Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely tough or chewy: Used to describe food, especially meat, that is exceptionally difficult to chew or cut due to being overcooked, old, or of poor quality. It emphasizes a high degree of toughness.
   • Figuratively, very stubborn or obstinate: Can describe a person who is extremely unyielding or difficult to persuade.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Miếng thịt bò này dai ngoách, không nhai nổi. (This piece of beef is extremely tough, impossible to chew.)
  • Con mực này luộc quá tay, dai ngoách. (This squid is overcooked, incredibly chewy.)
  • Ông ấy là người dai ngoách, không bao giờ chịu thay đổi ý kiến. (He is an extremely stubborn person who never changes his mind.)

Advanced Usage

• "Dai ngoách": This is the most common and natural form. The word "ngoách" is almost exclusively used in combination with "dai" to intensify its meaning. It functions as an intensifying adjective following the main adjective "dai".
  • Sợi dây cao su này cũ kỹ nên dai ngoách. (This rubber band is old, so it's extremely tough.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dai (adj): Tough, chewy, persistent. This is the root word that "ngoách" intensifies.
  • Bánh mì này hơi dai. (This bread is a bit chewy.)
• Cứng (adj): Hard, rigid. While "cứng" can describe hard food (like hard candy), "dai ngoách" specifically refers to a rubbery, chewy toughness.
• Dai nhách: A synonymous colloquial phrase with the same meaning as "dai ngoách," also used for emphasis.

Synonyms

• Rất dai: Very tough/chewy. (A more standard way to express the same idea without the colloquial emphasis of "ngoách".)
• Cứng đầu cứng cổ (idiom): Stubborn as a mule. (A stronger idiom for the figurative meaning of stubbornness.)

Related Phrases

• Dai như đỉa: (Idiom) Literally "tough as a leech," meaning extremely persistent or tenacious, often annoyingly so. This idiom is used for people, not food.
  • Anh chàng đó theo đuổi cô ấy dai như đỉa. (That guy pursued her with leech-like tenacity.)

Notes on Usage

• "Ngoách" is a colloquial, expressive word primarily used in spoken Northern Vietnamese. It is rarely, if ever, used alone. Its sole function is to intensify the adjective "dai".
• The phrase "dai ngoách" is informal. In formal writing, "rất dai" or "cực kỳ dai" (extremely tough) would be preferred.
• The figurative use to describe a stubborn person is also informal and vivid.

1. Dai ngoách
2. Too tough