ba que xỏ lá
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Vietnamese[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
ba que (literally “three sticks”) + xỏ lá (literally “to pierce through the leaf”), i.e. “piercing through a leaf with three sticks”. Said to have taken its origin from a trick game during the French colonial period. The second sense is in reference to the flag of South Vietnam, which features three red stripes on a yellow background.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ kwɛ˧˧ sɔ˧˩ laː˧˦]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ kwɛ˧˧ sɔ˧˨ laː˨˩˦]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧ wɛ˧˧ sɔ˨˩˦ laː˦˥]
Idiom[edit]
- (figurative) cheating and caddish; wicked and malicious; deceitful; roguish
- (figurative, derogatory) Relating to the former Republic of Vietnam.