ga, shinten suru dokoro ka, furi-dashi ni modotte shimaimashita yo.
EMPLOYEE 1:
Was there any progress made in the meeting the other day?
EMPLOYEE 2:
Rather than making progress, we ended up right back where we had started.
Furi-dashi ni modoru means to return to an original state or condition. There is a board game played at New Year called sugoroku, in which dice are thrown and players advance the number of squares indicated by the number thrown. The first person to reach the end becomes the winner. The starting point of sugoroku is called the furi-dashi. During the game, if players happen to land on a square marked furi-dashi ni modoru, literally "return to the starting point," they must start all over.
EXAMPLES
1. Kare no kyōkō na hantai de, hanashi wa furi-dashi ni modotte shimatta.
Due to his strong opposition, the discussion ended up going back to square one.
2. Furi-dashi ni modotte, kangae-naoshite mimashō.
Let's rethink things, starting right from scratch.
3. Hanashi wa dōdō meguri de, kekkyoku furi-dashi ni modotte shimau.
The discussion is going round and round in circles and is eventually going to end up right back at the starting point.
furui ni kakeru
screen, select
BUKA:
Nyūsha shiken ni, saiyō yotei no nanabai no gakusei ga kimashita yo.
BUCHŌ:
Furui ni kakete, shōrai, yūbō na hito dake nokoshitai.
SUBORDINATE:
The number of students taking the company entrance exam is seven times the number we plan to employ.
DEPARTMENT CHIEF:
I'd like to screen the applicants so we are only left with the ones with the most potential.
Furui ni kakeru means to select from a larger group only those things or people that meet certain standards or requirements. A furui is a round net used to sift sand or dirt so that the coarse grain is separated from the fine grain. Some things put in the net and shaken (furui ni kakerarete) are filtered out; other things remain in the net.
EXAMPLES
1. Nikai-me no shiken dejukensha wa furui ni kakerareru.
The examinees are screened with a second test.
2. Furui ni kakerarete, yūnō na mono dake ga nokotta.
After the screening, only the capable ones remained.
3. Watashi-tachi o nankai furui ni kakeru tsumori desu ka?
How many times do you intend to screen us?
4. Ano kaiga konkūru de mo, sakuhin wa mazu, shorui senko de furui ni kakerareru.
Even at the painting contest, the first screening is done with portfolios.
futokoro ga sabishii
be short of money
DŌRYŌ 1:
Asoko no resutoran, oishiso desu yo. Itte mimasen ka?
DŌRYŌ 2:
Saikin futokoro ga sabishikute ne. Zan'nen dakedo, kondo ne.
COLLEAGUE 1:
That restaurant is supposed to be good. Shall we give it a try?
COLLEAGUE 2:
Sorry, but recently I've been so short of money. Let's go there some other time.
Futokoro ga sabishii means to be short of money. Originally, futokoro referred to the pocketlike space in a kimono that was used to hold one's money. From this, futokoro came to mean the amount of money that a person had at any one time. Futokoro ga samui also means to be short of money whereas futokoro ga atatakai means to be carrying lots of money.
EXAMPLES
1. Anata, konban futokoro ga sabishisō ne. Ogorimashō ka?
You seem to be a bit hard up tonight. Why don't I treat you to this?
2. Kare wa it sumo futokoro ga sabishisō da.
He never seems to have any money on him.
3. Kyō wa kyūryō-bi de, futokoro ga atatakain' desu yo.
I'm in the money today—it's my payday.
4. Konpyūtā o kattara, kyii ni futokoro ga samuku natta.
Since I bought the computer, I've suddenly become short of funds.
5. Ryokō ni ikitai ga, futokoro ga samukute ikesō ni mo nai.
I want to go away on holiday, but I'm so short of money at the moment that it doesn't look like I'll be able to.
gaten ga iku
make sense, have things come into focus
DŌRYŌ 1:
Yasui kyūryō de yoku konna hiroi ie ga tateraremashita ne.
DŌRYŌ 2:
Jitsu wa, chichioya no isan nan' da.
DŌRYŌ 1:
Ā, sore de gaten ga ikimashita.
COLLEAGUE 1:
On your small salary you've managed to build a large house.
COLLEAGUE 2:
Well, actually, I inherited the house from my father.
COLLEAGUE 1:
Ah, now that explains it.
Long ago, when masters of waka poems evaluated works written by their students,
