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Meaning

a letdown, an anticlimax

Charging in eagerly only to be sidestepped, or being let down when something falls short of expectations. Often used in the form katasukashi wo kuu (to be let down).

Example

大発表があると身構えていたら、ただの席替えで肩透かしを食った。

We braced ourselves for a big announcement, but it was only a seating change, which was quite a letdown.

Origin

One of the winning techniques (kimarite) in sumo. The wrestler lightly hooks a hand under the base of the opponent's arm, pulls while turning the body aside, and slaps the opponent's shoulder with the other hand to send them falling forward. Because it dodges a charging opponent's momentum instead of meeting it head on, it became a figure for deflecting someone's momentum.

Sources