Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Piggish, gluttonous, wolfing down: Describes a crude, greedy, and hasty manner of eating, often with the mouth overly full and chewing in an unseemly, noisy way. It implies a lack of manners and refinement.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ăn uống ngồm ngoàm trông rất khó coi. (To eat and drink piggishly looks very offensive.)
  • Đứa trẻ đó ăn ngồm ngoàm như chưa bao giờ được ăn. (That child wolfs down food as if he has never eaten before.)
  • Anh ta nhai ngồm ngoàm khiến mọi người trên bàn ăn đều khó chịu. (He chews piggishly, making everyone at the dining table uncomfortable.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is almost exclusively used in a negative, critical, or humorous context to describe the act of eating. It is not used to describe drinking liquids alone unless combined with eating.
• It often carries a connotation of being uncultured or ill-mannered.
  • Cái kiểu ăn ngồm ngoàm ấy chẳng bao giờ được chấp nhận trong những bữa tiệc trang trọng. (That piggish eating style is never acceptable at formal dinners.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ăn ngấu nghiến: To devour, to gobble up (also describes fast eating but may lack the specific connotation of vulgar chewing).
• Ăn thô tục: To eat in a vulgar/coarse manner (a more general synonym).
• Ngốn: (Slang) To wolf down, to consume quickly and greedily.

Synonyms

• Thô tục (khi ăn): Vulgar (when eating).
• Mất lịch sự: Impolite, ill-mannered.
• Ăn như hổ đói: To eat like a starving tiger (idiomatic simile).

Related Idioms

• While "ngồm ngoàm" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, it is a vivid descriptive term often used in instructive or reproachful phrases.
  • Ngồi ăn cho tử tế, đừng có ngồm ngoàm! (Sit and eat properly, don't eat like a pig!)

Notes on Usage

• Word Type: "Ngồm ngoàm" is primarily used as an adjective modifying the verb "ăn" (to eat). It can also function adverbially in phrases like "ăn một cách ngồm ngoàm" (to eat in a piggish manner).
• Register: This is a colloquial word. It is suitable for informal speech, storytelling, or criticism but is inappropriate for formal writing.
• Onomatopoeic Quality: The word has a reduplicative form (từ láy) which mimics the sound or visual of crude chewing, making it very expressive.

1. Piggish (nói về cách ăn)
   • Ăn uống ngồm ngoàm trông rất khó coi
     To look offensive when eating and drinking piggishly