縺れ

もつれ【縺れ】

1 〔髪･糸などの〕 a tangle; (an) entanglement; a ravel; 《米》 a snarl; 〔魚釣り用の糸巻きの〕 a backlash.

●舌のもつれ a twist in one's tongue; inarticulate [stumbling] speech; tongue-tiedness

・足のもつれ a stumble; a stagger.

●もつれ髪 tangled [matted] hair; elflocks.

●もつれを解く disentangle; unravel; straighten out; untie; 《米》 unsnarl

・髪のもつれをとかす comb the snarls out of one's hair.

2 〔紛糾〕 trouble(s); a complication; a tangle; a twist; difficulties; an imbroglio 《pl. ～s》. [＝ごたごた¹]

●交渉のもつれ 《cause, create, ease》 complications [entanglements, imbroglios] in the negotiations

・感情[恋]のもつれ an emotional [a love] entanglement 《between…》.

●両者の間に感情のもつれが生じた. Trouble has arisen between them. | 〈事が主語〉 It brought trouble between them.

●夫婦関係のもつれから刃傷沙汰が起きた. Emotional complications between the couple ended [resulted] in bloodshed.

●もつれを解く disentangle; unravel 《a complicated matter》; settle 《a question》.