Definition

1. Verb:
   • To scavenge for food: The primary meaning of "la liếm" is to search for and consume food scraps or leftovers in a thorough and often indiscriminate manner, typically done by animals out of hunger.
   • To forage hungrily: It describes the action of seeking out any available food from various places, often implying a state of need or desperation.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Con chó đói la liếm hết mọi bếp. (The hungry dog scavenged for food in every kitchen.)
  • Mèo hoang thường đi la liếm trong các đống rác. (Stray cats often go scavenging in garbage dumps.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used to describe the behavior of animals. When applied to humans metaphorically, it carries a strong negative connotation of behaving in an undignified, greedy, or desperately hungry manner.

Variants and Related Words

• Liếm (v): to lick. This is the root verb within "la liếm."
  • Con chó liếm đĩa. (The dog licked the plate.)

Synonyms

• Scavenge: to search for and collect leftover food.
• Forage: to search widely for food.
• Root around (for food): to search by moving things around.

Related Idioms

• While "la liếm" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, its imagery is related to concepts of extreme hunger and undignified survival.
  • Sống kiểu la liếm: to live a hand-to-mouth existence, scavenging for sustenance.

1. Scavenge for food
   • Con chó đói la liếm hết mọi bếp
     The hugry dog scavenged for food in every kitchen