Definition

1. Verb:
   • To kick up a row / to make a scene: To react or behave in an excessively angry, loud, or aggressive manner, often to intimidate others or to force them to comply with one's wishes, even over a minor issue.
   • To act fierce / to act aggressively: To adopt a deliberately threatening or violent attitude.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy làm dữ với nhân viên bán hàng. (She kicked up a row with the sales clerk.)
  • Đừng làm dữ, chúng ta có thể nói chuyện bình tĩnh. (Don't make a scene, we can talk calmly.)
  • Anh ta làm dữ để mọi người phải sợ. (He acted aggressively to make everyone afraid.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies the anger or aggression is performative or exaggerated, used as a tactic to achieve a goal rather than being a genuine, uncontrollable emotional reaction.
• It is frequently used in contexts describing domestic disputes, customer complaints, or negotiations where one party uses intimidation.

Variants and Related Words

• Làm ầm lên / Làm ầm ĩ (v): To make a loud noise or fuss. This is a close synonym but may lack the specific connotation of deliberate aggression found in "làm dữ".
• Gây sự (v): To pick a fight, to start trouble. This emphasizes initiating conflict.

Synonyms

• To make a scene: To create a loud, embarrassing public disturbance.
• To throw a tantrum: To have an uncontrolled outburst of anger, often like a child.
• To act up: To behave in a rebellious or troublesome way.
• To bluster: To talk in a loud, aggressive, or indignant way with little effect.

Related Idioms

• Nổi cơn thịnh nộ: To fly into a rage. This idiom suggests a more genuine and sudden burst of anger compared to the often strategic "làm dữ".
• Giận cá chém thớt: Literally "angry at the fish, chops the cutting board"; meaning to take out one's anger on an innocent party. This describes misdirected anger, which can be a result of "làm dữ".

verb

1. to kick up a row