Definition

Verb: * To confection, to tailor, to sew (clothing): The process of creating a garment from fabric, encompassing the steps of measuring, cutting the fabric according to a pattern, and sewing the pieces together. It implies a skilled, often bespoke or custom-made process.

Usage

• This verb describes the professional or skilled activity of making clothes. It is more specific than general sewing () as it includes the crucial cutting stage.
• It is commonly used for professions (thợ cắt may), services (tiệm cắt may), or the act itself.
• Grammar Note: It functions as a compound verb. It can be used transitively (cắt may ) or intransitively.

Usage Examples

• Transitive use:
  • Chị ấy cắt may một chiếc váy dự tiệc. (She is making a party dress.)
  • Bà tôi tự cắt may quần áo cho cả gia đình. (My grandmother tailored clothes for the whole family herself.)
• Intransitive use / Noun modifier:
  • Cô ấy học cắt may ở trường dạy nghề. (She learned dressmaking at a vocational school.)
  • Anh ấy mở một cửa hàng cắt may. (He opened a tailoring shop.)

Advanced Usage

• "cắt may đo": This phrase emphasizes the custom-made, made-to-measure aspect of tailoring.
  • Bộ vest này được cắt may đo riêng cho khách hàng. (This suit was custom-tailored specifically for the client.)

Variants and Related Words

• May (verb): To sew. This is a component of "cắt may" but alone it refers specifically to the act of joining fabric with thread.
• Cắt (verb): To cut. This is a component of "cắt may" but alone it refers to the general action of cutting any material.
• Thợ may (noun): Seamstress, tailor (focuses more on the sewing aspect).
• Thợ cắt may (noun): Tailor, dressmaker (encompasses the full process of cutting and sewing).

Synonyms

• May đo (verb): To tailor, to make clothes to measure. Very close in meaning, often used interchangeably with "cắt may".
• Thiết kế và may (verb phrase): To design and sew. This phrase explicitly includes the design element.

Related Phrases / Compound Terms

• Nghề cắt may (noun phrase): The profession of tailoring/dressmaking.
• Tiệm cắt may / Cửa hàng cắt may (noun phrase): A tailor's shop, a dressmaker's shop.
• Máy cắt may (noun phrase): This typically refers to industrial cutting machines used in garment production, not a compound verb.

verb

1. to confection