Definition

1. Idiom (figurative expression):
   • To be over head and ears in debt; to be up to one's neck in debt: This idiom describes a state of being deeply and overwhelmingly in debt, with obligations far exceeding one's ability to pay. It implies a severe and burdensome financial situation.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Sau khi kinh doanh thất bại, anh ta hiện đang nợ đìa. (After his business failed, he is now over head and ears in debt.)
  • Công ty đó nợ đìa và có nguy cơ phá sản. (That company is up to its neck in debt and risks bankruptcy.)

Advanced Usage

• The idiom "nợ đìa" is often used in informal or colloquial contexts to emphasize the extreme and desperate nature of the debt. It is stronger than simply saying "có nhiều nợ" (to have a lot of debt).

Variants and Related Words

• Nợ nần (n): debts, liabilities.
  • Anh ấy đang chật vật với đống nợ nần. (He is struggling with a pile of debts.)
• Nợ ngập đầu (idiom): an alternative idiom with a very similar meaning, literally "debt flooded over one's head."
  • Cô ấy nợ ngập đầu sau khi mua nhà. (She is drowning in debt after buying a house.)

Synonyms

• To be deeply in debt
• To be burdened with debt
• To be insolvent (more formal, referring to the inability to pay debts)

Related Idioms

• Nợ như chúa Chổm: This is a classic Vietnamese idiom referencing a historical figure (Lord Chổm) notorious for his debts. It means to owe debts everywhere, to be profoundly in debt.
  • Cửa hàng của họ nợ như chúa Chổm. (Their shop is in debt like Lord Chổm.)

1. Be over head and ears in debt