食う

くう
to eat

* * *

くう【食う】

⇒ たべる

①［食べる］

〔食事する〕

**eat

|自|〖D〗 食べる， 食事をする

eat like a hog ブタのようにがつがつ食う.

*feed

|自|〖D〗 (動物が)物を食う；(赤ん坊が)食事する.

*devour

/diváuər/ |他|〖D〗 《正式》(人・動物が)(物)をむさぼり食う， がつがつ食う

The lion devoured its prey. ライオンは獲物をむさぼり食った.

*graze

|自|〖S〗 (家畜が)生草を食う， 〔牧草を〕食う〔on〕.

|他|(草地など)を家畜に食わせる， 牧場として使う；(家畜が)(牧場の草)を食う.

grub

|自|《略式》食べる.

gut

|自|《略式》むさぼり食う.

▲There is no accounting for taste. ((ことわざ))「たで食う虫も好きずき」

keep food on the table 食うや食わずの生活をする

life in the fast lane 食うか食われるかの人生.

②［生活する］

〔暮す， 生計を立てる〕 ⇒ せいけい［生計］

*earn

|他|(生計)を立てる

He earns his living by playing the piano. 彼はピアノの演奏で食っている.

③［食いつく・刺す］

〔かむ〕

¶今日は魚がどうも食わない

The fish won't bite today.

¶(衣服が)虫に食われている

get the moth

¶ → 蚊に食われる

④［費やす］

〔消費する， むだにする， 使う〕

*consume

|他|〖D〗 《正式》(時・金など)を〔…に〕消費する〔in， on〕; …を浪費する(away).

run away with O

(事が)(金・時間など)を食う， 使わせる《◆通例進行形不可》.

▲This car is a gas hog. この車はガソリンをよく食う

An old car eats gas. 古い車はガソリンを食う.

⑤［身に受ける］

〔だまされる， こうむる〕

**sell

|他|《略式》［通例 be sold］ 一杯食わされる， ひっかかる， だまされる.

▲He has been barred from the club. 彼はクラブから締め出しを食っている

be caught short 不意打ちを食う

catch it ［hell］ 《略式》お目玉を食う， 罰を受ける.

* * *

くう【食う】

1 〔食物を食べる〕 eat; have; take; 《口》 nosh; stuff one's face; 〔常食にする〕 live on…; (動物が) eat; feed on….

●一口食う have [take] a bite [mouthful] 《of…》; have a bite to eat; have a quick snack

・一口で食う eat sth in one mouthful [go]

・飯を外で食う eat out

・食える be edible; be eatable; be good [fit] to eat

・食えない ⇒くえない

・食う物 something to eat; food; 〔動物の〕 feed

・食われてしまう be eaten [gobbled] up 《by…》; 〔野獣などに〕 be devoured 《by…》.

●何も食う物がない. We have nothing to eat. | There is no food.

・あいつはもう 3 日間飯を食わずにいる. He has been [gone] without food for three days. | He hasn't eaten for three days.

・よく食う男だな. Don't you eat a lot! | What an appetite you have! | You're a big [hearty] eater!

・心配するな, お前を取って食いやしないよ. Don't worry. He won't eat [bite] you.

・働かざる者食うべからず. No work, no food. | The idle get no bread.

2 〔生活する〕 live 《on [by]…》; survive 《on…》; earn [make] one's living; support oneself; make ends meet; keep one's head above water; keep the wolf from the door.

●食うために働く work to survive [keep the wolf from the door]

・食うに困る find it hard to make [have a hard time making] a living; be badly off; be pushed to make ends meet

・食うに困らない have enough money to live on; have no trouble keeping one's head above water

・彼には食うに困らないだけの財産がある. He has sufficient property to be comfortably off.

・アルバイトをして食っている live off [on] part-time work; survive by doing part-time work

・どうにか[やっと]食っていく scratch a living; (just) manage to keep body and soul together; eke out a precarious living

・アパート経営で食っていく make one's living by renting out apartments.

●自分が食うだけで精いっぱいだ. It's all I can do to feed [support] myself. | I can't do any more than keep my own head above water.

・彼は何をして食ってるの. What does he do for a living?

・彼はペンで食っている. He lives by his pen [writing].

・こんな安月給じゃ親子 3 人食っていけない. A family of three can't live off [on] such a low salary. | Such a low salary can't support a family of three.

3 〔消費する〕 consume; spend; use (up).

●ガソリンを食う車 a car that drinks fuel; a gas guzzler.

●この事業は金を食う. This enterprise eats money. | This is a very costly enterprise.

・こっちのエアコンのほうが電気を食う. This air conditioner uses [consumes, eats up] more power.

・この車はあまりガソリンを食わない. This car doesn't use much fuel. | This car gives good mileage.

・彼の収入はギャンブルに食われてしまっていた. His income was being swallowed up by gambling.

4 〔身に受ける･こうむる〕 be given; get; receive; suffer.

●お目玉を食う get a scolding; be told off; 《英》 《口》 get it in the ear [neck]

・体当たりを食う be physically stopped

・足止めを食う be prevented from leaving.

●〔デートなど〕 一週間のお預けを食った. I was put off for a week. | I was made to wait another week.

5 〔他の領分を侵す〕 encroach 《on [upon]…》; invade.

●地盤を食う encroach on [upon] sb's territory

・他の店に客を食われる have one's customers poached by another shop; lose one's customers to the competition.

6 〔試合で勝つ〕 beat; defeat; overthrow; triumph over…; 〔技などでまさる〕 outplay; excel; upstage.

●横綱を食う beat [defeat, topple] a grand champion

・(相手に)食われる be beaten [defeated] 《by…》.

●〔高校野球で〕 強豪が無名校に食われた. The baseball powerhouse was beaten by a team from a little-known school.

・主役はすっかりその子役に食われてしまった. The star was completely upstaged by the child actor. | The child actor walked off with the show.

7 〔魚が〕 bite [nibble] 《at…》; take a bait; 〔ネズミが〕 gnaw 《at…》; 〔虫が〕 bite.

●虫の食った本 a moth-eaten book

・蚊に食われる be bitten by a mosquito

・ノミ[蚊]に食われた跡 a fleabite [mosquito bite].

●虫に食われて葉が穴だらけだ. The leaves have been nibbled full of holes by insects.

・〔魚釣りで〕 今日はよく食う. The fish are biting well today.

・(魚が)今日はさっぱり食わない. I haven't had a (single) bite all day.

・虫に食われてズボンに穴があいてしまった. Moths have chewed a hole in these trousers.

8 〔だまされる〕 be cheated.

●その手は食わない. That trick doesn't work with me. | Two can play at that game.

・その手は二度と食わないぞ. I won't fall for that trick again.

・まんまと一杯食った. I was completely taken in.

何食わぬ顔 ⇒なにくわぬかお.

食うか食われるか ⇒くうかくわれるか.

食う物も食わずに

●食うものも食わずに金をためる build up a fortune while starving oneself

・彼は食うものも食わずに息子を大学に上げた. He starved himself [denied himself everything] to get his son into university.

食うや食わずの

●食うや食わずの有様である live at bare subsistence level; be on the verge of starvation; struggle on the fringe of subsistence; eke out a scanty livelihood

・食うや食わずの生活をしている. They live from meal to meal [hand to mouth]. | Theirs is a hand-to-hand existence. | They can hardly keep the wolf from the door [their head above water].

・夫婦で月収 8 万円では食うや食わずの生活だ. Married life on \80,000 a month is on [not far from] the starvation line.

食ってかかる shout at sb; go at sb hammer and tongs.

●彼はすごい剣幕で上司に食ってかかった. He went for his boss with a terrible look on his face.