tóp
Definition
Adjective:
- Shriveled; withered: Describes something, often organic, that has become smaller, wrinkled, and dried out, typically due to loss of moisture or vitality.
- Emaciated; gaunt: Describes a person or animal that has become extremely thin and wasted, often due to illness or starvation.
Verb (less common):
- To shrivel; to wither: The process of becoming dry, wrinkled, and contracted.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Củ khoai lang để lâu đã tóp hết lại. (The sweet potato left out for a long time has completely shriveled.)
- Sau trận ốm nặng, ông ấy trông gầy tóp. (After the serious illness, he looks gaunt and emaciated.)
Advanced Usage
- "tóp mỡ": This is a common compound noun meaning "pork crackling" or "rinds" (dried, fried pieces of pork fat or skin). It is often shortened to just "tóp" in casual culinary contexts.
- Bánh mì kẹp thịt và tóp mỡ. (A sandwich with meat and pork crackling.)
- Mua ít tóp về ăn. (Buy some pork rinds to eat.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tóp tép (adj, onomatopoeic): Describes a light, repeated crackling or chewing sound, often associated with eating something crispy like tóp mỡ.
- Ăn tóp mỡ nghe tiếng tóp tép. (Eating pork rinds makes a tóp tép sound.)
Synonyms
- Shriveled: dried and wrinkled.
- Withered: lost freshness and vigor.
- Emaciated: abnormally thin or weak.
Related Idioms
- Gầy tóp: An intensified phrase meaning "extremely thin" or "skin and bones."
- Cứ lo lắng mãi khiến cô ấy gầy tóp. (Constant worrying has made her nothing but skin and bones.)