Nuance Dictionary / Chaos, Rushing & Spinning
얼기설기 eol-gi-seol-gi
Tangled or woven loosely and carelessly, like a bird's nest or a poorly made plan
What does 얼기설기 mean?
얼기설기 (eol-gi-seol-gi) means: Tangled or woven loosely and carelessly, like a bird's nest or a poorly made plan.
Implies a lack of precision, resulting in a loose and messy structure.
How it's actually used
- 지붕을 얼기설기 엮었더니 비가 오니까 다 새더라고.
jibungeul eolgiseolgi yeokdeotdeoni biga onikka da saedeorago.
I wove the roof loosely and carelessly, so it all leaked when it rained.
💡 Used for poorly or loosely constructed physical structures. - 그 남자의 알리바이는 거짓말 투성이에 계획도 얼기설기였다.
geu namjaui allibaeneun geojinmal tuseongie gyehoekdo eolgiseolgieotda.
That man's alibi was full of lies and his plan was slapped together haphazardly.
💡 Used metaphorically for flawed, poorly thought-out plans. - 할머니께서는 마당에 굵은 줄을 얼기설기 엮어서 임시 빨래줄을 만드셨다.
halmeonikkeseoneun madang-e gulgeun jureul eolgiseolgi yeokkeoseo imsi ppallaejureul mandeusyeotda.
Grandmother loosely wove thick ropes in the yard to make a makeshift clothesline.
💡 Implies something is tied or woven in a rough, unrefined manner.
Related words in Chaos, Rushing & Spinning
아수라장 a-su-ra-jang부랴부랴 bu-rya-bu-rya헐레벌떡 heol-le-beol-tteok빙글빙글 bing-geul-bing-geul뱅글뱅글 baeng-geul-baeng-geul