cù nhầy
Definition
Adjective:
- Slow to pay debts, deliberately delaying repayment: Describes a person who owes money or something else and intentionally postpones returning or paying it back, often through evasion or excuses.
- Procrastinating in fulfilling obligations: Refers to someone who drags their feet and uses delaying tactics to avoid settling a debt or responsibility.
Noun:
- A person who is slow to pay debts: Used to label someone who has the habit of being tardy or evasive about repaying what they owe.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Anh ta rất cù nhầy, nợ tiền đã lâu mà chưa chịu trả. (He is very cù nhầy; he has owed money for a long time and still hasn't paid it back.)
- Đừng có cù nhầy, trả sách cho tôi ngay đi! (Don't be cù nhầy; give my book back right now!)
Noun:
- Hắn là một tay cù nhầy nổi tiếng trong xóm. (He is a famous cù nhầy in the neighborhood.)
- Tôi không muốn cho mượn tiền vì sợ gặp phải kẻ cù nhầy. (I don't want to lend money because I'm afraid of encountering a cù nhầy.)
Advanced Usage
"tính cù nhầy": The characteristic of being slow to repay.
- Tính cù nhầy của anh ấy khiến mọi người mất lòng tin. (His tính cù nhầy makes everyone lose trust.)
"thói cù nhầy": The bad habit of delaying payment.
- Anh phải bỏ ngay thói cù nhầy đó đi. (You must drop that thói cù nhầy right away.)
Variants and Related Words
Chây ì (adj, informal): Similar meaning, describing someone who is sluggish, evasive, or deliberately slow in action, especially in paying debts or fulfilling duties.
- Nó chây ì không chịu trả nợ. (He is chây ì and refuses to pay the debt.)
Ỳ (verb, in combination): To procrastinate, to delay. Often used in compounds like "ỳ ra" (to stall).
- Nó cứ ỳ ra không chịu giải quyết. (He just keeps stalling and won't resolve it.)
Synonyms
- Chậm trả: Slow to pay/return.
- Trì hoãn việc trả nợ: To delay debt repayment.
Related Phrases/Idioms
"Vờ quên": To pretend to forget (a common tactic of a cù nhầy person).
- Hắn cứ vờ quên chuyện nợ nần. (He just keeps pretending to forget about the debt.)
"Lần lữa": To dawdle, to procrastinate (describes the delaying action).
- Suốt ngày chỉ biết lần lữa việc trả tiền. (All day long, he only knows how to dawdle about paying the money.)