Definition

1. Noun (colloquial, slang):

   • A time; a round; a go: Refers to an instance or occasion of doing something, often used for casual, playful, or sometimes disreputable activities like gambling or going out for fun.
   • A game; a match: Used specifically in the context of playing a game or match.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To feel a writhing, cramping pain: Describes a sharp, twisting internal pain, often in the abdomen.
   • To be very curly or frizzy: Describes hair that is tightly curled or kinky.

3. Adjective (colloquial):

   • Curled up; clenched; cramped: Describes something in a state of being tightly coiled, contracted, or shriveled due to pain, cold, or impact.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Đi chơi một quắn. (Go out for a round of fun.)
  • Thua một quắn bài. (Lose a hand of cards/a game.)

• Verb:

  • Bụng tôi quắn lại vì đói. (My stomach cramped up from hunger.)
  • Tóc nó quắn tít. (His/Her hair is very curly.)

• Adjective:

  • Nó bị đánh quắn đít. (He got beaten until his ass was clenched in pain.)
  • Lá cây quắn lại vì khô. (The leaves curled up from dryness.)

Advanced Usage

• The noun form is highly informal and can carry a nuance of mischief or lack of seriousness regarding the activity.
• The verb/adjective forms related to pain are often graphic and used in vivid, colloquial descriptions of physical discomfort.

Variants and Related Words

• Quắn quắn (adj): Somewhat curly or slightly cramped.
• Quăn (adj): The standard, more common word for "curly" (e.g., tóc quăn - curly hair). "Quắn" can be an intensive form of this.

Synonyms

• Noun: Lần (time, occasion), ván (game, match), hiệp (round).
• Verb (pain): Co thắt (to spasm), đau quặn (to have writhing pain).
• Adjective: Quăn (curly), co rúm (shriveled), siết chặt (clenched).

Related Idioms and Expressions

• Quắn ruột: To have one's intestines writhing (in pain or from strong emotion like anxiety or pity).
  • Nghe tin ấy, tôi quắn cả ruột. (Hearing that news, my heart twisted/I felt a wrench in my gut.)
• Đánh quắn đít: To beat someone so severely it causes them to clench their buttocks in pain (a vulgar, emphatic expression).

noun

1. time; unit; round

verb

1. to feel a writhing pain