cấm cẳn

Thân thiện

Ông cụ ngồi một mình cấm cẳn về thời tiết.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Grumpy, grouchy, irritable: Describes a person, especially an older person, who is often in a bad mood, easily annoyed, and tends to complain or mutter in a discontented way.
   • Cantankerous, peevish: Refers to a habitually ill-tempered or quarrelsome disposition.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bà cụ hàng xóm rất cấm cẳn, lúc nào cũng càu nhàu. (The neighbor is very grumpy, always muttering complaints.)
  • Đừng có cấm cẳn như thế, vui vẻ lên nào! (Don't be so grouchy like that, cheer up!)
  • Tính ông ấy hơi cấm cẳn, nhưng lòng tốt. (His temperament is a bit cantankerous, but he has a good heart.)

Advanced Usage

• Used primarily to describe a person's temperament or momentary mood, implying a persistent or habitual state of irritability.
• Often carries a nuance of being verbally discontented, not just silently upset. The person is likely to mutter () or complain.

Variants and Related Words

• Càu nhàu (verb): To grumble, to mutter complaints. This is the typical action of a person.
• Gắt gỏng (adj): Irritable, short-tempered. A close synonym, but often implies more audible complaining.
• Khó tính (adj): Hard to please, fussy. Can overlap, but is broader than just irritability.

Synonyms

• Grouchy: Being in a bad mood and complaining.
• Cantankerous: Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.
• Peevish: Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things.
• Irritable: Having or showing a tendency to be easily annoyed.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Mặt cấm cẳn: To have a grumpy face.
  • Sao lại làm mặt cấm cẳn thế? Có chuyện gì à? (Why are you making such a grumpy face? Is something wrong?)

Học thuật

1. như cấm cảu