BOTTA-RI ぼったり
Meanings
Describes a soft, thick, mushy, or viscous mass falling together with a heavy plopping sound or movement.
Examples
Whisk the egg whites until they are thick enough to fall from the whisk in heavy dollops.
泡立て器からぼったり落ちる固さになるまで卵白を混ぜてください。
A blob of ink dropped heavily from the tip of my fountain pen.
万年筆のペン先からインクがぼったり落ちた。
Dogmatic Opinion
When I compare BOTTA-RI with BOTTO-RI, I honestly feel that there is almost no difference.
If I force myself to invent one, BOTTO-RI makes me picture a phenomenon observed from a distance—a fruit dropping from a tree or an elephant dropping a large piece of dung.
BOTTA-RI feels a little more likely to be the result of something I have done: mixing egg whites until they fall from the whisk, for example.
Compared with POTTO-RI, I also imagine more moisture, more cohesion, and somewhat more unpleasant heaviness.
This distinction is admittedly being squeezed pretty hard.
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Fall with a heavy plop, drop in a thick blob, fall in dollops, thickly, and heavily may fit. BOTTA-RI is not a highly general everyday expression, so translating the actual physical state is safer than searching for one fixed English equivalent.
