Definition

1. Noun:
   • A termagant, a vixen, a shrew: "Quạ cái" is a figurative and often derogatory term used to describe a woman who is perceived as quarrelsome, nagging, sharp-tongued, or ill-tempered.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mọi người trong xóm đều tránh mặt bà ấy vì bà ấy nổi tiếng là một quạ cái. (Everyone in the neighborhood avoids her because she is notorious for being a shrew.)
  • Anh ta than phiền rằng vợ mình đang dần trở thành một quạ cái. (He complained that his wife was gradually turning into a termagant.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "quạ cái" is highly pejorative and should be used with extreme caution, if at all. It reflects a negative and often sexist stereotype.
• It is primarily used in informal, colloquial speech and is considered vulgar or offensive in most contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Đàn bà lắm điều: (idiomatic) A woman who talks too much or is meddlesome; a gossipy woman. This is a related concept but less harsh than "quạ cái".
• Mụ hành: (noun, archaic/derogatory) A nasty, malicious old woman; a hag.
• Ác bà: (noun) A cruel, wicked woman.

Synonyms

• Mụ phù thủy (witch): Often used metaphorically for a malicious or nasty woman.
• Người đàn bà lắm lời (a garrulous woman): Focuses on being talkative or nagging.
• Người đàn bà hay gây gổ (a quarrelsome woman): Focuses on being argumentative.

Related Idioms

• Miệng nhà quan có gang có thép: (literally: The mouth of a mandarin has iron and steel) An idiom describing someone, often a woman, with a sharp, unyielding, and powerful tongue. This can be a less direct but still critical way to describe a similar trait.
• Cá cắn câu, gái cắn cơm: (literally: Fish bite the hook, women bite the rice) An old, sexist saying implying women are argumentative or quick to retort.

1. (nghĩa bóng) Termagant, vixen, shrew