油あぶらを絞しぼる

あ

ぶ

ら

を

し

ぼ

る

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-ru)

chew out; reprimand severely; give a sound scolding

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'to squeeze oil', used figuratively for harsh verbal scolding or dressing down. The literal sense 'to press oil' is rare in modern usage.

遅ち刻こくしたら、部ぶ長ちょうに油あぶらを絞しぼられた。
When I was late, the department chief chewed me out.

彼かれ

は

ミス

を

し

て

、

上じょう

司し

から

油あぶら

を

絞しぼ

ら

れ

た

。

He made a mistake and got a sound scolding from his boss.

Written forms

油あぶらを絞しぼる
Standard kanji spelling for the idiomatic meaning; 絞る is the most common kanji for 'squeeze' in this expression.
油あぶらを搾しぼる
Alternate kanji spelling using 搾る, which also means 'squeeze' but is less common for this idiom.
油あぶらをしぼる
Kana spelling for しぼる; used when avoiding kanji or for clarity.

Kanji

油oil, fat
絞strangle, constrict, wring
搾squeeze

Similar words

叱しかる
叱る is a general verb for scolding or reprimanding, while 油を絞る is a stronger, more vivid idiom implying a severe dressing down.
怒おこる
怒る means 'to get angry', focusing on the emotion, whereas 油を絞る focuses on the act of harshly scolding someone.

Etymology

Literally 'to squeeze oil'. The figurative meaning of harsh scolding likely comes from the image of pressing someone hard, as if extracting oil from them.