đục nước béo cò

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

Meaning · English

Muddy water fattens the stork — confusion is somebody's feeding ground.

Literally: turbid water fattens the stork

Examples

Thời loạn đục nước béo cò.In troubled times, muddy water fattens the storks.

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 “đục nước béo cò” mean?

Muddy water fattens the stork — confusion is somebody's feeding ground. Literally: turbid water fattens the stork

Is “đục nước béo cò” formal or informal?

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