đánh bò cạp
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To shiver from cold with teeth chattering: This phrase describes the physical reaction of trembling uncontrollably due to extreme cold, specifically characterized by the sound or action of one's teeth repeatedly hitting each other. It is a vivid, colloquial expression primarily used in certain regional dialects of Vietnamese.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Trời lạnh quá, tôi đánh bò cạp. (It's so cold, I'm shivering with my teeth chattering.)
- Đứa bé mặc phong phanh nên đánh bò cạp giữa trời đông. (The child was thinly dressed, so he was shivering from the cold with his teeth chattering in the winter weather.)
Advanced Usage
- This phrase is inherently idiomatic and regional. Its use conveys not just the physical state of being cold, but often implies a degree of intensity or a pitiable situation due to insufficient warmth.
Variants and Related Words
- Run rẩy: (verb) To tremble, to shiver. This is a more standard term for shivering, which can be from cold, fear, or illness.
- Lạnh run người: (verb phrase) To be shivering cold. A descriptive phrase meaning to shiver because of cold.
- Lập cập: (adjective/adverb) Describes the state of trembling or chattering, often used for teeth or knees (e.g., - chattering teeth).
Synonyms
- Lạnh run: (verb phrase) To shiver from cold.
- Run cầm cập: (verb phrase) To tremble uncontrollably (often from cold or fear).
Related Idioms
- While "đánh bò cạp" itself is an idiomatic expression, it is not typically part of larger, fixed idioms. It stands alone to describe the specific action.
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(địa phương) Shiver from cold with teeth clattering
