Definition

1. Verb:
   • To skim; to remove the surface layer: To scoop or remove something floating on the surface of a liquid.
   • To cut; to clip; to trim: To cut off a part, especially the ends or tips, often to neaten or shorten.
   • To snatch; to preempt; to grab opportunistically: To use cunning or trickery to take something for oneself before others can, often unfairly.

Usage Examples

• Verb (To skim):

  • Cô ấy hớt bọt trên mặt nồi canh. (She skimmed the scum off the surface of the soup.)
  • Người đầu bếp hớt lớp mỡ thừa trên mặt nước dùng. (The chef skimmed the excess fat off the surface of the broth.)

• Verb (To cut/trim):

  • Thợ cắt tóc đang hớt tóc cho khách. (The barber is cutting the customer's hair.)
  • Anh ấy hớt bớt phần ngọn cây để nó mọc đẹp hơn. (He trimmed the top of the plant so it would grow more beautifully.)

• Verb (To snatch/preempt):

  • Công ty đối thủ đã hớt mất hợp đồng lớn của chúng tôi. (The rival company snatched our big contract.)
  • Hắn ta luôn tìm cách hớt lợi trong mọi tình huống. (He always looks for ways to grab the benefit in every situation.)

Advanced Usage

• "Hớt tay trên": To preempt; to take something from right under someone else's nose; to take unfair advantage by acting first.

  • Đừng để ai đó hớt tay trên cơ hội này. (Don't let anyone snatch this opportunity from under your nose.)

• "Mỏng môi hay hớt" (Idiomatic Proverb): Literally "thin lips are prone to gossiping." Used to describe someone who talks too much or is a gossip.

  • Cô ấy đúng là "mỏng môi hay hớt", chuyện gì cũng đi kể. (She truly has "thin lips prone to gossiping," she tells every little thing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hớt hải (adj): Flustered, in a panic, hurried and confused. (Note: This is a separate compound word with a distinct meaning).
  • Cô ấy chạy vào lớp với vẻ mặt hớt hải. (She ran into the classroom with a flustered look.)

Synonyms

• Vớt: To scoop out (from a liquid). Often used interchangeably with for skimming, but can imply rescuing something from liquid.
• Xén: To trim, to cut off (e.g., grass, hair). More specific to cutting plants or hair evenly.
• Cướp: To rob, to seize. Stronger and more aggressive than in the "snatch" sense.
• Chiếm đoạt: To usurp, to appropriate. More formal for taking something unlawfully.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Hớt lời: To interrupt; to cut someone off while they are speaking.
  • Con không nên hớt lời người lớn. (You shouldn't interrupt adults.)
• Hớt váng: To skim off the cream/rich layer. Often used figuratively to mean taking the best or most profitable part.
  • Công ty lớn thường hớt váng thị trường trước. (Large companies often skim the cream off the market first.)

Related Idioms

• Ăn chặn hớt: To intercept and take for oneself; to engage in preemptive grabbing.
  • Hành vi ăn chặn hớt trong kinh doanh là không trung thực. (The behavior of intercepting and grabbing in business is dishonest.)

verb

1. to cut; to clip; to crop; to shear
   • hớt tóc
     to cut the hair to skim; to remove