Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Diabolical; fiendish: Having the wicked, mischievous, or troublesome nature attributed to a devil or evil spirit.
   • Mischievous; impish: Behaving in a playful but annoyingly troublesome way, often used to describe a clever or sly person, especially a child.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Thằng bé quái quỷ ấy lại giấu đồ chơi của em nó. (That mischievous boy hid his sibling's toy again.)
  • Nó cười một cách quái quỷ trước khi bật mí bí mật. (He laughed in a fiendish way before revealing the secret.)
  • Cái máy tính quái quỷ này lại bị lỗi rồi. (This diabolical computer has malfunctioned again.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in an exaggerated or humorous tone to express frustration or amusement at someone's sly or troublesome behavior, rather than to indicate genuine evil.

Variants and Related Words

• Quỷ quái (adj): This is a direct synonym with identical meaning and usage.
  • Tính nết nó thật quỷ quái. (His character is truly mischievous.)

Synonyms

• Mischievous: Causing or showing a fondness for playful trouble.
• Impish: Inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun.
• Diabolical: Characteristic of a devil; outrageously wicked or cruel.

Related Idioms

• While "quái quỷ" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, its sentiment is captured in phrases describing slyness or trouble.
  • Khôn lỏi: Sly, cunning (often with a negative connotation).
  • Tinh quái: Sharp and cunning, clever in a tricky way.

1. như quỷ quái