sẩy miếng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To let a piece (of food) slip/drop: The literal meaning refers to accidentally dropping a morsel of food from one's mouth or hand while eating or handling it.
- To make a slip of the tongue; to have a verbal slip: The figurative and more common meaning is to say something unintentionally, often revealing a secret, making a mistake, or saying something inappropriate or regrettable.
Usage Examples
- Literal:
- Cậu bé cầm đùi gà mà sẩy miếng, làm rơi xuống đất. (The boy was holding a chicken leg but let it slip, dropping it on the ground.)
- Figurative:
- Trong lúc nóng giận, ông ấy đã sẩy miếng tiết lộ bí mật. (In a moment of anger, he had a slip of the tongue and revealed the secret.)
- Cô ấy nói rất cẩn thận để không sẩy miếng trước mặt báo chí. (She spoke very carefully to avoid a verbal slip in front of the press.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is often used to describe an unintentional, spontaneous verbal error, particularly in sensitive contexts like negotiations, interviews, or keeping secrets. It implies a lack of control over one's words at a critical moment.
Variants and Related Words
- Lỡ lời (v): to say something by mistake, similar to "sẩy miếng" in its figurative sense.
- Anh ta lỡ lời xin lỗi ngay. (He said it by mistake and apologized immediately.)
- Buột miệng (v): to let something slip out of one's mouth, often impulsively.
- Tôi buột miệng khen cô ấy. (I impulsively blurted out a compliment to her.)
Synonyms
- To slip up: to make a careless mistake, especially in speech.
- To blurt out: to say something suddenly and without thinking.
- To have a slip of the tongue: to say something you did not intend to say.
Related Idioms
- Sẩy chân: to slip (physically); to make a misstep.
- Đường trơn, cẩn thận kẻo sẩy chân. (The road is slippery, be careful not to slip.)
- This idiom shares the structure and concept of an accidental slip ("sẩy"), but applies it to physical footing instead of speech.