ăn bòn
Definition
- Verb:
- To scrounge / to sponge: To obtain money or small benefits from someone in a persistent, petty, and often annoying manner, typically by taking advantage of their generosity or through minor deceit.
- To wheedle / to cadge: To gradually and cunningly extract something, especially money, from someone.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nó suốt ngày đến nhà tôi ăn bòn. (He's always coming to my house to scrounge.)
- Hắn ta có tài ăn bòn tiền của người khác. (He has a talent for wheedling money out of other people.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a repeated, habitual action that exploits a social relationship. It carries a strong negative connotation of parasitism and petty exploitation.
Variants and Related Words
- Ăn bám (v): to live off someone; to be a dependent or parasite. This is stronger and implies more complete dependence than .
- Anh ta không làm việc, chỉ ăn bám bố mẹ. (He doesn't work, he just lives off his parents.)
Synonyms
- To sponge off: to obtain money or food from others without paying or working.
- To mooch: to beg or cadge something from someone.
- To leech off: to exploit someone for personal gain, like a parasite.
Related Idioms
- Ăn bòn ăn bọt: to scrounge for every last little bit; to be miserly or extremely petty in seeking gains.
- Hắn là kẻ ăn bòn ăn bọt, chẳng bao giờ chịu thiệt. (He's someone who scrounges for every crumb, never willing to take a loss.)