GOSSO-RI ごっそり
Meanings
Describes a large quantity being removed, lost, taken away, or coming off all at once.
Examples
・A thief made off with a large part of my collection.
・泥棒にコレクションをごっそり持っていかれた。
・A lot of my hair fell out from stress.
・ストレスで、ごっそり髪の毛が抜けた。
・When I cleaned the ventilation fan for the first time in ages, a huge amount of greasy grime came off.
・久しぶりに換気扇を掃除したら、ごっそり油汚れが落ちた。
Dogmatic Opinion
GOSSO-RI gives the subjective impression that a very large amount has come out, come off, disappeared, or been taken away at once.
Some dictionaries explain it with the idea of “根こそぎ,” suggesting almost total removal, but GOSSO-RI does not necessarily mean close to 100 percent. A person can lose GOSSO-RI amounts of hair through stress or illness without becoming completely bald. Likewise, if a thief empties only one section of a ten-section bookcase, the victim may still say that books were taken GOSSO-RI. A substantial section of a paper can also be missing GOSSO-RI.
The important image is not gradual loss, but a conspicuously large mass or chunk moving or disappearing at once.
Proximate Expression
take someone to the cleaners
be taxed heavily
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
English usually expresses GOSSO-RI with phrases rather than one adverb: a whole lot, a large chunk, in large amounts, all at once, or a substantial amount. The verb matters too: hair can fall out in clumps, savings can take a big hit, and possessions can be taken in large quantities. GOSSO-RI emphasizes the size of the loss or removal and its “all at once” feel.
