ém dẹm
Definition
- Verb (colloquial, often used in Southern Vietnam):
- To hush up, to suppress, to keep quiet about something: The primary meaning of "ém dẹm" is to intentionally conceal, downplay, or keep information, a story, or an incident from becoming widely known or discussed. It implies an active effort to make something disappear from public attention or conversation.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Câu chuyện thế mà nó ém dẹm đi. (Such a story, yet he/she hushed it up.)
- Công ty cố gắng ém dẹm vụ scandal. (The company tried to suppress the scandal.)
- Đừng có ém dẹm chuyện đó, hãy nói cho mọi người biết sự thật. (Don't hush up that matter; tell everyone the truth.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a nuance of handling something discreetly, sometimes to avoid trouble, responsibility, or negative consequences. It is frequently used in contexts involving gossip, secrets, scandals, or mistakes.
Variants and Related Words
Ém (v): to hide, to conceal, to suppress. This is the root verb, with "ém dẹm" being a reduplicative form that adds emphasis or a colloquial tone.
- Nó ém tin đó lại. (He/She concealed that piece of news.)
Ém nhẹm (v, colloquial): a synonymous reduplicative form with the same meaning as "ém dẹm."
- Mọi chuyện đã bị ém nhẹm hết. (Everything has been hushed up.)
Synonyms
- Suppress: to prevent something from being revealed or circulated.
- Hush up: to prevent discussion or information from becoming public.
- Cover up: to conceal evidence of a mistake or crime.
- Keep a lid on: (idiomatic) to keep something secret.
Related Idioms
- While "ém dẹm" itself is an informal, idiomatic phrase, it is related to the concept of secrecy.
- Bưng bít: to cover up, to seal off (information). This is a stronger, more formal synonym.
- Giới chức trách bưng bít thông tin. (The authorities covered up the information.)