I'm completely stumped here. The following passage is from a book, but I just
cannot make sense of what 軽んじる and 舐める are supposed to mean in this context -

Person A:

> それより貴様、使いっ走りに出され、能力も軽んじられて……秋元に舐められ放題ではないか

Person B:

> 僕があの方にナメられないわけないじゃないですがぁ

Even after looking at a dictionary, the translation I thought of in my head
doesn't make too much sense. I think they both refer to 'underestimating' so
perhaps person A saying Akimoto underestimates his abilities and person B
saying he isn't? Or is 軽んじる and 舐める used differently? Especially considering
放題 follows 舐められ and I've never really seen 放題 much so far in the time I have
been learning Japanese.

Please help me understand this dialogue! Thank you!
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-13T03:53:45.373
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2017-02-15T04:20:22.477
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question
meaning words
Meaning of 軽んじる and 舐める
So you already searched in a dictionary and understood that they can both mean
"to underestimate". I am sure you realize that having 2 words with similar
meanings is not such an odd concept. They both can mean :

> To make light of, to underestimate, to look down on, to put down, etc.

If you are a perfectionist and are worried about which feels more natural to a
native Japanese for every single cases then you will have to gain a lot of
Japanese experience and learn all those cases.

Some slight nuances might be that 舐める feels more like a deliberate insult to
**someone** , while 軽んじる might feel more like making light of **something**.

As for 放題, it means "as much as you like". It is mostly in expressions like
食べ放題、飲み放題 which is "all you can drink/eat" service in restaurants.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-13T04:22:36.850
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2017-02-13T04:22:36.850
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軽んじる is a rather "neutral/objective" word which is usable in a serious
article. 軽視する is a synonym. 舐める (lit. "to lick") here is a slangy/colloquial
word and the meaning is closer to
[ばかにする](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%81%B0%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AB%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B)
and [あなどる](http://jisho.org/search/%E4%BE%AE%E3%82%8B). Person A just
rephrased what he has said using a more colloquial and catchy phrase. This 放題
means you are always being "licked" but does nothing about that. See [this
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/29894/5010).

僕があの方にナメられないわけないじゃないですかぁ is a triple negative sentence. ナメられないわけない means
"There is no way I won't be despised = I will certainly be despised," and
じゃないですかあ means "...isn't that so? / ...don't you think so?". So the sentence
basically means "Of course that person will make light of me! Why not?". The
sentence implies Person B is well aware of such fact but he does not care.
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2017-02-15T04:20:22.477
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answer