Do you know the word 始末？

That's...

始末
しまつ
management; dealing; settlement; cleaning up; getting rid of

Isn't it great how 始 (=commence; start; begin) and 末 (=end; extremity; final) come together to mean "management" or "dealing with?" We go from the beginning to the end, putting an issue behind us.

Specifically, I like the phrase:

始末する
しまつ　する
manage; deal with; dispose of; settle

I tried to use this phrase once with Rei... and accidentally hinted that I was going to kill someone.

Oops.

Let's see some crude examples of 始末する which you might come across in a TV show or something:

そいつは俺が始末する。
そいつ　は　おれ　が　しまつ　する。
I'll deal with him.
Literally: "he / she / that guy + は + I + が + dealing with + do.
Note: The nuance is that the speaker is going to do something bad like beat up, do away with, or kill "him."

Or check out this one:

そいつを始末しろ。
そいつ　を　しまつ　しろ。
Deal with him.
Literally: "he / she / that guy + を + dealing with + do (=strong command)."
Note: The nuance is that the listener needs to beat up, do away with, or kill "him."

Sudden, Shocking News!

Language this informal will NEVER show up on a JLPT test.

The word 始末, though, does show up. It even has its own grammar point...

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JLPT N1: 始末だ 〈turn out badly; end up〉

All by itself, the grammatical 始末 means something like "(bad) end result."

We can end a phrase with しまつだ when we want to show that something has gone from bad to worse.

Consider this:

ステファンはひどい女たらしだ。彼女がいるのにナンパをしたり、浮気をしたり、とうとう彼女の妹にまで手を出す始末だ。
ステファン　は　ひどい　おんなたらし　だ。　かのじょ　が　いる　のに　ナンパ　を　したり、　うわき　を　したり、　とうとう　かのじょ　の　いもうと　に　まで　てをだす　しまつだ。
Stefan’s such a womanizer. Even though he has a girlfriend, he does stuff like hit on girls, cheat, and he even ended up making a move on his girlfriend’s little sister.
Literally: “Stefan + は + terrible + womanizer. + girlfriend + が + has / is + のに (=although) + picking up girls + を + doing (and), + fooling around + を + doing (and), + finally + girlfriend + の + younger sister + にまで + make a move on (=hand + を + take out) + end result + だ.”

Sorry for the very long example, but we needed context for our しまつだ punchline!

Also, this is N1 grammar, so we need to be able to read long sentences without crying. Since we can't read sentences when our eyes are filled with tears, we'll just cry on the inside. All of the other adults are doing it; so can we.

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One thing that does not make me want to cry is the absolutely simplistic construction of this grammar point:

V る ＋ しまつだ

For instance, we just saw:

手を出す始末だ
てをだす　しまつだ
ended up making a move on
Literally: "make a move on (=hand + を + take out) + end result + だ”

Later in the lesson, we'll also see:

泣き出すしまつだ
なきだす　しまつだ
ended up bursting out into tears
Literally: "burst out crying + end result + だ"

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We have three very long examples, but then you'll be all finished.

Fight-O!

先週は大変だった。娘のインフルエンザが私にうつり、さらに妻にもうつってしまうしまつだった。
せんしゅう　は　たいへん　だった。　むすめ　の　インフルエンザ　が　わたし　に　うつり、　さらに　つま　に　も　うつって　しまう　しまつだった。
Last week was rough. I got the flu from my daughter. And then my wife ended up getting it from me.
Literally: “last week + は + tough / rough + was. + daughter + の + flu + が + I + に + infected / was transferred to (and), + again / furthermore + wife + にも + ended up infecting / being transferred to + end result + だった.”

Perhaps you've noticed by now, but we can use hiragana (しまつ) or kanji (始末) for this grammar point. I like using kanji, but I'm tempted to guess that the JLPT would use hiragana. Who knows...

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冷静な話し合いがしたかったのに、彼は感情的になり、しまいには泣き出すしまつだ。
れいせいな　はなしあい　が　したかった　のに、　かれ　は　かんじょうてき　に　なり、　しまいに　は　なきだす　しまつだ。
I wanted to have a calm discussion, but he got emotional, and he ended up bursting out into tears.
Literally: “calm / composed + discussion + が + wanted to do + although (=のに), + he + は + emotional + に + become (and) + in the end + は + burst out crying + end result + だ.”

Although ～しまつだ already means something like "ended up ~," it's still common to have another word earlier in the clause that means something like "finally" or "in the end."

In this sentence, we have しまいに (at the end; finally), and in our first example we had とうとう (finally; in the end).

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Let's end this lesson with a nice, colloquial example...

そんな始末じゃ
そんな　しまつ　じゃ
at this rate; with things like that; with things as they are

You can say this at the beginning of the "bad to worse result" clause:

お前は家事も育児もほとんどしないそうじゃないか。そんな始末じゃそのうち奥さんに愛想尽かされるぞ。
おまえ　は　かじ　も　いくじ　も　ほとんど　しない　そう　じゃないか。　そんな　しまつ　じゃ　そのうち　おくさん　に　あいそ　つかされる　ぞ。
I heard you hardly help out around the house or with the kids. At this rate, your wife’s gonna get fed up with you before long.
Literally: “you + は + housework + も + raising children + も + hardly + don’t do + そう (=hearsay marker) + don’t you? + like that + end result + じゃ (=では) + before very long + wife + に + have (her) fall out of love (with you) / have (her) get disgusted (with you) / have (her) run out of patience (with you) + ぞ.”

It would be very hard for me to bust out a sentence like that without stumbling over my words. It just sounds so natural... and lengthy. *o*

Maybe I'll review it a few times just in case one of my loser friends turns out to be a lazy husband.