Definition

1. Adjective (Colloquial):
   • To be in the middle of a meal; to have not finished eating: Describes the state of being actively engaged in eating a meal, having started but not yet completed it.
   • To eat at an irregular or unusual time: Refers to the act of having a meal outside of standard or expected mealtimes.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Tôi đang dở bữa thì có khách đến. (I was in the middle of my meal when a guest arrived.)
  • Ăn lúc 3 giờ chiều là dở bữa quá. (Eating at 3 PM is such an odd, off-schedule meal time.)
  • Đừng gọi điện cho anh ấy bây giờ, chắc anh ấy còn đang dở bữa. (Don't call him now; he's probably still having his meal.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is inherently colloquial and is used to describe an interrupted or ongoing eating process, often implying a slight inconvenience or an irregular schedule.

Variants and Related Words

• Bữa ăn dở dang (n): An unfinished meal.
  • Để lại một bữa ăn dở dang vì có việc gấp. (To leave behind an unfinished meal because of urgent business.)

Synonyms

• Mid-meal: Being in the middle of eating.
• Eating off-schedule: Having a meal at an unconventional time.

Related Idioms

• Dở dang: (A more general term) To leave something unfinished or incomplete. While not specific to meals, it shares the root "dở" meaning "unfinished" or "incomplete."
  • Công việc còn dở dang. (The work is still unfinished.)

1. (khẩu ngữ)Be half-way through one's meal, have not finished with one's meal. Eat out of the usual time