Definition

1. Noun:
   • Chopping board scrapings / sawdust: The small fragments, shavings, or accumulated residue of wood or other material that come off a cutting board (thớt) over time due to repeated chopping and cutting.
   • Figurative - Insignificant remnants: Used figuratively to describe something very small, trivial, worthless, or leftover, often in a dismissive manner.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ta chỉ thu thập được mấy thứ mùn thớt, chẳng có giá trị gì. (He only collected a few chopping board scrapings, nothing of value.)
  • Công ty lớn đó coi hợp đồng nhỏ này như mùn thớt. (That big company considers this small contract to be mere sawdust.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in a metaphorical or figurative sense to denote things of negligible worth, small leftovers, or trivial details, rather than referring to literal wood shavings.

Variants and Related Words

• Mùn cưa (n): sawdust (literally from sawing wood).
  • Hộp đựng đầy mùn cưa. (The box is full of sawdust.)

Synonyms

• Scraps: small leftover pieces.
• Remnants: small remaining quantities.
• Dregs: the most worthless parts.
• Trifles: things of little value or importance.

Related Idioms

• Đồ mùn thớt: A derogatory phrase meaning "worthless stuff" or "insignificant things."
  • Đừng quan tâm đến mấy thứ đồ mùn thớt ấy. (Don't bother with that worthless stuff.)