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Just came across this phrase and upon breaking it down it looked like it would
have the opposite meaning to what it really has (高を括る-to make light of). Have
I missed something and there's actually a good explanation for this phrase? My
first thought was that it would mean 'to expect a lot' or something similar.
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2021-02-28T20:42:57.733
84392
2021-03-01T12:55:12.113
2021-02-28T21:08:07.507
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question
expressions
Logical explanation for '高を括る'? phrase
高【たか】 means "yield/amount/quantity" (e.g., of a crop). くくる means "to bind/tie"
and, by extension, "to summarize/consolidate". Thus, the literal meaning of
高をくくる is nothing more than something like "to estimate (the capability of
someone/something)" or "to assume". However, as an idiom, it has gained a
derived _implication_ of "to (wrongly) estimate/assume", and that's why "to
make light of something" is a valid translation. When it comes to idioms, you
cannot expect their literal meanings are preserved.
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2021-03-01T02:21:45.867
84395
2021-03-01T12:55:12.113
2021-03-01T12:55:12.113
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answer