đấm họng
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To give a sop to (somebody), to hush up: The act of giving money or a bribe to someone to make them keep quiet, especially about a mistake, fault, or secret. It implies silencing someone through material compensation.
- To bribe into silence: A vulgar/colloquial term meaning to literally or figuratively "punch someone in the throat/mouth" to shut them up, but almost always used metaphorically for using money to achieve that silence.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Hắn định đấm họng tôi bằng một khoản tiền để tôi không tố cáo. (He tried to give me a sop / hush me up with a sum of money so I wouldn't report him.)
- Không có chuyện đấm họng được ở đây, sự thật sẽ được công bố. (There's no hushing this up; the truth will be made public.)
- Công ty đã tìm cách đấm họng các nhân chứng. (The company tried to bribe the witnesses into silence.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is informal and carries a negative, somewhat vulgar connotation. It is often used in contexts of corruption, cover-ups, or unethical silencing.
- The action implied by "đấm họng" is proactive; one gives the bribe specifically to prevent someone from speaking out.
Variants and Related Words
- Đấm mõm: A synonymous variant with the same meaning ("mõm" is a slang word for mouth, often for animals, making it even more vulgar).
- Tiền đấm họng (Noun): Hush money. The bribe itself given to secure silence.
- Cảnh sát phát hiện số tiền đấm họng. (The police discovered the hush money.)
Synonyms
- Hối lộ: To bribe (a more general term, not exclusively for silencing).
- Mua chuộc: To buy off, to corrupt.
- Bịt miệng: To shut (someone's) mouth (can be literal or figurative, but less specific to using money).
Related Phrases/Idioms
- While "đấm họng" itself is a phrase, it is not typically part of a larger idiomatic structure. Its meaning is direct and metaphorical.
- cũng nói đấm mõm Give a sop to (somebody)
- Đấm họng để cho ai bưng bít lỗi của mìnhTo give a sop to somebodyto hush him over one mistakes
- Tiền đấm họngHush money