Definition

1. Verb:
   • To hang (on a hook): To suspend or attach something, typically by its handle, loop, or a curved part, onto a hook or similar object.
   • To hook: To catch, attach, or secure something using a hook or a curved implement.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Tôi cần ngoắc chiếc túi này lên móc. (I need to hang this bag on the hook.)
  • Anh ấy ngoắc mồi vào lưỡi câu một cách khéo léo. (He skillfully hooks the bait onto the fishhook.)
  • Hãy ngoắc áo khoác của bạn vào tủ. (Please hang your coat in the closet.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ngoắc ngoải": This is a separate, idiomatic compound verb meaning to struggle feebly (e.g., due to illness or weakness) or to dangle loosely. It is not a direct usage of "ngoắc" alone.
  • Sau cơn bệnh, ông cụ chỉ còn ngoắc ngoải trên giường. (After the illness, the old man is just feebly struggling in bed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Móc (n): Hook. This is the noun for the object used for hanging.
  • Chiếc móc treo quần áo. (The clothes hanger hook.)
• Móc (v): To hook, to pick. A near-synonymous verb.
  • Móc chìa khóa dưới gầm bàn. (To hook the key from under the table.)

Synonyms

• Treo: To hang (a more general term, not necessarily on a hook).
• Mắc: To hang, to hook (often interchangeable with "ngoắc" in the context of clothing).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Ngoắc tay: To hook arms (with someone); to make a promise by linking pinky fingers. This is a set phrase.
  • Hai đứa trẻ ngoắc tay hứa giữ bí mật. (The two children hooked pinkies to promise to keep the secret.)

Related Idioms

• Ngoắc tay đứt tay: Literally "hooking fingers until they break". This idiom signifies an unbreakable promise or pact.
  • Lời hứa của họ là ngoắc tay đứt tay. (Their promise is as solid as a hooked-finger pact.)

1. Hang (on a hook), hook
   • Ngoắc mồi vào lưỡi câu
     To hook bait on fish-hook
   • Ngoắc áo vào mắc
     To hang one's coat on a hook