Only the ace of spades with 〜だけ
Grammar Explanation: Limiting with 〜だけ
The Detective Boys group visits a cabin where Professor Agasa has secretly set out clues leading to a treasure. Conan draws the group’s attention to an arrow pointing to a table, on top of which there is…
- コナン:
- 「これまた不自然に散らばったトランプの山…」
- “A pile of cards, rather unnaturally scattered about.”
- 「しかも、なぜかスペードのＡだけが画鋲でとめてある…」
- “Further, for some reason, only the ace of spades is pinned down with thumbtacks...”
- Literal: “Moreover, for some reason, only the ace of spades has been fastened with thumbtacks...”
Key Points
1スペードのＡだけ = only the ace of spades
- Here だけ singles out one card from the scattered pile.
- Conan is noticing that only that specific card is being treated differently.
2しかも adds “on top of that”
- The line builds on the previous observation about the unnatural card pile.
- しかも signals an additional suspicious detail.
3が marks the card as the thing pinned down
- スペードのＡだけが 画鋲でとめてある means only the ace of spades has been fixed in place with thumbtacks.
Vocabulary
不自然 (Unnatural)
不自然 means unnatural, awkward, or contrived.
画鋲 (Thumbtack)
画鋲 means a thumbtack or drawing pin used to fasten paper to a wall or board.
See Also
- Grammar: Limiting with 〜だけ
- Future entry: Past tense with 〜た・〜だ
- Kanji: Negation and lack with 不
- Kanji: Pictures and plans with 画
名探偵コナン © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.