- 慣用句
どさくさに紛れる
Nikoどさくさに紛れる
どさくさにまぎれる
to take advantage of a diversion (to do something bad); to use the confusion of the moment as an opportunity (to do something bad)
This is a fun idiom.
I'm not sure why I think that. I suppose it's because it's easy to picture the situations being described in our example sentences below.
Before we get to those, however, let's look at a couple of dictionary entries.
Although I was unable to find any dictionary entries with the exact entry どさくさに紛れる (どさくさにまぎれる) (unless we looked in a 慣用句辞典《かんようくじてん // phrasal idiom dictionary》, of course, which I'm guessing you may not have access to), we can piece together the meaning from other dictionary entries.
First, here is an entry for どさくさ：
突然の出来事や急用などのため混乱している状態。
とつぜん の できごと や きゅうよう など の ため こんらん している じょうたい。
the state of confusion or chaos caused by a sudden incident or urgent matter
Source: goo辞書
And here is a dictionary entry for どさくさ紛れ（どさくさまぎれ）：
混乱している状態に乗じて悪事などをすること。
こんらん している じょうたい に じょうじて あくじ など を する こと。
taking advantage of a state of confusion or chaos in order to do something (bad)
Source: goo辞書
When I first learned the word 紛れる (まぎれる), I found that it was helpful to imagine someone intentionally getting lost in a group of people, like these geniuses:
(↑ Source ↑)
Or you can take the boring route and look at written definitions that show up for 紛れる (まぎれる), like "to disappear into," "to be lost in," "to slip into," "to get mixed in among," "to do something under the cover of," "to be confusingly similar," "to be diverted from," "to be distracted by," etc.
You'll see どさくさに紛れる showing up in て-form a lot:
火事のどさくさに紛れて３人の囚人が脱獄した。
かじ の どさくさ に まぎれて さんにん の しゅうじん が だつごく した。
Three prisoners managed to escape during the confusion caused by the fire.
俺が棚を倒すから、お前はどさくさに紛れてあいつのiPhoneを盗め。
おれ が たな を たおす から、 おまえ は どさくさ に まぎれて あいつ の アイフォン を ぬすめ。
I’ll knock over the shelves to create a diversion, then you (take advantage of the diversion to) steal his iPhone.
It's also possible to see どさくさ紛れ（に）《どさくさまぎれ（に）》 as a standalone phrase (which we saw the dictionary entry for earlier):
あんた、さっきどさくさ紛れにあたしの胸触ったよね？
あんた、 さっき どさくさ まぎれ に あたし の むね さわった よ ね？
You just used the confusion as a chance to touch my boob(s), didn’t you?
That's all for this one. Have fun using it.
And don't get caught doing anything too bad!
Niko
