vỗ tuột
Definition
- Verb:
- To completely evade payment of a debt: The primary meaning of "vỗ tuột" is to intentionally and successfully avoid paying a debt in its entirety, often through evasion or refusal.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Hắn vỗ tuột món nợ sau khi trốn đi. (He completely evaded the debt after running away.)
- Công ty đó có tiếng là hay vỗ tuột các khoản phải trả. (That company has a reputation for wriggling out of paying its dues.)
Advanced Usage
- The term carries a strong negative connotation of dishonesty and bad faith in financial or contractual obligations. It implies a deliberate act of default, not an inability to pay.
Variants and Related Words
- Trốn nợ (v): to dodge a debt, to skip out on a debt. This is a more common synonym.
- Vỡ nợ (v): to go bankrupt, to become insolvent. This differs as it often implies a financial collapse rather than a deliberate evasion.
Synonyms
- To welch on a debt: to fail to pay a debt, especially after a bet.
- To renege on a debt: to go back on a promise or agreement to pay.
- To default (intentionally): to fail to meet a financial obligation.
Related Idioms
- While "vỗ tuột" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, the concept is related to phrases like:
- Ăn cháo đá bát: to bite the hand that feeds you (ingratitude, which can extend to financial betrayal).
- Nợ như chúa Chổm: to be deeply in debt (like the proverbial Lord Chổm).