Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To use as a pretext; to make an excuse: To rely on a weak, unreasonable, or unjustified reason to justify an action or inaction, often to avoid a responsibility or duty.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Anh ta lấy nê bị đau đầu để không đi làm. (He used a headache as a pretext not to go to work.)
  • Đừng lấy nê là trời mưa để trễ hẹn. (Don't use the rain as an excuse to be late for the appointment.)
  • Cô ấy lấy nê con còn nhỏ để từ chối công tác xa. (She used the pretext that her child was still young to refuse a distant assignment.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies that the excuse is perceived as flimsy, invalid, or not genuinely acceptable. It carries a connotation of making a poor excuse.

Variants and Related Words

• Viện cớ (v): to give an excuse, to plead a pretext. (A more common and standard synonym.)
• Lấy cớ (v): to use as an excuse. (A direct and common synonym for .)

Synonyms

• To pretext: to allege or employ as a pretext.
• To use as an excuse: to offer a reason to explain or justify.
• To plead (as in ): to claim something as a reason for not doing something.

Related Idioms

• "Bắt cá hai tay" is an idiom about trying to do two things at once for double gain. While not a direct synonym, it contrasts with , which is about avoiding a single duty.
• The concept is related to the idea of "ngụy biện" (fallacious reasoning) in logic, where invalid reasons are presented as justifications.