bắt thóp
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To catch someone's tell / to spot someone's giveaway: To detect a subtle, revealing sign or weakness that exposes someone's true intentions, guilt, or hidden flaw.
- To catch someone out / to trip someone up: To use a discovered inconsistency or mistake to force someone into an admission or to gain an advantage over them.
Usage Examples
- (The police caught the suspect out through a small detail in his statement.)
- (The lawyer spotted the witness's tell that he was lying.)
- (The opponent caught out the weakness in our strategy.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in contexts of interrogation, debate, competition, or strategy, where one party discerns a critical flaw or revealing sign in the other.
- It implies not just noticing, but effectively using that observation to apply pressure or gain the upper hand.
Variants and Related Words
- Nắm thóp (v): To have someone at a disadvantage; to have a firm grip on someone's weakness. This is a stronger, more controlling variant.
- Hắn đã bị đối thủ nắm thóp. (He was firmly in his opponent's grip due to his exposed weakness.)
Synonyms
- To detect a weakness: To discover a point of vulnerability.
- To catch someone red-handed: To discover someone in the act of doing something wrong (though this implies more direct evidence).
- To pinpoint a flaw: To identify a defect or error precisely.
Related Idioms
- "Bắt bài": To figure out someone's trick or scheme. This is closely related but often refers to understanding a pattern or method rather than a single revealing sign.
- Tôi đã bắt bài thủ đoạn của hắn. (I figured out his trick.)
verb
- To see the cloven hoof of, to know the ulterior motive of
- kẻ gian bị bắt thóp đã phải khai ra cảthe criminal had to confess everything because his ulterior motive was known (because his cloven hoof was seen)