Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To snack constantly / to eat frequent snacks: The primary meaning refers to the habit of eating small amounts of food, especially snacks or treats, repeatedly throughout the day.
   • To chatter incessantly / to prattle / to palaver: A secondary meaning describes talking continuously about trivial, boring, or useless matters, often to the annoyance of others.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase (eating):

  • Đứa trẻ ăn làm nhàm suốt ngày. (The child snacks constantly all day.)
  • Ăn làm nhàm sẽ không tốt cho bữa chính. (Snacking constantly is not good for your main meals.)

• Verb phrase (talking):

  • Ông ấy nói làm nhàm làm mất thì giờ người khác. (He chatters incessantly and wastes other people's time.)
  • Đừng có làm nhàm về chuyện cũ nữa. (Stop prattling on about the old story.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "làm nhàm" carries a negative connotation, implying excess, annoyance, or a lack of substance. It criticizes a behavior done too often and pointlessly.

Variants and Related Words

• Nói làm nhàm (verb phrase): to chatter incessantly; the most common collocation for the talking meaning.
• Ăn làm nhàm (verb phrase): to snack constantly; the most common collocation for the eating meaning.

Synonyms

• To snack constantly: to graze, to nibble all day.
• To chatter incessantly: to babble, to blather, to drone on, to ramble.

Related Idioms

• Làm nhàm điếc cả tai: (to chatter until ears go deaf) – emphasizes how annoying the incessant talking is.
  • Bà hàng xóm nói làm nhàm điếc cả tai. (The neighbor chatters until your ears go deaf.)

1. Eating frequent snacks
   • Ăn làm nhàm suốt ngày
     To eat snacks all day
2. Palavering
   • Nói làm nhàm làm mất thì giờ người khác
     To palaver and waste other people's time