cakewalk
楽勝
解説 Definition
非常に簡単なこと。楽勝で朝飯前という意味の口語表現。
A cakewalk is something that is very easy to do or win. It is an informal word often used when a task needs little effort or skill. It can sometimes suggest that success was almost too easy.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
cakewalk は piece of cake（朝飯前）を知っていると覚えやすい語で、cake の時点で「簡単」の連想が働く。さらに walk も「歩いて済むくらい負担がない」感を足すので、「苦労せず片づくこと」→ 楽勝とつながる。This test was a cakewalk. のように、試験・仕事・試合などが拍子抜けするほど易しい場面で使う口語。人そのものより task / exam / game との相性がよい。
`Cakewalk` is easy to remember if you know `piece of cake`. `Cake` already suggests something easy, and `walk` adds the feeling that it takes almost no effort. It is often used for tasks like a test, game, or job, not for a person.
例文
The exam was a cakewalk for anyone who had studied the material.
教材を勉強した人にとって、その試験は楽勝だった。
Don't assume the project will be a cakewalk — there are hidden challenges.
そのプロジェクトが楽勝だとは思わない方がいい。隠れた課題がある。
Compared to the marathon, running a 5K felt like a cakewalk.
マラソンに比べれば、5キロのランニングは朝飯前に感じた。
cakewalk の類義語・関連語
cakewalk の語源・成り立ち Etymology
cakewalk は cake「ケーキ」+ walk「歩き方・踊り歩き」からできた語です。もとは米国で、勝者にケーキが与えられる踊りの प्रतियोग技を指し、そこから「楽に勝てるもの」「楽勝」へ意味が広がりました。関連語は walkover, piece of cake です。
Cakewalk is a compound of English cake and walk. It first referred to an African American dance contest in the United States in which the winner received a cake. From the idea of winning such a contest with style, it later came to mean something very easy. Related expressions include piece of cake and walkover.
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