Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Dùi đục chấm mắm cáy

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Using inappropriate or inadequate tools for a task

Literally: mallet and chisel for eating crab roe

Examples

Anh ấy dùng dùi đục chấm mắm cáy khi sửa chữa đồng hồ.He used a mallet and chisel to repair the watch.

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-06; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Dùi đục chấm mắm cáy” mean?

Using inappropriate or inadequate tools for a task Literally: mallet and chisel for eating crab roe

Is “Dùi đục chấm mắm cáy” formal or informal?

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

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