hết ngỏm
Definition
- Adjective:
- Completely finished, completely done for, completely exhausted: "hết ngỏm" is a very informal and often humorous or sarcastic idiom meaning something is totally finished, used up, broken, or a person is completely exhausted or defeated. It emphasizes a final, irreversible state.
- Dead, kaput: In a more figurative or slang sense, it can describe something that has stopped working permanently or someone who is utterly spent.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Cái máy tính này hết ngỏm rồi, không sửa được nữa. (This computer is completely done for, it can't be fixed anymore.)
- Sau trận đấu ấy, tôi cảm thấy hết ngỏm. (After that match, I felt completely exhausted.)
- Kế hoạch của họ đã hết ngỏm từ lâu. (Their plan has been completely finished for a long time.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is highly colloquial and carries a tone of finality, often with a touch of dark humor or resignation. It is not used in formal writing or speech.
- It can be used for objects, plans, situations, or a person's energy/state.
Variants and Related Words
- Hết (v): to finish, to be out of.
- Hết tiền (to be out of money).
- Ngỏm (v, slang): to die, to kick the bucket. Rarely used alone; most commonly appears in the fixed phrase "hết ngỏm".
- Hết xí quách (idiom, slang): Another very informal idiom with a similar meaning of being completely finished or exhausted.
Synonyms
- Hết hồn (idiom): Can mean "scared to death" but in some contexts implies being completely spent.
- Kiệt sức (adj): exhausted, worn out (more standard).
- Hỏng hẳn (v phrase): to be completely broken.
- Tan tành (adj): shattered, ruined.
Related Idioms
- Đi bán muối (idiom, slang): Literally "to go sell salt", meaning to be finished, to be done for. Similar informal register.
- Công ty đó sắp đi bán muối thôi. (That company is about to be done for.)
Notes on Usage
- Register: Extremely informal, used in casual conversation among friends. Can be considered slightly vulgar depending on the context.
- Context: The phrase derives from the slang word "ngỏm", which itself is a crude term for dying. Therefore, "hết ngỏm" literally means "finished to the point of death". Its use should be avoided in polite or professional settings.