1.
iron rod; metal club; iron staff
A heavy bar or club made of iron or metal, used as a tool or weapon. In folklore it is the signature weapon of the 鬼 (ogre), which is why it figures in the well-known idiom below.
鬼が金棒を持っている。
The ogre is holding an iron club.
重い金棒を両手で振り回した。
He swung the heavy iron rod around with both hands.
経験豊富な彼が加われば、鬼に金棒だ。
With an experienced person like him joining, we'll be invincible.
A heavy iron bar or club. In modern Japanese it is encountered most often in the idiom below rather than as a literal weapon.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 鬼に金棒: lit. 'an iron club for an ogre' — making something already strong even stronger; an unbeatable combination
- 金棒を振り回す: to swing an iron club
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 棒: rod; stick — the general word for a bar of any material
- 鉄棒: iron bar; (gymnastics) horizontal bar — overlaps in literal sense but also names the playground/gymnastics apparatus