Definition

1. Verb:
   • To leave over (food): To not finish one's meal, specifically to leave food uneaten on the plate or in the bowl, often implying wastefulness or a lack of appetite.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đừng gắp nhiều quá kẻo lại bỏ mứa. (Don't take too much food or you'll leave it over.)
  • Con bé ăn ít, toàn bỏ mứa cơm. (That child eats very little and often leaves rice over.)

Advanced Usage

• The term strongly implies the leftover food is from a meal currently being eaten, not general leftovers from a previous serving. It carries a nuance of willful or negligent waste.

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn bỏ mứa (verb phrase): The most common collocation, meaning to eat and leave food over.
  • Thói quen ăn bỏ mứa rất lãng phí. (The habit of eating and leaving food over is very wasteful.)

Synonyms

• To leave (food) uneaten: A direct descriptive synonym.
• To not finish one's food: A more general phrase.

Related Idioms

• While not a standalone idiom, the concept is central to teachings against waste, often heard in the admonishment: (Finish your food, don't leave any over.)

verb

1. To leave over
   • ăn bỏ mứa
     to leave over some food one cannot finish