Quote:
Originally Posted by cloud9
Hi, for the phrase, 足が出る, to exceed the budget, what is the origin of the phrase? We learned this phrase in class but my professor didn't know the origin of it either. Any help will be appreciated 
Someone in class made a guess that it's like having your feet sticking out from under a blanket- so the blanket (budget) doesn't cover everything up. |
The answer is "No one knows." All there is are opinions based upon speculation and I do not know if it would do any good if I mentioned some of them. So I won't this time. If somebody else will, so he will.
Incidentally, though, one of the theories is kind of similar to your friend's, except it is about the length of a kimono instead of a blanket. In others, 「足」 does not even refer to "feet" or "legs".