Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To lie curled up, to lie in a curled position: Refers to the action of lying down with the body bent or curled, often in a relaxed, informal, or careless manner.
   • To lie in a huddled or coiled position: Describes lying with limbs drawn in, not stretched out straight.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Con mèo nằm quèo trên ghế sofa. (The cat is lying curled up on the sofa.)
  • Anh ấy mệt và nằm quèo trên giường cả buổi chiều. (He was tired and lay curled up in bed all afternoon.)
  • Đứa trẻ nằm quèo trong lòng mẹ và ngủ. (The child lay curled up in his mother's lap and slept.)

Advanced Usage

• This phrase is informal and often conveys a sense of comfort, casualness, or exhaustion. It is not typically used in formal writing.
• It can sometimes imply lying in a somewhat awkward or careless position, not necessarily a neat or planned one.

Variants and Related Words

• Nằm khoèo: This is a direct variant with identical meaning and usage. The words 'quèo' and 'khoèo' are interchangeable in this phrase.
  • Nó nằm khoèo dưới gốc cây. (He lay curled up under the tree.)
• Co quắp: (Verb) To contract, to shrivel up. This has a stronger connotation of involuntary contraction, often due to cold or pain, and is not a direct synonym for the relaxed state of 'nằm quèo'.
• Cuộn tròn: (Verb) To curl up, to coil. This is a more general verb that can be used for objects or animals and can sometimes be used similarly to 'nằm quèo'.

Synonyms

• Nằm co: To lie curled up. Very close in meaning, perhaps slightly more common.
• Nằm cuộn tròn: To lie coiled up. Emphasizes the circular shape.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is specifically about the of lying down. It does not describe the act of going to lie down.
• The phrase is neutral to slightly colloquial. It is not derogatory but is very casual.

1. như nằm khoèo