Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To extort money or property (by using violence or torture): The phrase "khảo của" specifically describes the act of using cruel methods, such as violence or torture, to force someone to reveal where their money or valuables are hidden, in order to steal them. It implies a brutal interrogation for the purpose of robbery.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Bọn cướp đã bắt giữ ông chủ nhà và khảo của ông ta. (The robbers captured the homeowner and extorted money from him.)
  • Trong các bộ phim cổ trang, những tên cường đạo thường khảo của nạn nhân bằng các hình thức tra tấn. (In historical films, bandits often extort valuables from their victims through forms of torture.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost exclusively used in the context of criminal acts, particularly robbery, banditry, or piracy. It carries a strong connotation of physical cruelty and coercion.
• It is a somewhat literary or historical term, more commonly found in written narratives (e.g., news reports about brutal crimes, historical novels) than in everyday casual conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Khảo (verb): To interrogate, to examine (often in a scholarly or investigative context). When combined with "của," its meaning shifts specifically to violent extortion.
• Cướp của (verb phrase): To rob, to steal property. This is a more general term for robbery without the specific implication of torture.
• Bức cung (verb phrase): To extract a confession by force or torture. This is a legal/judicial term for forced confession, which is related in method but different in context from "khảo của."

Synonyms

• Bóc lột (verb): To exploit. (This is broader and can be economic or social, not necessarily involving direct violence for immediate theft).
• Cưỡng đoạt (verb): To seize by force, to extort. (This is a formal/literary synonym but does not inherently include the "interrogation/torture" aspect).
• Tra tấn để cướp của (verb phrase): To torture to rob. This is a descriptive phrase with a very similar meaning.

Related Idioms

• There are no common idioms that use the exact phrase "khảo của." Its usage is direct and literal within the context of describing a criminal act.

1. Extort money
   • Kẻ cướp khảo của
     Robbers extorted money (by using violence...)