毬栗(いがぐり)

いがぐり
noun
chestnut in its spiny husk; close-cropped (spiky) hair
foodnatureappearance
1. chestnut in its spiny husk
A chestnut still enclosed in its prickly green outer burr (毬(いが)). The fully ripe form that drops from the tree before being opened.
There was a spiny chestnut burr lying on the road.
When autumn comes, spiny chestnut burrs fall from the trees.
If you step on a spiny chestnut burr, the spines stick into your shoes and it hurts.
2. close-cropped spiky hair; buzz cut
By metaphor, a very short hairstyle that resembles the bristly burr of a chestnut. Often used affectionately for young boys.
弟(おとうと)は毬栗(いがぐり)頭(あたま)にした。
My younger brother got a buzz cut.
A boy with a buzz cut came out of the school gate.
部活(ぶかつ)の野球部員(やきゅうぶいん)たちはみんな毬栗(いがぐり)頭(あたま)にしている。
The members of the baseball club all have buzz cuts.

Compound of 毬(いが) (the prickly burr of a chestnut) + 栗(ぐり) (chestnut). The hair-cut sense is always used with 頭(あたま) or 刈(か)り.

Common collocations

  • 毬栗(いがぐり)頭(あたま): buzz cut (literally "chestnut-burr head")
  • 毬栗(いがぐり)刈(が)り: a close-cropped haircut
  • 毬栗(いがぐり)が落(お)ちる: spiny chestnuts fall (from the tree)

Similar words

  • 栗(くり): chestnut — the nut itself, without the burr
  • 坊主頭(ぼうずあたま): shaved head — even shorter than 毬栗(いがぐり)頭(あたま)