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Yomi
ひやかし
Rōmaji
hiyakashi
Type
idiom
Literal Meaning
something that cools off things
Meaning
1. people (or whose behaviour) who look around a shop in a non-serious (or even mocking) manner, with no intention whatsoever to purchase an item or service there.
2. the act of making fun of someone
Additional Info
Its verb form is 冷やかす. Originally, it means “to look around women in a brothel just for fun and leave without spending money”. Therefore, it is still often used in that sense, but is also used for other things like entering a kimono shop, taking lots of pictures of the items, and leaving the store without buying anything.
It is often used in the phrase 冷やかしはお断り, meaning “冷やかし is not welcome”, i.e. “If you have no intention to buy something, please don’t come in”.
Example
冷やかしの客が多くて、腹が立つ.
I feel irritated because there are lots of customers who enter my store just for fun and don’t buy anything.