Definition

1. Verb:
   • To gather or collect greedily and hastily: To take or pick up things in a hurried, often greedy or opportunistic manner, typically implying a desire to get as much as possible for oneself.
   • To snatch up; to grab: To take something quickly, sometimes with a sense of seizing an opportunity before others can.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Thấy đồ ăn miễn phí, mọi người ùa vào cắp nắp. (Seeing free food, everyone rushed in to grab it greedily.)
  • Nó cắp nắp hết số tiền lẻ trên bàn rồi chạy mất. (He snatched up all the loose change on the table and ran off.)

Advanced Usage

• Implied context of scarcity or opportunity: The word is often used in situations where items are perceived as limited, free, or up for grabs, prompting a hurried and self-interested response from people.
  • Cửa hàng giảm giá 90%, khách hàng thi nhau cắp nắp hàng hóa. (The store had a 90% off sale, and customers competed to snatch up the goods.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cắp (verb): To pinch; to steal (in a sly manner). While 'cắp' alone often implies stealth, 'cắp nắp' emphasizes the hurried, grasping action rather than secrecy.
• Vơ vét (verb): To sweep up; to grab everything (often greedily). This is a stronger synonym implying clearing out an area of items.
• Thu gom (verb): To collect; to gather. This is a more neutral term without the greedy connotation of 'cắp nắp'.

Synonyms

• Grab greedily: To take something quickly and with excessive desire.
• Snatch up: To seize something suddenly.
• Rake in: To gather or acquire something, especially money, in large quantities (can be used figuratively).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Cắp nắp cắp nép: This is a reduplicative form that intensifies the meaning, emphasizing furtive, hurried, and greedy gathering. It can also imply acting in a sneaky or obsequious manner in different contexts.
  • Nghe tin có quà, bọn trẻ cắp nắp cắp nép chạy đến. (Hearing there were gifts, the children scurried over to grab them.)