Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To pull the trigger: The primary meaning of "bóp cò" is the physical action of using one's finger to press the trigger of a firearm, causing it to discharge.
   • To fire / to shoot: By extension, it refers to the act of shooting a gun by initiating the trigger mechanism.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase: (He hesitated for a moment before pulling the trigger.) (The police commanded: "Put the gun down! Don't pull the trigger!") (Pulling the trigger is not as simple as in the movies.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can be used metaphorically to describe initiating a decisive or irreversible action. (The director gave the green light [lit. pulled the trigger] for the new project.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nổ súng (v): to open fire, to start shooting. This emphasizes the shooting event rather than the trigger action. (The soldiers were ordered to open fire.)

Synonyms

• Pull the trigger: to press the trigger of a gun.
• Squeeze the trigger: an alternative way to describe the same action.
• Fire: to discharge a weapon.

Related Idioms

• Đến nước ấy thì chỉ còn cách bóp cò: A saying implying that when a situation reaches a certain extreme point, the only option left is to take drastic, often violent, action. (The dispute escalated; at that point, there was no choice but to pull the trigger.)