tuồn
Definition
- Verb:
- To slip / to slide: To move smoothly, quietly, and often stealthily through a narrow or confined space, like a snake.
- To smuggle / to funnel: To move or transfer something (especially goods, information, or people) secretly, covertly, or illicitly from one place or person to another.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con rắn tuồn qua hàng rào. (The snake slips through the fence.)
- Hoa Kỳ tuồn khí giới cho bọn chân tay. (The U.S. smuggles weapons to its henchmen.)
- Tuồn hàng cho bọn buôn lậu. (To funnel goods to smugglers.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often implies a sense of secrecy, illegality, or unauthorized transfer. It is commonly used in contexts involving contraband, espionage, or covert operations.
- It can describe the movement of both objects and abstract things like information or influence.
Variants and Related Words
- Tuồn tuột (v): An emphatic or repetitive form suggesting a continuous, smooth, slipping motion.
- Dây thừng tuồn tuột khỏi tay anh ta. (The rope slid/slipped completely from his hand.)
Synonyms
- Smuggle: To move goods secretly to avoid taxes or laws.
- Funnel: To channel or direct something through a narrow passage.
- Slip: To move quietly and quickly, often unnoticed.
- Steal: To move stealthily.
Related Idioms
- While "tuồn" itself is often used in fixed phrases describing covert actions, it is not typically the base for many common idioms. Its usage is mostly literal or applied to specific illicit activities.