1.
tail fin; caudal fin
the fin at the tail end of a fish
マグロの尾ひれは大きい。
The tail fin of a tuna is large.
魚は尾ひれで方向を変える。
Fish change direction with their tail fins.
尾ひれの形で魚の種類がわかることもある。
Sometimes you can tell the species of fish by the shape of its tail fin.
2.
embellishments; exaggerations; additions to a story
extra details or exaggerations added when retelling a story, making it bigger than it actually was
尾ひれをつけて話す人だ。
He's a person who embellishes stories.
噂に尾ひれがついて広まった。
The rumor spread with added embellishments.
小さな失敗に尾ひれがついて、まるで大事件のように伝わってしまった。
A small mistake got embellished and was passed around as if it were a major incident.
Composed of 尾 (tail) and ひれ (鰭, fin). The literal meaning is a fish's tail fin, but the figurative use in the set phrase 尾ひれをつける (to add embellishments) is extremely common. The image is of a fish story growing extra fins as it gets retold.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 尾ひれをつける: to embellish, to exaggerate
- 尾ひれがつく: to get embellished (passive)
- 噂に尾ひれがつく: a rumor gets exaggerated
- 尾ひれ背ひれをつける: to add all sorts of embellishments
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 誇張: exaggeration — a more formal, general term
- 脚色: dramatization, embellishment — adding dramatic elements to make something more interesting
- 大げさ: exaggerated, overblown — describes the tone or manner of exaggeration