Definition

1. Verb:
   • To squeeze money (out of somebody): To cleverly or deceitfully extract money from someone, often through persistent, gradual, or manipulative means. It implies a cunning or exploitative action to obtain another person's wealth or resources.
   • To scrounge / To sponge (off somebody): To obtain money or things from someone by constantly asking or relying on them, often without intending to give anything back, conveying a sense of being a drain on resources.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta có tài bòn của người khác một cách tinh vi. (He has a talent for squeezing money out of others in a sophisticated way.)
  • Đừng để hắn bòn của gia đình mình nữa. (Don't let him sponge off your family anymore.)
  • Bọn lừa đảo chuyên bòn của những người cả tin. (Scammers specialize in squeezing money from gullible people.)

Advanced Usage

• "bòn của công": To embezzle public funds; to misappropriate state or communal assets.

  • Viên chức đó bị bắt vì tội bòn của công. (That official was arrested for embezzling public funds.)

• The action of "bòn của" is often seen as continuous, patient, and stealthy, like slowly picking away at something until it's gone.

Variants and Related Words

• Bòn rút (verb): A synonym emphasizing the gradual, draining extraction of money or resources.
• Bóc lột (verb): To exploit. This is a stronger, broader term for exploitation, not limited to just money.
• Vòi vĩnh (verb): To pester or nag someone incessantly for money or favors.

Synonyms

• Scrounge: To obtain something, especially money or food, by asking or persuading others.
• Sponge (off): To obtain money or food from other people without doing anything to deserve it.
• Fleece: To deceive someone into paying too much money for something (implies a single, larger-scale deception).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Bòn mót": To gather or collect little by little, often from what is left over or discarded. While similar, it can refer to objects or information, not exclusively money, and lacks the strong negative connotation of exploitation found in .
  • Bà cụ bòn mót từng mẩu than nhỏ. (The old lady gathered every small piece of coal.)

1. Squeeze money (out of somebody)