Definition

1. Noun:

   • Terrestrial leech: A small, blood-sucking worm-like creature often found in forests and damp areas.

2. Verb:

   • To wring, to squeeze: To twist and press something, typically to extract liquid from it.
   • To form into a handful: To squeeze and shape a soft substance, like rice or dough, into a compact mass in one's hand.
   • To drape, to throw over: To place something over another object or one's shoulder so that it hangs down on both sides.
   • To place (a limb) over another: To position one leg over the other or an arm over something.
   • To cross, to span: To extend across something, like a bridge over a river.

3. Adjective (in reduplicated form or as an intensifier):

   • Completely, utterly: Used as an intensifier, often in reduplicated form, to mean "very" or "extremely."

4. Interjection:

   • Command to turn left (for cattle): A shout used when plowing to direct oxen or buffalo to turn to the left.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Đi rừng phải cẩn thận con vắt. (When going into the forest, be careful of leeches.)
• Verb (to wring):
  • Cô ấy vắt khăn cho khô nước. (She wrings the towel to dry it.)
  • Vắt một chút nước cốt chanh vào món ăn. (Squeeze a little lemon juice into the dish.)
• Verb (to form a handful):
  • Bà vắt cơm thành từng nắm nhỏ. (She formed the rice into small handfuls.)
• Verb (to drape):
  • Anh ấy vắt chiếc áo khoác lên vai. (He draped his jacket over his shoulder.)
• Verb (to place a limb):
  • Cô ấy ngồi vắt chân. (She sat with her legs crossed.)
• Adjective (intensifier):
  • Bầu trời trong vắt. (The sky is crystal clear.)
• Interjection:
  • Người nông dân hô "vắt!" để con trâu rẽ trái. (The farmer shouted "gee!" to make the buffalo turn left.)

Advanced Usage

• "vắt óc suy nghĩ": to rack one's brains, to think very hard.
  • Tôi đang vắt óc suy nghĩ để giải bài toán này. (I am racking my brains to solve this math problem.)
• "vắt kiệt sức": to exhaust, to drain someone's strength.
  • Công việc đã vắt kiệt sức của anh ấy. (The work exhausted his strength.)
• "vắt chanh bỏ vỏ": (idiomatic) to use someone and then discard them; to squeeze the lemon and throw away the peel.
  • Đừng có thói quen vắt chanh bỏ vỏ. (Don't have the habit of using people and then discarding them.)
• "vắt cổ chày ra nước": (idiomatic) to be extremely stingy; to try to squeeze water from a pestle.
  • Ông chủ đó nổi tiếng là keo kiệt, vắt cổ chày ra nước. (That boss is famous for being stingy, trying to squeeze water from a stone.)

Variants and Related Words

• Vắt vẻo (adj): dangling, perched precariously.
  • Chiếc lá vắt vẻo trên cành cây. (The leaf is dangling from the branch.)
• Vắt vai (verb phrase): to drape over the shoulder.
  • Cậu bé vắt vai chiếc ba lô. (The boy slung his backpack over his shoulder.)
• Khâu vắt / mũi vắt (noun): an overcast stitch (in sewing).
  • Bà dùng mũi vắt để viền mép vải. (She used an overcast stitch to hem the fabric edge.)

Synonyms

• Bóp (verb): to squeeze, to press.
• Vặn (verb): to twist, to wring.
• Quàng (verb): to sling, to drape.
• Đỉa (noun): leech (general term, often aquatic).

Related Phrases (Verb Combinations)

• Vắt lên: to drape something up/over.
  • Vắt màn lên. (To tuck the mosquito net up.)
• Vắt qua: to cross over, to span across.
  • Cây cầu vắt qua dòng sông. (The bridge spans across the river.)
• Vắt sữa (verb phrase): to milk (an animal).
  • Bác nông dân dậy sớm để vắt sữa bò. (The farmer gets up early to milk the cows.)

Related Idioms

• Vắt chân lên cổ mà chạy: to run very fast, to take to one's heels (literally: to put one's legs on one's neck and run).
  • Nghe tiếng động lạ, nó vắt chân lên cổ mà chạy. (Hearing a strange noise, he took to his heels and ran.)
• Vắt mũi chưa sạch: (derogatory) very young and inexperienced (literally: one whose nose isn't clean yet).
  • Thằng bé vắt mũi chưa sạch thì biết gì mà nói. (That kid is still wet behind the ears, what does he know?)
• Nước đến chân mới nhảy, đến lúc ấy vắt chân lên cổ mà chạy cũng không kịp: Procrastinate until the last minute, and then even running at full speed won't be enough. (A proverb about the dangers of delay).

noun

1. terrestrial leech a handful

verb

1. to wring, to squeeze to throw over on to pull up to cross