Definition

1. Noun:

   • A stray dog, a mongrel: A vulgar term for a dog without an owner, often implying worthlessness or nuisance.
   • A vagabond, a good-for-nothing: (Slang, derogatory) Used to insult a person, likening them to a stray dog; a contemptible or shiftless individual.

2. Verb Phrase (Idiomatic):

   • To run like a scared dog, to run helter-skelter: To run very fast in a frantic, panicked, or undignified manner, as if fleeing.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Đám chó đái đó lại đến quấy rối khu phố. (Those stray dogs/mongrels are bothering the neighborhood again.)
  • Đồ chó đái! Mày chẳng làm được trò trống gì cả! (You good-for-nothing! You can't do anything right!)

• Verb Phrase (Idiomatic):

  • Nghe thấy tiếng cảnh sát, bọn trộm chạy như chó đái. (Hearing the police, the thieves ran like scared dogs.)
  • Nó chạy như chó đái vì sợ trễ học. (He ran helter-skelter because he was afraid of being late for school.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is highly vulgar and derogatory. Its use is considered very rude and offensive, especially when directed at a person. It is typically used in informal, heated arguments or in coarse storytelling.
• The idiomatic verb phrase "chạy như chó đái" is a fixed, colloquial expression. While still vulgar, it is more commonly used for hyperbolic description than the noun form used as a direct insult.

Variants and Related Words

• Chó hoang (n): Stray dog. (A more neutral, non-vulgar term).
• Vô lại (n): Rascal, rogue. (A derogatory term for a person, but less vulgar than ).
• Chạy như ma đuổi (idiom): To run as if chased by a ghost. (A similarly vivid idiom for running fast in panic, slightly less vulgar).

Synonyms

• Đồ vô tích sự: Good-for-nothing.
• Đồ bỏ đi: Worthless person/thing.
• Kẻ lang thang: Vagabond, wanderer (more neutral).

Related Idioms

• Chạy như chó đái: As explained above, the primary idiom using this term.
• Đồ chó má: (Vulgar) A similar vulgar insult, combining "dog" and "mother" for strong offense.