Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Too familiar, overly casual, or lacking proper respect: Describes behavior, speech, or jokes that cross the line of propriety, becoming crude, overly intimate, or disrespectful in a social context. It implies a breach of decorum.
   • Crude, vulgar (in humor): Specifically refers to jokes or remarks that are in poor taste, lewd, or excessively forward.

2. Verb phrase (used with "đùa" - to joke):

   • To make overly familiar/crude jokes: The act of joking in a way that is inappropriate, crossing social boundaries of respect and decency.

Usage Examples

• As an adjective:

  • Anh ta cứ nhả nhớt mãi, thật là khó chịu. (He keeps being overly familiar/crude, it's really annoying.)
  • Những câu chuyện nhả nhớt không nên có mặt ở nơi làm việc. (Crude/vulgar stories have no place in the workplace.)

• In the verb phrase "đùa nhả nhớt":

  • Đừng có đùa nhả nhớt với sếp. (Don't make overly familiar jokes with the boss.)
  • Hắn thích đùa nhả nhớt khi đã uống rượu. (He likes to make crude jokes when he's drunk.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is strongly negative and carries a tone of disapproval. It is used to criticize behavior that is seen as transgressing social norms, especially regarding hierarchy, age, or gender relations.
• It often describes a specific type of impropriety that is not just rude but has a connotation of being sleazy, unrefined, or trying to be intimate in an unwelcome way.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhả: (verb) to let go, to release, to spit out. In this compound, it contributes the meaning of "uttering" or "letting out" something inappropriate.
• Nhớt: (noun) slime, mucus, grease. Used figuratively here to describe something unpleasant, slick, and disrespectful.
• Ở trớn / Quá trớn: (phrase) to go too far, to overstep. This is often used in the dictionary definition to explain "nhả nhớt".

Synonyms

• Thô tục: Vulgar, coarse.
• Khiếm nhã: Indecent, improper.
• Sỗ sàng: Boorish, tactless, impolite.
• Quá đà / Quá trớn: Over-the-top, excessive (in behavior).

Related Phrases

• Ăn nói nhả nhớt: To speak in a crude/overly familiar manner.
  • Nó ăn nói nhả nhớt với người lớn. (He speaks to elders in a crude/disrespectful way.)

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning revolves around impropriety and excessive familiarity. It is not merely "joking" but joking in a way that shows a lack of respect for social boundaries.
• The term can apply to actions beyond speech, such as physical gestures or overall behavior that is inappropriately casual or suggestive.
• It is a colloquial term and is considered informal and critical.

1. Too familiar
   • Đùa nhả nhớt
     To make too familiar jokes