nanh vuốt
Vietnamese
Etymology
nanh (“fangs”) + vuốt (“claws”). The henchman sense is a semantic loan from Chinese 爪牙 (“trảo nha”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [najŋ̟˧˧ vuət̚˧˦]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [nɛɲ˧˧ vuək̚˦˧˥]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [nan˧˧ vuək̚˦˥] ~ [nan˧˧ juək̚˦˥]
Noun
nanh vuốt • (𤘓𤔯)
- fangs and claws
- (figuratively) clutches; evil grasp; hostile control
- (figuratively) a henchman; lackey