[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
あぐらをかく
“to sit crosslegged”
(to rest on one’s laurels, to coast, to be complacent)
Sitting on the edge of one’s chair with both feet firmly planted on the ground shows eagerness, enthusiasm, and a spirit of trying hard to succeed. In contrast, a relaxed pose of sitting on a cushion with one’s legs crossed means to coast, to rest on one’s laurels.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/male)
A: Doose moo tairitsu suru aite wa inai daroo to omotte, itsumade mo shachoo no za ni agura o kaite irareru to omottara oomachigai da.
A: どうせもう対立する相手はいないだろうと思って、いつまでも社長の座にあぐらをかいていられると思ったら大間違いだ。
A: You think you have no competitors; but it’s a mistake to believe that you can sit forever in the company’s president’s position and rest on your laurels.
Japanese Idioms
