lí do lí trấu

Vietnamese

Etymology

Intensifying "reduplication" of lí do (“reason; excuse”), based on tro trấu (“ash from burning rice hulls”, used in agriculture) and gio (the Northern form of tro, pronounced identically to do). Therefore, this phrase most likely originated from the Northern region.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [li˧˦ zɔ˧˧ li˧˦ t͡ɕəw˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɪj˨˩˦ jɔ˧˧ lɪj˨˩˦ ʈəw˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [lɪj˦˥ jɔ˧˧ lɪj˦˥ ʈəw˦˥]

Noun

lí do lí trấu

1. flimsy excuses

Verb

lí do lí trấu

1. to use flimsy excuses