Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Very tall and thin, very lanky: Describes a person, animal, or sometimes an object that is notably and often awkwardly tall in relation to its width or build. It emphasizes an extreme, slender height.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cậu thanh niên cao nghều đang đứng ở cổng. (The very lanky young man is standing at the gate.)
  • Cô ấy cao nghều và mảnh khảnh. (She is very tall and thin.)
  • Chiếc cột điện cao nghều. (The very tall, thin utility pole.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a slight nuance of gawkiness or an impression of being disproportionately tall, rather than simply being a neutral description of height and slenderness.

Variants and Related Words

• Cao lêu nghêu: A more emphatic or vivid variant with the same meaning.
  • Nó cao lêu nghêu như cây sào. (He is as lanky as a pole.)

Synonyms

• Lanky: Tall, thin, and often ungraceful.
• Gangly: Tall, thin, and awkward in movement.
• Rangy: Tall and slender in build.

Related Idioms

• Cao như cây sào: As tall as a pole (a common simile reinforcing the image of "cao nghều").
  • Thằng bé mới lớn nên cao như cây sào. (The boy has just grown so he's as tall as a pole.)

1. Very tall and thin, very lanky