KY08 Idiom Line
らちがあかない
埒が明かない
Rachigaakanai
Use the left and right arrow keys, or swipe the sign, to move to the next word.
Meaning
to get nowhere
A matter drags on without being settled, and the discussion makes no progress.
Example
メールでは埒が明かないので、直接電話して確かめた。
Email was getting us nowhere, so I called them directly to confirm.
Origin
Rachi (埒) originally meant the fence around a riding ground. Some dictionaries say the expression comes from kurabeuma, the horse races held as a Shinto ritual at Kamigamo Shrine. The figurative use meaning "a settled point" or "a conclusion" is thought to date from around the late medieval period, and the Nippo Jisho has an example of rachi ga aku. Today it is mainly used in the negative.