lăn cổ
Definition
- Verb (Thành ngữ, Từ lóng):
- To die suddenly, to drop dead: Refers to dying abruptly and unexpectedly, often while in good health or in the midst of an activity. This is a vulgar/colloquial expression.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Ông ấy đang khỏe mạnh bỗng dưng lăn cổ. (He was healthy and then suddenly dropped dead.)
- Nó hùa theo bọn xấu, rồi lăn cổ lúc nào chẳng biết. (He went along with the bad crowd, and then kicked the bucket without anyone knowing when.)
- Tao mà nghe mày nữa là tao lăn cổ liền. (If I listen to you again, I'll drop dead on the spot.)
Advanced Usage
- This phrase is exclusively used in informal, colloquial, and often vulgar contexts. It carries a blunt, sometimes crude or unsympathetic tone regarding death.
- It is typically used for dramatic effect, to express shock, or to deliver a crude warning/threat.
- It is not used in formal writing, polite conversation, or when expressing condolences.
Variants and Related Words
- Lăn ra chết: A slightly extended variant with the same vulgar meaning (to fall down dead).
- Tắt thở: (to stop breathing) - A more standard, though still informal, way to say "to die."
- Chết: (to die) - The neutral, standard verb.
- Qua đời: (to pass away) - A formal and respectful term.
Synonyms
- To kick the bucket (idiomatic, slang): A similarly informal and vulgar English idiom for dying.
- To drop dead (idiomatic): To die suddenly and unexpectedly.
- To perish (literary/formal): To die, especially in a tragic way. (Note: This is formal, unlike the vulgar "lăn cổ").
Related Idioms
- Lăn đùng ra chết: An even more emphatic and vulgar version, emphasizing the suddenness (to fall over dead).
- Chết tươi / Chết ngay đơ: (to die instantly/fresh) - Other colloquial expressions for sudden death, though not as vulgar as "lăn cổ."