Where does “尻尾を巻く” come from?
尻尾を巻く (Japanese) comes from Japanese 尻尾, from Japanese 尾, from Old Japanese 尾.
尻尾を巻く (Japanese): to tuck one's tail between one's legs; to admit defeat; to turn tail (and run)
Definitions
- to tuck one's tail between one's legs; to admit defeat; to turn tail (and run)
Ancestry of “尻尾を巻く”, step by step
尻尾を巻く traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 尻尾
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 尻尾 | tail |
| 2 | Japanese | 尾 | a tail; the foot of a mountain; the end of... |
| 3 | Old Japanese | 尾 | — |
via Japanese を
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | を | A case particle; A conjunctive particle, usually... |
| 2 | Proto-Japonic | wo | accusative marker; away from, off |
via Japanese 巻く
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 巻く | roll, coil, wind up; wrap around; tighten, wind |