gô cổ
Definitions
- Verb:
- To grab someone by the neck, to seize by the scruff of the neck: The primary meaning describes the physical action of grabbing or seizing a person, typically by the back of the neck or collar, often with a connotation of force, threat, or dragging someone along.
- To force, to coerce, to drag someone somewhere: Used metaphorically to describe compelling or forcing someone to do something or go somewhere against their will.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Bảo vệ gô cổ tên trộm dẫn ra ngoài. (The security guard grabbed the thief by the neck and dragged him outside.)
- Nó bị gô cổ lên đồn công an. (He was seized by the scruff of the neck and taken to the police station.)
- Đừng có gô cổ tôi đi uống rượu. (Don't force/drag me out to drink alcohol.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase inherently carries a strong sense of coercion, physical force, or lack of consent. It is often used in contexts involving conflict, arrest, punishment, or strong persuasion.
- It can be used hyperbolically in informal speech to describe being strongly pressured into an activity, even without actual physical contact.
- Sáng nào mẹ cũng gô cổ tôi dậy tập thể dục. (Every morning, my mom practically drags me out of bed to exercise.)
Variants and Related Words
- Gô (verb): A less common, shortened form with the same core meaning of grabbing or seizing, often by the neck. "Gô cổ" is the more complete and commonly used phrase.
- Lôi cổ (verb): A very close synonym, meaning to drag by the neck. The nuances are nearly identical, though "lôi" emphasizes the dragging motion slightly more.
- Kéo cổ (verb): Another synonym meaning to pull by the neck.
Synonyms
- Lôi kéo: To drag/pull along (can be physical or metaphorical).
- Ép buộc: To compel, to force.
- Bắt đi: To take someone away (by force).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Gô cổ lại: To grab and detain someone.
- Cảnh sát gô cổ lại nghi phạm ngay tại hiện trường. (The police grabbed and detained the suspect right at the scene.)
- Gô cổ đi: To grab and take someone away.
- Bố nó gô cổ đi về nhà vì tội nghịch ngợm. (His father grabbed him by the neck and took him home for misbehaving.)
Related Idioms
- While "gô cổ" itself is a vivid idiomatic phrase, it is often a component in descriptive narratives rather than part of a fixed, longer idiom. Its meaning is direct and figurative based on the literal action.