Neglecting one's work with 油を売る
油を売る means wasting time when you should be working. It often describes dawdling, chatting, or doing something unrelated to the job.
In English, “loafing around” has a similar meaning.
Literal Meaning
The literal translation is “selling oil”. The expression is believed to derive from the Edo period (1603–1867), where oil merchants would sometimes engage in lengthy small talk with women while selling oil to them.
Further Reading
- 【油を売る】の意味と使い方や例文（慣用句） (proverb-encyclopedia.com)
- 油を売る｜慣用句 (edewakaru.com)
Examples
Free time to be loafing around with 油を売る
Idiom Explanation: Neglecting one's work with 油を売る
Rubeus finds Esmeraude spying on Prince Demande.
- ルベウス:
- 「エスメロード こんな所で油を売ってるヒマはあるのか？」
- “Esmeraude, do you have time to be loafing around in such a place?”