ăn đất
Definition
- Verb (idiomatic, colloquial):
- To bite the dust; to die: A humorous, informal, and somewhat vulgar expression meaning to die or to be killed.
- To fail utterly; to be defeated: Can also describe a complete and often humiliating failure or defeat.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Tên cướp đã ăn đất sau một phát đạn. (The robber bit the dust after a single shot.)
- Đội của chúng tôi thua 5-0, thật sự đã ăn đất. (Our team lost 5-0; we truly bit the dust.)
- Chiếc xe đua lao khỏi đường đua và ăn đất. (The race car veered off the track and bit the dust.)
Advanced Usage
- This phrase is highly informal and carries a crude, jesting tone. It is often used in narratives about conflict, competition, or accidents to bluntly describe death or failure without solemnity.
Variants and Related Words
- Ngỏm (v, slang): to kick the bucket; a similarly informal and blunt slang term for dying.
- Tèo (v, slang): to die; another common, casual slang term.
Synonyms
- To perish: to die, especially in a violent or sudden way.
- To be defeated: to lose a contest or battle completely.
- To fail: to be unsuccessful.
Related Idioms
- Xuống lỗ: (lit. to go down the hole) a colloquial idiom meaning to die.
- Đi bán muối: (lit. to go sell salt) a humorous, euphemistic idiom for dying.