Definition

1. Verb (colloquial):
   • To boast / to brag: To speak with excessive pride and exaggeration about one's abilities, possessions, or achievements.
   • To talk big / to exaggerate: To make statements that are not true or are greatly overstated, often to impress others.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đừng tin anh ta, anh ta chỉ đang nói phét thôi. (Don't believe him, he's just boasting.)
  • Nó thích nói phét về những chuyến đi của nó. (He likes to talk big about his travels.)
  • Cô ấy nói phét rằng cô ấy biết tổng thống. (She exaggerated that she knows the president.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is informal and often carries a negative connotation, implying dishonesty or a lack of credibility in the speaker's claims.

Variants and Related Words

• Nói khoác (v, colloquial): A direct synonym, also meaning to boast or exaggerate.

  • Thằng bé hay nói khoác chuyện điểm số. (The boy often brags about his grades.)

• Khoác lác (v): To brag or show off in a loud, obnoxious manner.

  • Anh ấy khoác lác về chiếc xe mới. (He's showing off about his new car.)

Synonyms

• Boast: To talk with excessive pride.
• Brag: To say something in a proud way.
• Exaggerate: To represent something as greater than it is.

Related Idioms

• Nói phét như Cuội: To lie or exaggerate as famously as the mythical figure "Cuội," a proverbial liar in Vietnamese folklore.
  • Anh đừng có nói phét như Cuội nữa! (Stop telling tall tales!)

1. (thông tục) như nói khoác