Definition

1. Verb:
   • To tell tales ingratiatingly: To report someone's words or actions to another person, especially an authority figure, in a flattering or fawning manner, often to gain favor or to cause trouble for the person being reported on.
   • To be a tattletale/malicious informer: To have the habit of relaying information, typically with ill intent or to curry favor.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đứa trẻ đó hay hớt lẻo với cô giáo. (That child often tells tales ingratiatingly to the teacher.)
  • Anh ta hớt lẻo mọi chuyện với sếp để được thăng chức. (He ingratiatingly tells the boss everything to get a promotion.)
  • Đừng hớt lẻo chuyện của người khác. (Don't tattle on other people's business.)

Advanced Usage

• "hớt lẻo trên": To ingratiate oneself by tattling to a superior.
  • Hắn ta chỉ giỏi hớt lẻo trên. (He is only good at tattling to his superiors to ingratiate himself.)
• "tính hay hớt lẻo": The characteristic of being a tattletale.
  • Mọi người không thích anh ấy vì tính hay hớt lẻo. (People don't like him because of his tattletale nature.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hớt (verb): To skim off the top (e.g., of foam from soup). This is the root verb, but in "hớt lẻo," it metaphorically means to pick up and relay information.
• Lẻo (adjective/component): Slippery, glib. In this compound, it implies smooth, slick, or untrustworthy speech.
• Mách lẻo (verb): A near-synonym meaning to tell tales, to inform on someone. It is often used interchangeably with "hớt lẻo," though "hớt lẻo" strongly emphasizes the ingratiating motive.

Synonyms

• Mách: To tell on someone, to inform.
• Báo cáo sai sự thật: To report falsely (more formal).
• Nịnh hót bằng cách mách lẻo: To flatter by tattling.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Chuyên hớt lẻo: A person who specializes in ingratiating tale-telling; a notorious tattletale.
  • Cô ấy nổi tiếng là kẻ chuyên hớt lẻo trong văn phòng. (She is known as the office tattletale.)
• Thói hớt lẻo: The bad habit of being a tattletale.
  • Thói hớt lẻo của nó khiến nó bị bạn bè xa lánh. (His habit of tattling makes his friends avoid him.)

1. Tell tales ingratiatingly