Omou Tsubo (Thought Pot)

Today I would like to talk about the Japanese term "omou tsubo".

The literal meaning is "thought pot", and it means that something goes what you wanted or what you expected.

Usage example: The war situation became enemy's omou tsubo (thought pot).

Here, "tsubo" means a pot, especially which is used to roll a dice in gambling.

It is said that an experienced dealer who had a role of rolling a dice could decide the number of the dice as he thought.

From this fact, to become what you wanted/expected has come to be referred to as "omou tsubo" (thought pot).

思う壺

今日は「思う壺」という言葉を紹介します。

「思う壺」とは、思った通りになることや、期待通りになることを意味します。

使用例：戦況は敵の思う壺になってしまった。

ここで「壺」は、賭博においてサイコロを入れて振るための壺（壺皿）を指します。

熟練の壺振り師は、狙ったとおりのサイコロの目が出せたと言われいます。

このことから、思い通りになることを「思う壺」と呼ぶようになりました。