gà tồ
Definition
- Noun:
- A large, tall, and sparsely-feathered chicken: Refers to a specific type of domestic fowl characterized by its large size, long legs, and sparse plumage.
- A tall, gawky, and foolish person: Used as a colloquial and mildly derogatory term to describe a person, typically a young man, who is tall and awkward in appearance or demeanor, often implying a lack of intelligence or clumsiness.
Usage Examples
- Noun (animal):
- Trang trại của họ có nuôi mấy con gà tồ. (Their farm raises a few large, sparsely-feathered chickens.)
- Noun (person):
- Thằng bạn cùng phòng là một gà tồ, cao hơn một mét tám mà lúc nào cũng vụng về. (My roommate is a gawky fool, taller than 1.8 meters yet always clumsy.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in informal, spoken contexts. When describing a person, it carries a connotation of ridicule or gentle mockery regarding the individual's physical awkwardness and perceived simple-mindedness.
Variants and Related Words
- Gà cồ: A variant term with the same primary meaning as when referring to the type of chicken.
Synonyms
- For the animal: Large fowl, long-legged chicken.
- For the person: Oaf, lummox, clumsy giant, gawk.
Related Idioms
- While itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, its usage figuratively to describe a person aligns with the common metaphorical use of animal names to describe human traits in Vietnamese.