toang toác
Definition
- Adjective/Adverb:
- Loudly and indiscreetly: Describes speaking in a very loud, noisy, and tactless manner, often revealing information that should be kept private or quiet.
- With a cracking or splitting sound: Describes a sharp, loud sound of something cracking, splitting, or breaking apart, often due to dryness.
Usage Examples
- Adjective/Adverb (speaking):
- Cô ấy kể chuyện gia đình toang toác cho mọi người nghe. (She told the family story loudly and indiscreetly for everyone to hear.)
- Đừng có nói toang toác chuyện đó ra! (Don't blab that story out so loudly!)
- Adjective/Adverb (sound):
- Trời hanh, sàn gỗ kêu toang toác. (The weather is dry; the wooden floor makes loud cracking sounds.)
- Tấm ván nứt toang toác. (The plank split with a loud crack.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used to criticize someone's lack of discretion or to vividly depict a sharp, fracturing noise. It carries a negative connotation when referring to speech, implying vulgarity or a lack of refinement.
Variants and Related Words
- Toang (adj): Can mean "wide open," "shattered," or "bankrupt." It shares the root idea of something being broken open or exposed.
- Cửa mở toang. (The door is wide open.)
Synonyms
- Blabber: to talk indiscreetly or thoughtlessly.
- Blurt out: to say suddenly and without thinking.
- Crack loudly: to make a sharp snapping sound.
Related Idioms
- Nói toang toác: This is the standard idiomatic phrase meaning "to speak loudly and indiscreetly." The word is almost exclusively used in this construction when referring to speech.
- Bà ta lúc nào cũng nói toang toác. (She always speaks loudly and indiscreetly.)