1.
tail fin; caudal fin
The fin located at the tail end of a fish, used for propulsion and steering. Also called the caudal fin in scientific contexts.
マグロの尾びれは大きい。
A tuna's tail fin is large.
尾びれで水を叩いて泳ぐ。
It swims by beating the water with its tail fin.
金魚の尾びれがひらひらと揺れている。
The goldfish's tail fin is swaying gently.
2.
embellishment; exaggeration added to a story
Figuratively, extra details or exaggeration added when retelling a story or rumor, making it bigger or more dramatic than it actually was.
尾ひれがつく。
Embellishments get added (to a story).
噂に尾ひれがついて広がった。
The rumor spread with embellishments added to it.
尾ひれをつけないで、事実だけを話してください。
Please tell just the facts without embellishing.
Written as 尾びれ (also 尾鰭 in kanji). The literal meaning (sense 1) refers to the tail fin of a fish. The figurative meaning (sense 2) comes from the idiom 尾ひれがつく, which likens the growing embellishments on a story to a fish growing fins and a tail.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 尾ひれがつく: embellishments get added (to a story)
- 尾ひれをつける: to add embellishments
- 尾びれを振る: to wave the tail fin
FISH FIN TYPES:
- 背びれ: dorsal fin (back fin)
- 胸びれ: pectoral fin (chest fin)
- 腹びれ: pelvic fin (belly fin)
- 尻びれ: anal fin