lắt léo
Definition
Adjective:
- Devious / Tricky / Crafty: Describes a person, action, or method that is cunning, deceitful, or underhanded, often involving clever but dishonest manipulation.
- Complicated / Convoluted: Refers to a situation, issue, or path that is unnecessarily complex, twisted, or difficult to navigate due to its intricacy.
Adjective (extended usage):
- Sinuous / Winding: Describes a physical path, such as a road or alley, that has many twists and turns.
Usage Examples
Adjective (Devious):
- Đối thủ đó chơi rất lắt léo. (That opponent plays very deviously.)
- Anh ta dùng thủ đoạn lắt léo để giành lợi thế. (He used a crafty trick to gain an advantage.)
Adjective (Complicated):
- Vụ án này có nhiình tình tiết lắt léo. (This case has many convoluted details.)
- Câu chuyện của anh ấy nghe thật lắt léo. (His story sounds very complicated.)
Adjective (Winding):
- Con đường mòn lắt léo dẫn lên đỉnh núi. (A winding trail leads to the mountain top.)
Advanced Usage
- Used to describe sophisticated but dishonest reasoning or argumentation.
- Lập luận lắt léo của luật sư đã đánh lừa được bồi thẩm đoàn. (The lawyer's devious reasoning fooled the jury.)
Variants and Related Words
- Khéo léo (adj): skillful, dexterous (Note: This is a different word implying skill, not deceit).
- Mánh khóe (n): a trick, a sly scheme (a related concept, but a noun).
Synonyms
- Devious: Showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals.
- Crafty: Clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods.
- Convoluted: Extremely complex and difficult to follow.
- Winding: Having a twisting and turning course.
Related Idioms
- Lắt léo như đỉa phải vôi: As tricky as a leech encountering lime (Vietnamese lime is caustic). Describes someone who is extremely evasive and hard to pin down when in a difficult spot.
- Hỏi mãi mà nó không chịu nhận, lắt léo như đỉa phải vôi. (I asked repeatedly but he refused to admit it, being as slippery as a leech in lime.)