Proverb / Kotowaza
油を売る
To waste time by chatting or slacking off instead of working or finishing a task.
to sell oil
Quick Answer
To waste time by chatting or slacking off instead of working or finishing a task.
- Literal Image
- to sell oil
- How to Use It
- This phrase is used to describe someone who is being unproductive or taking an unnecessarily long time to complete a task because they are talking to others.
Meaning
This expression describes someone who idles away time by engaging in idle conversation in the middle of an errand or duty. It specifically refers to the act of neglecting one's responsibilities to gossip or loiter.
Literal Image
to sell oil
How to Use It
This phrase is used to describe someone who is being unproductive or taking an unnecessarily long time to complete a task because they are talking to others.
Tone
It can be used with a critical or cautionary nuance when directed at someone who is not working.
Examples
買い物を頼んだのに、道中で友達と油を売っていた。
Even though I asked them to go shopping, they wasted time chatting with a friend on the way.
課長がいないのをいいことに、休憩室で油を売る。
Taking advantage of the manager's absence, they are slacking off in the break room.
油を売っていないで、早く作業を終わらせなさい。
Stop wasting time and finish your work quickly.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
While the individual kanji for oil and sell are basic, the phrase is an idiomatic expression whose meaning is not obvious from a literal reading.
油
あぶら / abura
oil
売る
うる / uru
to sell
Usage Profile
Usage note: Using this phrase to describe someone's behavior can sound like a direct accusation of laziness.
Misread Risk
This phrase should not be taken literally as selling oil; it is strictly an idiom for wasting time through conversation or idleness.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
This expression originates from oil sellers in the Edo period. Because it took a long time to pour oil from a container into a measure (masu), sellers would engage in idle talk and neighborhood gossip with their customers while waiting for the process to finish.
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Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.