ngoa ngoét
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely exaggerated or hyperbolic: Used to describe speech, stories, or claims that are wildly overstated, unbelievable, or stretched far beyond the truth. It emphasizes a degree of exaggeration that is excessive and often ridiculous.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Câu chuyện của nó ngoa ngoét, không ai tin. (His story is wildly exaggerated; no one believes it.)
- Đừng có khoe ngoa ngoét về thu nhập của mình. (Don't boast with gross exaggeration about your income.)
- Lời đồn thổi đó hoàn toàn ngoa ngoét. (That rumor is utterly far-fetched.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in a dismissive or critical tone to point out that a statement is not just slightly exaggerated but is so over-the-top that it loses all credibility.
Variants and Related Words
- Ngoa (adj): Exaggerated, untrue. This is the root word, with "ngoa ngoét" being a more emphatic and colloquial reduplicative form.
- Lời nói ngoa. (An exaggerated statement.)
Synonyms
- Exaggerated: Represented as larger, better, or worse than in reality.
- Hyperbolic: Deliberately exaggerated for effect.
- Far-fetched: Unlikely and unconvincing.
- Overstated: Expressed in too strong terms.
Related Idioms
- While "ngoa ngoét" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is used in contexts similar to:
- Nói phét / Nói khoác: To boast, to talk big (less formal).
- Thằng đó toàn nói phét. (That guy is always boasting.)