Giving up catching a cat with 匙を投げる

Idiom Explanation: Giving up with 匙を投げる

Eve takes the job of catching a cat that ran away from its owner. Following a successful mid-air catch off the roof and into a tree, Eve returns the cat to its owner.

お城(じょう)ちゃん:: 「よかったぁ　うちの仔(こ)すばしっこすぎて業者(ぎょうしゃ)さんに匙(さじ)投(な)げられて…」; “Thank goodness! Our little one was so quick that the hired help gave up on us...”; 「ありがとう　魔女(まじょ)さん」; “Thank you, Miss Mage.”

Key Points

匙(さじ)を投(な)げる means to give up as hopeless
- The hired help abandoned the job because the cat was too quick.
- The idiom is figurative; no spoon is actually being thrown in the scene.
The receptive form shows what happened to the owner
- 匙(さじ)投(な)げられて means they had the job given up on them.
- It frames the owner as the person left without help.
すばしっこすぎて gives the reason
- すばしっこい means nimble or quick.
- 〜すぎて says the cat was too quick, leading to the hired help giving up.