lính phòng không

Vietnamese

Etymology

lính (“soldier”) +‎ phòng không (“anti-aircraft”). The slang comes from a pun that interprets phòng không as "empty room" (i.e. where you have no one else to sleep with).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [lïŋ˧˦ fawŋ͡m˨˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɨn˦˧˥ fawŋ͡m˦˩ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧] ~ [lɨn˦˧˥ fɔŋ˦˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [lɨn˦˥ fawŋ͡m˨˩ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧] ~ [lɨn˦˥ fawŋ͡m˨˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]

Noun

lính phòng không

1. (literal) a soldier who supports an anti-aircraft warfare
2. (slang) a girlfriendless man