Tiếng Việt · Idiom Attested

bà già chơi trống bỏi

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Also seen as: đã già còn chơi trống bỏi

Meaning · English

An old woman playing a child's paper drum — age at play far beneath its years.

Literally: granny plays the toy drum

Examples

Bà già chơi trống bỏi.Grandma on the toy drum — mutton dressed as lamb.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “bà già chơi trống bỏi” mean?

An old woman playing a child's paper drum — age at play far beneath its years. Literally: granny plays the toy drum

Is “bà già chơi trống bỏi” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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