Which native speakers would be familiar with the expression [竜頭]{りゅうとう}[蛇尾]{だび}?


**Background:** The **expression 竜頭蛇尾, which is literally "dragon's head,
snake's tail"** , seems to imply that the **front is more impressive than the
back**. [EDIT] It seems usage is typically time-like, eg an **effort began
well but fizzled out towards the end**. (Dictionary links:
[goo](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/srch/all/%E7%AB%9C%E9%A0%AD%E8%9B%87%E5%B0%BE/m0u/),
[jisho](http://jisho.org/search/%E7%AB%9C%E9%A0%AD%E8%9B%87%E5%B0%BE)) It
carries a bit of a sense of anti-climax.

I recently saw the phrase in an English article about a computer game
(Overwatch) developed by a non-Japanese company (Blizzard), describing how
Blizzard appropriated and misused the Japanese expression (in a non-malicious
and silly way). Apparently some Japanese players noticed and have been posting
about it. [Link to article.](http://kotaku.com/overwatch-isnt-very-good-at-
picking-kanji-characters-1780728171) But when I mentioned the phrase to one of
my friends (a native speaker), they seemed rather confused. Apparently **they
had never heard the expression before**.

**Question:** What kinds of contexts (written vs spoken, academic-field-
specific, geographic location and age of speaker, etc) would this expression
come up in?

**Secondary/related questions:** Roughly, which native speakers would be
familiar with this term, and to what degree is it esoteric?




Context-wise, 竜頭蛇尾 is definitely a written word. We don't use this word very
often when speaking (I'd instead use 尻すぼみ, 出オチ, 三日坊主 etc). But it's not a
technical jargon or especially learned word, as it's commonly seen in
journalistic context.

> [竜頭蛇尾のサッカー日本
> 終盤もペースアップ必要](http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO88002370S5A610C1000000/)  
>  [国機関の地方移転 「竜頭蛇尾」にならぬよう](http://editorial.x-winz.net/ed-7344)

Everyone is supposed to learn this word in the middle school, or perhaps
during elementary school if they go to cram school. It could be compared to a
word that is contained in vocabulary list to pass SAT in American education.
Of course, those who are not particularly interested in Japanese class may
forget it after mid-term exam. Or it's possible that some people just can't
recall the word from the sound りゅうとうだび.

As an aside, 竜 in 竜頭蛇尾 isn't a symbol of scariness but greatness. It means
something looks so great as a dragon in the beginning, but so bumming out as a
snake in the end. A standard Eastern dragon is more like snake than lizard, so
that the metaphor works. This word is undoubtedly derogatory, especially for
artistic works, so used in a video game makes me even feel some sort of satire
beyond silliness.




Context-wise, 竜頭蛇尾 is definitely a written word. We don't use this word very
often when speaking (I'd instead use 尻すぼみ, 出オチ, 三日坊主 etc). But it's not a
technical jargon or especially learned word, as it's commonly seen in
journalistic context.

> [竜頭蛇尾のサッカー日本
> 終盤もペースアップ必要](http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO88002370S5A610C1000000/)  
>  [国機関の地方移転 「竜頭蛇尾」にならぬよう](http://editorial.x-winz.net/ed-7344)

Everyone is supposed to learn this word in the middle school, or perhaps
during elementary school if they go to cram school. It could be compared to a
word that is contained in vocabulary list to pass SAT in American education.
Of course, those who are not particularly interested in Japanese class may
forget it after mid-term exam. Or it's possible that some people just can't
recall the word from the sound りゅうとうだび.

As an aside, 竜 in 竜頭蛇尾 isn't a symbol of scariness but greatness. It means
something looks so great as a dragon in the beginning, but so bumming out as a
snake in the end. A standard Eastern dragon is more like snake than lizard, so
that the metaphor works. This word is undoubtedly derogatory, especially for
artistic works, so used in a video game makes me even feel some sort of satire
beyond silliness.

