mặt nạc
Definition
- Noun (derogatory, slang):
- A foolish or stupid person; a simpleton: A person who is considered unintelligent, incompetent, or incapable of accomplishing anything meaningful. The term is highly pejorative.
- A person with a thick or insensitive face (literal interpretation): The term originates from the literal meaning of "mặt" (face) and "nạc" (lean meat), implying a face like a slab of meat, devoid of expression or intelligence.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Hắn ta đúng là đồ mặt nạc, chẳng làm nên trò trống gì. (He is truly a fool, incapable of accomplishing anything.)
- Đừng có nói chuyện với thằng mặt nạc đó. (Don't talk to that idiot.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is almost exclusively used in a contemptuous or insulting manner. It is not used in formal or polite conversation.
- It can be intensified in the compound form "mặt nạc đóm dày", which adds the idea of being shamelessly thick-skinned or brazen on top of being foolish.
- Tên lừa đảo đó mặt nạc đóm dày lắm. (That scammer is a shameless and stupid fool.)
Variants and Related Words
- Mặt nạc đóm dày (n, phrase): A shameless and stupid fool; a person who is both foolish and brazenly thick-skinned.
Synonyms
- Fool: A person who acts unwisely or imprudently.
- Idiot: A stupid person.
- Simpleton: A person lacking in common sense.
- Blockhead: A very stupid person.
Related Idioms
- Mặt nạc đóm dày: This phrase itself functions as a common insulting idiom, combining the concepts of stupidity ("mặt nạc") and shamelessness/brazenness ("đóm dày").