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Yomi
いいだしっぺ
Rōmaji
iidashippe
Type
idiom
Meaning
a person who proposes a plan or idea first
Synonym
発案者
Additional Info
The last character ペ is said to come from 屁 (へ, “fart”) and allude to the fact that a person who says, “Did someone fart?” is usually the culprit.
It’s usually used when you state that a person who proposes something first should take the lead and become in charge of it. This concept is called “言い出しっぺの法則” (“The law of iidashippe“) and there is even a Wikipedia article for it; however, this term itself is not commonly used in a conversation.
Example
彼が言い出しっぺなんだから、彼が飲み会の幹事をやるべきだ。
Since he is the person who brought up the plan first, he should organise the drinking gathering.
See also