thối hoắc
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely foul-smelling; reeking: Describes something that has a very strong, offensive, and unpleasant odor, often of decay or rot. It is an emphatic form of "thối" (rotten/smelly).
- Terrible; awful (figurative): Used colloquially to describe something of very poor quality, a very bad situation, or a morally corrupt action.
Usage Examples
- Adjective (literal smell):
- Cái thùng rác này thối hoắc! (This trash can smells absolutely foul!)
- Mùi cá ươn trong phòng thối hoắc. (The smell of spoiled fish in the room is reeking.)
- Adjective (figurative):
- Ý tưởng đó thối hoắc, đừng làm theo. (That idea is terrible, don't follow it.)
- Hành động tham nhũng của hắn thực sự thối hoắc. (His corrupt action is truly rotten/despicable.)
Advanced Usage
- The word "hoắc" functions as an intensifier, similar to "extremely" or "utterly," and is almost exclusively paired with "thối" to form this emphatic compound. It conveys a strong sense of disgust from the speaker.
Variants and Related Words
- Thối (adj): Rotten; foul-smelling. The root word without the intense emphasis.
- Thịt thối. (Rotten meat.)
- Hôi (adj): Smelly; stinking. A more general term for bad odor.
- Hôi nách. (Body odor.)
- Hôi thối (adj): Foul-smelling; putrid. A common compound synonym.
- Mùi hôi thối. (A putrid smell.)
Synonyms
- Putrid: Decaying and emitting a foul smell.
- Fetid: Smelling extremely unpleasant.
- Rank: Having a strong and unpleasant smell.
- Rotten: Morally corrupt or very bad (figurative).
Related Idioms
- While "thối hoắc" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, its figurative use is idiomatic, applying the concept of a rotten smell to abstract concepts like ideas, character, or situations.