2:
Sore de, Eigo ga dan-chigai ni umaku nattan' desu ne.
FRIEND 1:
I've recently started to study English conversation.
FRIEND 2:
So that's why your English has gotten so much better.
Dan-chigai, refers to two things that cannot be compared because of extreme differences (chigai) in level (dan). This phrase comes from go, where players are ranked according to their ability. For example, someone with skill level eight would be no match for a person with skill level two; the lower the level, the greater the skill.
EXAMPLES
1. Anata no ie, uchi to wa dan-chigai ni hirokute urayamashii desu.
Your place is so much bigger than mine, it makes me jealous.
2. Sasuga, ichi-ryū no resutoran wa dan-chigai no umasa desu ne.
Indeed, the food at this first-rate restaurant outclasses others.
3. Nichiyōbi no kanchōgai wa, heijitsu to wa dan-chigai ni shizuka da.
On Sundays the government district is much quieter than on weekdays.
4. Anata no shūnyū to watashi no de wa, dan-chigai desu.
There is a big difference in our income levels.
5. Futari no jitsu-ryoku wa dan-chigai de, shiai ni naranai.
Our levels are completely different so we wouldn't be a good match.
dandori ga yoi
efficient arrangements
BUKA:
Kaigi-yō no shiryō ojunbi shite okimashita.
BUCHŌ:
Kimi wa shigoto no dandori ga yoi node, tasukaru yo.
SUBORDINATE:
I've prepared the data for the conference.
DEPARTMENT CHIEF:
It's a great help that you're so well-organized.
Dandori ga yoi means that something is undertaken with much care and efficiency. This expression is originally a term from the construction industry. When building stairs, how the dan (steps) will be taken (toru, which becomes dori) or determined is a calculated procedure. This dandori (determination of the height of the step) was an important criterion for the safety standard of a building. From this practice, the expression has derived its present meaning. Dandori often appears on its own.
EXAMPLES
1. Kyō no kaigi wa totemo dandori ga umaku itta.
The arrangements for today's conference went very smoothly.
2. Shikai no dandori ga warukute, kaigi ga nagabiita.
The meeting dragged on because the chairperson hadn't prepared for it.
3. Kekkon-shiki no dandori, kyō sōdan shimashō.
Let's discuss the plans today for the wedding.
4. Niji kara kaikaishiki o okonau dandori ni natte imasu.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at two o'clock.
5. Hachigatsu wa kaigai-shutchō ni iku dandori ni natte imasu.
I have arranged to take an overseas business trip in August.
dashi ni suru
use as a pretext
CHŌNAN:
Otōsan, Hiroshi ga sukiyaki ga tabetai'tte.
CHICHIOYA:
Otōto o dashi ni shite wa ikenai yo. Hontō wa jibun ga tabetain' darō?
ELDEST SON:
Dad, Hiroshi says he wants to eat sukiyaki.
FATHER:
You shouldn't use your brother as an excuse. The truth is that you want to eat sukiyaki, right?
Dashi ni suru means to use a person or a thing to suit one's own convenience. Dashi is the nominalized form of the verb dasu (bring out, produce). The expression dashi ni tsukau also has the same meaning as dashi ni suru.
EXAMPLES
1. Shachō no tanjōbi o dashi ni shite, pātii o hiraita.
Using the company president's birthday as a pretext, we threw a party.
2. Watashi o dashi ni tsukawanaide kudasai.
Please don't use me as an excuse.
3. Kare wa dashi ni sareta koto o shirimasen.
He doesn't know that he has been taken advantage of.
4. Imōto o dashi ni shite, kare to yūenchi ni itta.
I used to take my younger sister along as an excuse for going to the amusement park with my boyfriend.
debana o kujiku
thwart at the outset
OTTO:
Musuko no nyūgaku-shiki da to iu noni, ante ga
