Tiếng Việt · Idiom Attested

ngoe ngoảy như cua gãy càng

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

Meaning · English

Sashaying like a crab with a snapped claw — a strut that its own damage makes ridiculous.

Literally: wriggling like a broken-clawed crab

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “ngoe ngoảy như cua gãy càng” mean?

Sashaying like a crab with a snapped claw — a strut that its own damage makes ridiculous. Literally: wriggling like a broken-clawed crab

Is “ngoe ngoảy như cua gãy càng” formal or informal?

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

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