Japanese with Manga

Giving up catching a cat with 匙を投げる

Idiom Explanation: Giving up with 匙を投げる

Manga panel from 骨ドラゴンのマナ娘 showing example of Giving up catching a cat with 匙を投げる.
骨ドラゴンのマナ娘 » Volume 1 » Page 74

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...”
Literal: “Thank goodness. Our little one was so quick that the hired help threw the spoon...”
「ありがとう　魔女(まじょ)さん」
“Thank you, Miss Mage.”

Key Points

1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.
2The 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.
3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.

Vocabulary

(I)

うち can mean “I” or “me”, especially in Kansai speech and in casual speech among women. It also has other meanings, including “home” and “inside”.

(Contractor)

業者(ぎょうしゃ) means a business, contractor, supplier, or dealer. The best English term depends on the service or trade involved.

(Witch)

魔女(まじょ) means a witch, a woman believed to use magic or sorcery.

See Also

骨ドラゴンのマナ娘 © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.