しらを切きる

also: シラをきる

し

ら

を

き

る

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-ru)

feign ignorance; play innocent; pretend not to know

Used when someone deliberately acts as if they know nothing about something, often to avoid responsibility or blame. Common in everyday speech.

彼かれはその件けんについてしらを切きった。
He feigned ignorance about the matter.
問

と

い

詰つ

め

られ

て

も

、

彼かの

女じょ

はしら

を

切き

り

続つづ

け

た

。

Even when pressed, she kept playing innocent.

Written forms

しらを切きる
Common kana-mixed spelling; the most neutral written form.
シラを切きる
Katakana spelling of しら; sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
白しらを切きる
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji spelling; the kanji 白 is used phonetically and does not carry its usual meaning. Rarely seen in modern writing.
シラをきる

Kanji

切cut, cutoff, be sharp
白white

Similar words

とぼける
Also means to feign ignorance, but can be used more broadly for acting dumb or playing the fool. しらを切る specifically emphasizes denying knowledge of a particular fact or situation.
知しらんぷり
Means pretending not to notice or ignoring something. しらを切る is more about verbally denying knowledge, while 知らんぷり can be non-verbal.

Etymology

The phrase likely derives from しら (an old word for 'white') combined with 切る, originally meaning 'to cut white', possibly alluding to a blank or innocent face. The exact origin is uncertain, but it has been used since the Edo period.