táy máy
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To twiddle with, to toy with: To touch or handle something repeatedly, often out of curiosity, restlessness, or playful mischief, especially with one's hands.
- To thieve, to steal trivial things: To pilfer or take small, often insignificant items, typically in a sneaky or habitual manner.
Usage Examples
- Verb (to twiddle with):
- Đứa trẻ táy máy với chiếc điều khiển TV. (The child is twiddling with the TV remote.)
- Đừng táy máy vào đồ đạc của người khác. (Don't toy with other people's belongings.)
- Verb (to thieve):
- Nó có tính táy máy, hay lấy trộm bút của bạn. (He has a thieving habit, often stealing pens from classmates.)
- Mấy cái kẹo trên bàn bị ai đó táy máy mất rồi. (The candies on the table were pilfered by someone.)
Advanced Usage
- "táy máy chân tay": To be fidgety or unable to keep one's hands and feet still; often used to describe restless behavior.
- Ngồi yên nào, đừng táy máy chân tay thế! (Sit still, stop fidgeting like that!)
- "tính táy máy": A thieving or pilfering habit; a tendency to steal small things.
- Cô ấy đuổi việc cậu bé vì tính táy máy. (She fired the boy because of his pilfering habit.)
Variants and Related Words
- Mó máy (verb): A near-synonym meaning to touch or handle something, often with a similar connotation of meddling or playful touching.
- Tháy máy (adj/verb): An older or regional variant specifically describing a thieving disposition or the act of petty theft.
Synonyms
- Nghịch ngợm (verb): To mess around, to play mischievously (focuses more on playful mischief than touching).
- Xoay xở (verb): To fiddle with, to manipulate (can imply trying to fix or operate something).
- Ăn cắp vặt (verb phrase): To commit petty theft (direct synonym for the second meaning).
Related Phrases
- Táy máy táy chân: An extended phrase emphasizing restless fidgeting with both hands and feet.
- Bảo nó ngồi im, nó cứ táy máy táy chân hoài. (I told him to sit still, but he keeps fidgeting nonstop.)
Related Idioms
- Tay chân không yên: Literally "hands and feet are not at peace"; means to be restless or fidgety. This idiom shares the conceptual space with the fidgety aspect of "táy máy".
- Cậu bé tay chân không yên lúc nào cũng muốn động vào thứ gì đó. (The boy is restless and always wants to touch something.)
verb
- to twiddle with, to toy with. to thieve, to steal trivial things