Definition

Verb: - To stint oneself on food; to practice extreme frugality in eating: This describes the action of eating very little or reducing one's food intake, often out of necessity or to save resources. - To stint oneself in everything; to live very frugally: This extends the meaning to a general lifestyle of severe economy and self-denial in all aspects, not just food.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Gia đình nghèo phải bóp miệng để dành tiền cho con đi học. (The poor family had to stint themselves on food to save money for their child's education.)
  • Ông ấy bóp miệng cả đời để tích cóp mua mảnh đất này. (He lived with extreme frugality his whole life to save up and buy this plot of land.)

Advanced Usage

• This verb strongly implies a sense of hardship, sacrifice, and necessity. It is not used for casual dieting or minor budgeting.
• It often carries a tone of sympathy or admiration for the perseverance involved in such self-denial.

Variants and Related Words

• Bóp bụng (verb): A very similar idiom meaning "to tighten one's belt," emphasizing enduring hunger or hardship.
• Tằn tiện (adjective): Frugal, thrifty, economical. This is a more general term for being careful with money, without the strong connotation of self-starvation present in "bóp miệng."

Synonyms

• To scrimp and save: To be extremely careful with money, often by going without.
• To live on a shoestring: To live with a very small amount of money.
• To tighten one's belt: To spend less money because there is less available.

Related Idioms

• Bóp mồm bóp miệng: An intensified form of "bóp miệng," emphasizing even greater sacrifice and deprivation in daily life.
  • Họ bóp mồm bóp miệng mới lo được đám cưới cho con. (They scrimped and saved every last bit to manage their child's wedding.)

verb

1. To stint oneself on food, to stint oneself in everything