to take advantage of
Structure
- Verb + の + をいいことに (して)
- Noun + (なの) + をいいことに (して)
- い-Adjective + の + をいいことに (して)
- な-Adjective + な/である + をいいことに (して)
Similar to ～を言い訳に、～いい機会に
[Used when abusing a good opportunity in order to do something immoral, unethical or irresponsible]
This is a relatively intuitive construction, but I have a couple of questions both about it and about Bunpro’s article as currently written:
1
を良いことに will be seen following verbs, nouns, い-Adjectives and な-Adjectives, but will be preceded by either の or なの in all cases, based on standard conjugation rules for の.
「を良いことに」の前には、動詞、名詞、イ形容詞、ナ形容詞が置かれます。どの品詞も活用ルールにもとづいて、後ろに「の」もしくは「なの」が付きます。
Is this really true?
Nouns are regularly seen attached directly without なの, even in one of the examples given by Bunpro:
夏休みのうちは住人の留守を良い事に泥棒が増えるばかりだ。
2
Can こと or another nominalizer be used instead of の or is this ungrammatical casual speech?
For example:
彼らは自分の主人に見えないことをいいことに俺を睨み付けている。
3
And if noun is possible both with and without なの, is there a difference?
Let’s take one of Bunpro’s examples and modify it to sound ambiguous:
彼女は新入社員（なの）をいい事に、自分の仕事をろくにしていない。
Taking advantage of a new recruit, she avoids doing her job. (recruit is another person and she is making him do it)
Taking advantage of being a new recruit, she slacks at her job. (she is the recruit) ＝新入社員であるのをいい事に
Does presence or absence of なの make it sound more like either of two options, or is it equally ambiguous?