Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of trap, specifically a dog trap: "bẫy cò ke" refers to a simple, often improvised snare or trap used to catch dogs or other small animals.
   • A metaphorical trap or snare: The term is also used figuratively to describe a cunning trick or a trap set to deceive someone, especially an experienced or crafty person.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Người thợ săn đặt bẫy cò ke trong rừng. (The hunter set a dog trap in the forest.)
  • Bợm già mắc bẫy cò ke. (The old fox [experienced rogue] was easily snared.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used in the idiomatic expression "bợm già mắc bẫy cò ke". This means that even a very experienced, cunning person can be caught by a simple, clever trick. It highlights the irony of a master being defeated by a basic scheme.

Variants and Related Words

• Bẫy (n): Trap. The general word for any kind of trap.
• Cò ke (n): This component historically refers to a type of snare. In modern Vietnamese, "cò ke" is almost exclusively used in the compound "bẫy cò ke".
• Bẫy bắt (v): To trap, to snare.

Synonyms

• Bẫy thú: Animal trap.
• Cạm bẫy: Snare, trap (often used in a figurative sense for a deceptive scheme).

Related Idioms

• Bợm già mắc bẫy cò ke: An idiom meaning "an old hand is caught by a simple trap" or "even the craftiest can be fooled." It is the most common and defining context for the use of "bẫy cò ke".

1. Dog trap
   • bợm già mắc bẫy cò ke
     old fox easily snared