짬, 짬밥
🔹 Expression: 짬이 많다
Literal meaning: “To have a lot of 짬 (experience time).”
Figurative meaning: Someone has been in a certain field or group for a long time; they have seniority or experience.
짬 here refers to the accumulated time someone has spent doing something, originally used in the army to measure informal rank or “time-in.”
Example:
그 선임은 짬이 많아서 다들 말도 조심해. → "That senior has a lot of experience, so everyone watches what they say around him." Expression: 짬이 높다
Literal meaning: “To have high 짬.”
Figurative meaning: Similar to “짬이 많다,” but slightly more emphatic. It implies a high level of informal authority based on experience — even if not tied to formal rank or title.
Example:
이 바닥에서 짬이 높은 사람이 말하면 다들 따라야 해. → "When someone with high experience in this field speaks, everyone has to follow."
