What sort of meaning does the word "達磨" take on when it's used in a descriptive sense?


The only 達磨 I'm familiar with is daruma dolls, however I've seen/heard this
used in a descriptive sense in anime and novels.

I can recall seeing a character using it in a novel for example, I don't
remember the exact Japanese but she was scolding her colleague in a restaurant
saying "hurry up and finish the dishes you hairy daruma!" (Her colleague has
wild hair and a funny looking goatee.) Or in another book where the author
wrote "筋肉達磨になった男" in reference to a man who had become stupidly muscular.

So what sort of meaning is it supposed to take on in contexts like that? Is
there some metaphorical meaning?




(I always write 「だるま」 in kana, so that is what I am going to do here, too.)

Used in the contexts described by you, 「だるま」 simply means a "guy" or "person".
The metaphorical usage of the term is usually well-intended as the だるま itself
is an item of good omen to begin with. A humor factor is generally there as
well. All in all, it helps make a fun and animated expression.

When I had a full beard several years ago, I was called ヒゲだるま by a few people
around me. It made me smile each time, too. It would not have made me smile if
someone had called me ヒゲじじい, for instance, instead.

I assure you, though, that 「〇〇だるま」 is **_not_** a phrase pattern you would use
on a daily basis. It would easily lose its charm if you overused it.

