tiu-nghỉu như mèo mất tai
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Crestfallen as a cat with a cropped ear — deflation you can see from across the yard.
Literally: dejected as the cat that lost an ear
Examples
Bị từ chối, nó tiu nghỉu như mèo mất tai.Turned down, he drooped like a crop-eared cat.
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 “tiu-nghỉu như mèo mất tai” mean?
Crestfallen as a cat with a cropped ear — deflation you can see from across the yard. Literally: dejected as the cat that lost an ear
Is “tiu-nghỉu như mèo mất tai” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.