đầu nậu
Definition
- Noun:
- Labour leader; gangmaster; head labourer: A person who organizes, manages, and recruits a group of workers, typically for manual, temporary, or seasonal labor. The term carries a colloquial and somewhat regional flavor.
- Boss; ringleader: Can be used more broadly to refer to the leader or chief of a group, often in informal or unofficial contexts.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Ông ta là đầu nậu của một nhóm thợ xây. (He is the labour leader of a group of construction workers.)
- Đầu nậu này chuyên cung cấp nhân công cho các vụ thu hoạch. (This gangmaster specializes in providing laborers for harvests.)
- Cảnh sát đang truy tìm đầu nậu của đường dây buôn lậu. (The police are hunting for the ringleader of the smuggling ring.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a middleman role, connecting workers with employers, and can sometimes carry a neutral or slightly negative connotation depending on context, suggesting exploitation or informal, cash-based arrangements.
Variants and Related Words
- Cai (n): Foreman, overseer. A more standard term for a person who supervises workers.
- Chủ thầu (n): Contractor. A more formal term for a person or company hired to perform a job.
Synonyms
- Labour contractor: A person who supplies workers.
- Foreman: A supervisor of workers.
- Ringleader: The leader of an often illicit group.
Related Idioms
- While no common idioms use directly, the concept is related to phrases about labor and leadership:
- Làm thuê: to work as hired labor.
- Cung cấp nhân công: to supply manpower.
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(địa phương) (như) cai đầu
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(cũ) Labour leader
