tòe

Đầu lông bút tòe ra khi vẽ quá mạnh.

Definition

Verb:
- To splay, to fan out, to spread out: Describes the action of multiple flexible strands or parts (like hair, brush bristles, or fibers) separating from a central point and becoming disheveled, frayed, or no longer forming a neat, tight bundle.
- To be frayed, to be spread out: The state of having such strands separated and messy.
Adjective:
- Splayed, fanned out, frayed: Used to describe the condition of something whose tips or ends are widely separated and untidy.

Usage Examples

Verb:
- Đuôi ngựa của cô ấy bị tòe ra vì gió. (Her ponytail fanned out because of the wind.)
- Đầu bút lông tòe hết, không vẽ được nữa. (The tip of the brush is all frayed; it can't paint anymore.)
Adjective:
- Nhìn mái tóc tòe của nó kìa! (Look at his splayed hair!)
- Một bó hoa với những cánh hoa tòe ra. (A bouquet with petals spreading out.)

Advanced Usage

Often used with the particles "ra" (out) to emphasize the outward spreading action: "tòe ra".
- Bánh xe đạp đâm vào vũng nước, nước tòe ra tứ phía. (The bicycle wheel hit a puddle, and water splashed out in all directions.)
Can describe the visual effect of light or color spreading.
- Ánh đèn tòe ra trong sương mù. (The light fans out in the fog.)

Variants and Related Words

Tòe loe (adj): An intensified form, emphasizing a more disorderly, messy, or exaggerated splay.
- Cái ô đó cũ rách, nan tòe loe hết cả. (That umbrella is old and torn; its ribs are all splayed out messily.)

Synonyms

Related Idioms and Expressions

Nói tòe ra / Nói tòe loe: To talk nonsense, to exaggerate or make things up (metaphorically making words spread out without substance).
- Đừng nghe nó, nó toàn nói tòe thôi. (Don't listen to him; he just talks nonsense.)
Tòe hoa: Literally "splayed flowers," sometimes used to describe something showy but messy or ineffective.
- Kiểu tóc đó trông tòe hoa quá. (That hairstyle looks too messy and showy.)