A STUDY ON THE USAGE OF HYPERBOLE IN DAILY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

Hyperbole is a commonly used figure of speech in both English and Vietnamese. Currently, studies on hyperbole in these both languages are just limited to the scale of that own language (merely focus on only Vietnamese or only on English). There are plenty of researches available concerntrating on the literature of two languages. However, an investigation on how hyperbole is used in practical interaction between English and Vietnamese (specifically in daily communication) hasn’t been done yet. For that reason, this study is carried out to solve that problematic issue in order to give readers a general constrastive analysis on hyperbole in two languages. The definition, functions and the syntax aspect of hyperbole in each language will be presented in this study. These aspects are the fundamental theories for constrastive analyzing on the similarities and the differences of hyperbole in between English and Vietnamese. In the latter parts of the study, some results and recommendation will be concluded. The results are the outcome of constrastive analysis from basic knowledge as stated above. Some implications will be given in the recommendation chapter and they will mainly focus on how hyperbole is used in communication and education. It is hoped that this thesis would give readers an easy-to-understand brief view on hyperbole in English and Vietnamese. Lastly, I hope it will offer useful knowledge for your understandings in further researches regarding hyperbole (if there is any), especially bilingual speakers of two languages (English and Vietnamese)

TÂY NGUYÊN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES STUDIES - GRADUATION THESIS TITLE: A STUDY ON THE USAGE OF HYPERBOLE IN DAILY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE Student: Lê Ngọc Nguyên Chính Student code: 12701004 Class: Pedagogy of English K12 Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân M.A Đắk Lắk, June 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Above all, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor Mrs Hoang Thi Xuan – M.A, who has given me a lot of suggestions on the topics of my thesis and who has given me many ideas and corrections on my outline as well as my thesis during the time I was conducting it I am also grateful to the Teachers of Faculty of Foreign Languages Studies at Tay Nguyen University, who have given me useful lessons and experience for the four years I have been in the university They are the ones who gave me the basic background as well as knowledge of the specific fields so that I am able to carry out the research I also want to send my best gratitude to my family and my friends who have supported me and given me help whenever I need so that I can complete my research Buon Ma Thuot, June 6th 2015 Student Lê Ngọc Nguyên Chính TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Outline of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Primary meanings and secondary meanings 2.2 Figures of speech 2.3 Hyperbole 11 2.3.1 Hyperbole in English 12 2.3.1.1 Definition 12 2.3.1.2 Functions of hyperbole 12 2.3.1.2.1 Hyperbole is used to insult .13 2.3.1.2.2 Hyperbole is used to boast 13 2.3.1.2.3 Hyperbole is used as a rhetorical device .14 2.3.1.3 The syntax aspect of hyperbole 16 2.3.2 Hyperbole in Vietnamese 17 2.3.2.1 Definition 17 2.3.2.2 Functions of hyperbole 17 2.3.2.2.1 Hyperbole is used to insult .19 2.3.2.2.2 Hyperbole is used to boast 19 2.3.2.2.3 Hyperbole is used as a rhetorical device .20 2.3.2.3 The syntax aspect of hyperbole 21 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 24 3.1 Subjects of the study 24 3.2 Scope of the study 24 3.3 Research questions 24 3.4 Research methods 24 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS .26 4.1 Some hyperbolic words and phrases in English and Vietnamese daily conversations 26 4.2 Similarities between English and Vietnamese hyperbole in daily conversations 26 4.2.1 In terms of concept 26 4.2.2 In terms of functions 26 4.2.3 In terms of the syntax aspect 27 4.2.3.1 Using adjectives to express hyperbole .27 4.2.3.2 Using figures to express hyperbole 28 4.2.3.3 Using comparative structures to express hyperbole 29 4.2.4 In terms of the usage 31 4.3 Differences between English and Vietnamese hyperbole in daily conversations 32 4.3.1 In terms of concept 32 4.3.2 In terms of functions 32 4.3.3 In terms of the syntax aspect 33 4.3.4 In terms of usage 33 4.4 Summary 34 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .35 5.1 Conclusions 35 5.2 Recommendations 36 REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX 40 ABSTRACT Hyperbole is a commonly used figure of speech in both English and Vietnamese Currently, studies on hyperbole in these both languages are just limited to the scale of that own language (merely focus on only Vietnamese or only on English) There are plenty of researches available concerntrating on the literature of two languages However, an investigation on how hyperbole is used in practical interaction between English and Vietnamese (specifically in daily communication) hasn’t been done yet For that reason, this study is carried out to solve that problematic issue in order to give readers a general constrastive analysis on hyperbole in two languages The definition, functions and the syntax aspect of hyperbole in each language will be presented in this study These aspects are the fundamental theories for constrastive analyzing on the similarities and the differences of hyperbole in between English and Vietnamese In the latter parts of the study, some results and recommendation will be concluded The results are the outcome of constrastive analysis from basic knowledge as stated above Some implications will be given in the recommendation chapter and they will mainly focus on how hyperbole is used in communication and education It is hoped that this thesis would give readers an easy-to-understand brief view on hyperbole in English and Vietnamese Lastly, I hope it will offer useful knowledge for your understandings in further researches regarding hyperbole (if there is any), especially bilingual speakers of two languages (English and Vietnamese) CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter gives the statement of the problem, the objectives, the significance, and the outline of the study 1.1 Statement of the problem English is spoken widely in many parts of the world nowadays, and without doubt it plays a significant part in international communication In any language, it is noticeable that the language itself does not exist with only the lexical items – a single word, a part of word, a chain of words and some fundamental grammatical rules Language phenomenon appears throughout the development of language, for this reason the study of semantics, morphology, syntax, phonology and other departments of linguistics are carried out When a speaker of any language utters, it is necessary to understand the meaning To that end, semantics, a branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of language has been founded There are three main aspects in semantics: lexical meaning, sentence meaning and utterance meaning [Lyons, 1995: 33] The study of lexical meaning (or as known as word meaning) in semantics points out the meaning of words when they are standing on their own This may concern many aspects: semantic features, lexical gaps, figures of speech, etc Many people may concern and query what figures of speech are Figures of speech relate to the ways of speaking in languages For a native speaker of a language, it is crucial to master the language by using different ways of speaking A figure of speech is a word or a phrase of which the meaning is not literally conveyed for unusual purposes [To Minh Thanh, 2007:36] Simile, metaphor, metonymy, personification, litotes, irony, hyperboles are some common figures of speech that can be found in semantics Particularly, hyperbole is the figure speech that is mostly used in daily communication in any languages Hyperbole is the act of delivering an exaggeration to emphasize some certain meanings by the speaker In both English and Vietnamese, two languages with different characteristics, hyperbole is found in many daily conversations In terms of cultural diversity in English speaking countries and Vietnam, the ways of giving exaggeration may or may not differ in context As a speaker of both languages, it urges me to seek for answers of the usage of hyperbole in both languages, specifically here is in daily communication For that reason, the study with the title “A Study on the Usage of Hyperbole in Daily Communication between English and Vietnamese” is conducted 1.2 Objectives The study aims: - To list some words, phrases or structures related to hyperbole that are used in - daily conversations in both language English and Vietnamese To point out the similarities and differences in the usage of hyperbole used in English and Vietnamese in daily conversations in terms of cultural diversity, - semantics and syntax To propose some implications in mastering the use of hyperbole in English for Vietnamese speakers when engaging in a conversation 1.3 Significance of the study The outcome of the study points out the usage of hyperbole in two different languages: English and Vietnamese; as well as the similarities and dissimilarities This study may help bilingual speakers (English and Vietnamese) master the way hyperbole is used in their expression Moreover, it also gives people a perspective of hyperbole in terms of cultural and linguistic aspects 1.4 Outline of the study Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter provides the statement of the problem, the objectives, the significance and the outline of the study Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter gives theoretical background brief of semantics, its subdivision and hyperbole in particular Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the subject of the study, the scope, the content and the research method of the study Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION This chapter presents the usage of hyperbole used in English and Vietnamese: similarities and dissimilarities Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter gives conclusions of the study and suggests recommendations CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter gives theoretical background brief of semantics and its subdivision An overview of hyperbole is given in the chapter to illustrate some problematic issues that lead to the reason for the study 2.1 Primary meanings and secondary meanings It’s common sense that understanding meaning of a word is concerned in a language According to To Minh Thanh [2007:34], lexical items (or words) in a language may have primary and secondary meanings The primary meaning (also known as literal meaning) of a word is the first common meaning that it delivers to people of a language when it stands alone The secondary meaning (also known as figurative meaning) of a word is the extra meaning in addiction to the primary meaning Moreover, the secondary meaning is contextually depended The figurative meaning is used in order to create a special linguistic effect to the readers or speakers For instance, the noun “wing” has some literal meanings in certain contexts: - Part that projects from the side of a jet: the two wings of an airplane; A group of political party or other organization: the political wing of the IRA How ever the noun “wing” may also have some figurative meaning in these contexts: - We hope college life will help him to spread his wings a bit “spread his wings” here mean “to help him what he likes” - Having a new child to take care of has clipped her wings a bit “clipped her wings” here mean “stopped her from doing what she likes” [Examples from To Minh Thanh, 2007:35 and Oxford Dictionary of English] 2.2 Figures of speech A figure of speech is “a word or phrase which is used for special effect, and which does not have its usual or literal meaning.” [Richards et al, 1987: 105] As stated, many lexical items have figurative meaning which denote unusual meanings A figure of speech absolutely is figurative and used when there is the need for delivering indirect message toward other speakers or readers Some common figures of speech are: simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy, litotes, euphemism, hyperbole, etc Simile is the way one thing is in compared to another thing For example: as brave as lion, a face like a mask, etc… Simile is used to compare things directly or plainly by using the a function word like “as” or “like”: - My hands are as cold as ice (My hands are really cold) Tom eats like a horse (Tom eats like a horse) [Examples from To Minh Thanh , 2007:36] Metaphor is the way something is conveyed differently from the literal meaning by using a word - She has a heart of stone (She is a heartless and insensitive person) [Example from To Minh Thanh, 2007:37] heart is an organic part of human body made of biological cells whereas stone is made of solid rock so a heart can never be made of stone By using “stone” to describe the characteristic of the heart, readers can have an abstract conception of the man in the sentence Personification is a special effect to humanize unconscious objects or living animals: - The ocean danced in the moonlight it’s quite illogical to find that “the ocean” can “dance” in this example “Ocean” is a natural phenomenon and does not have any body parts such as eyes, mouths, etc… like human beings in order to dance In this case the ocean was personified [Example from http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-ofpersonification.html] Metonymy is the replacement of the name of one thing by that of another thing to which it related: - He succeeded to the crown (“the crown” is equal to “the royal office”) [Example from To Minh Thanh, 2007:39] Litotes is the use of tenderer or gentler statement to state something: - I am afraid that no passenger is allowed to smoke in here (Nobody can smoke here) Commonly, an expression of litotes is an “ironical understatement, especially using a negative to emphasize the contrary.” [Crowther (ed.), 1992: 527] - It’s not bad (= It is fine.) It wasn’t easy (= It was very difficult.) 10 full of theoretical elements but lack practical values This is due to several reasons: the characteristics of the subjects, the teaching methods or learners’ attitude Some subjects are merely theoretical so that it might be unattractive to learners Many teachers’ methods may not be efficient to learners in carrying out a lesson Some teachers only introduce the theories all the time in their lessons without acknowledging the fact that students may get fatigue with lines and lines of words For that reason, plenty of learners may give up their efforts on learning Furthermore, the attitudes of learners themselves decide the quality of the learning and teaching process Many students are not willing to involve in the lessons, their indifference may get the teachers’ enthusiasm faded away So how can these issue be resolved? How to cope with theoretical lessons? How to improve the performance of the teachers and learners? The answers depend on both teachers and learners On the side of learners, they should be more attentive on the subjects they study by involving more into the lessons However, on the side of teachers they should make the lessons more exciting How this could be possible? The answer to both learners and teachers is to use hyperbole because certain hyperbolic stories during the lesson is no harm at all and it is effective for discussions Hyperbole is an effective rhetorical device as well; if we know how to use hyperbole in a good way, communication is much more productive, especially for comedians – those who use hyperbole mostly If the understandings from this research can be developed effectively and widely expanded, it would help comedians to achieve the way to make comedy more influencing and humoring to audiences by referring to some hyperbolic words and phrases From the findings of some hyperbolic expressions listed in [Table – Appendix], we can implement the usage of those words for such purposes above These words can be a reference for comedians to use in their performances A proposal for small comedy performance in the campus is a great idea to make use of hyperbole We can celebrate such festivals with the name “Boasting challenge” or “The bigger speaker” In “Boasting challenge”, participators may involve in a boast contest in which they try to give a comedy based on certain listed topics by the judges Or in “The bigger speaker”, two contestants will join a speaking battle in which they try to eliminate each other by using exaggeration The winner in this contest is the one whose exaggerated 37 statement is better and more enormous than the opponent This would be an opportunity for speakers to apply their savvy of hyperbole in daily life REFERENCES English references Claridge, C (2011) Hyperbole in English: A corpus-based study of exaggeration Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Crowther, J (ed.) (1992), Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary Encyclopedic edition Oxford: Oxford University Press LaBossiere, M (2010) Rhetorical Overkill Retrieved from http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=1702 Lyons, J (1995), Linguistic semantics: An Introduction Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Oxford Dictionary of English, Copyright © 2010, 2013 by Oxford University 38 Press The New Oxford American Dictionary, Copyright © 2010, 2013 by Oxford University Press, Inc All rights reserved Vietnamese references Cù Đình Tú (2007), Phong cách học đặc điểm tu từ tiếng Việt, NXB Giáo dục Đào Thản (1990), Lối nói phóng đại tiếng Việt, Tạp chí Ngơn ngữ Đinh Trọng Lạc (2005), 99 phương tiện biện pháp tu từ tiếng Việt, NXB Giáo dục Đinh Trọng Lạc, Nguyễn Thái Hòa (2006), Phong cách học tiếng Việt, NXB Giáo dục Hữu Đạt (2001), Phong cách học tiếng Việt đại, NXB Đại học Quốc Gia HN Tô Minh Thanh (2007), Semantic Internet references http://trannhuong.net/tin-tuc-18252/tinh-khoa-truong-trong-ca-dao-cua2 nguoi-viet.vhtm http://www.vietnamdaily.com/index.php?c=article&p=14065 http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-personification.html http://literarydevices.net/understatement http://ione.vnexpress.net/tin-tuc/gioi-tinh/con-gai-ngu-ngay-nhu-bo-rong3311094.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEp7JRTqMx0 http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperboles.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRhmtw1Gz0U&feature=youtu.be 39 APPENDIX Table – Some hyperbolic expressions taken from various sources: http://www.vietnamdaily.com/index.php?c=article&p=14065 Claridge, C (2011) Hyperbole in English: A corpus-based study of exaggeration Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press http://www.whimsy.org.uk/idiotslist.html Đinh Trọng Lạc (2005), 99 phương tiện biện pháp tu từ tiếng Việt, NXB Giáo dục In English In Vietnamese a / the bed etc to end all beds etc a / the promised land a bag / bundle of nerves a cut-throat price a disaster area a fate worse than death a gift from the gods a heart of gold a knight in shining armour a land fit for heroes to live in 10 a needle in a haystack 11 a prophet of doom ác/khôn quỷ ăn heo/mèo ăn rồng ăn thuồng luồng/hổ/mèo ăn nồi bảy quăng ra, nồi ba quăng vào ăn ốc nói mị ba chụm lại nên núi cao ba chân bốn cẳng (chạy nhanh lên) ba chìm bảy chín lênh đênh 40 12 a split second 13 accept sth as/for gospel 14 achieve wonders/miracles 15 all day and every day 16 all ears / eyes 17 all hell breaks / is loose 18 all the days of one’s life 19 all the world and his wife 20 all this and heaven too 21 arise (/rise like) a phoenix from the 10 ba cọc ba đồng 11 ba đầu sáu tay 12 ba máu sáu (giận dữ) 13 ban đêm quan lớn tần mần ma 14 ban ngày quan lớn thần 15 bẩn chó/heo 16 bé tí đầu mũi kim 17 biết rõ mười mươi 18 bỏ săn sắt bắt cá rô 19 Bỏ mạng sa trường rồi! 20 Bỏ mẹ rồi! 21 bốn biển anh em 22 bóng câu qua cửa sổ 23 bụng to bụng cóc 24 cá khơng ăn mi cá ươn 25 cá lớn nuốt cá bé 26 câm hến 27 cáo chết ba năm quay đầu núi 28 cáo đội lốt hùm 29 cao sếu vườn 30 cao bóng 31 cày chìa vơi 32 chậm rùa 33 chậm rùa/sên 34 chân cứng đá mềm 35 chán không chịu 36 chân to chân voi 37 chán vạn người (rất nhiều người 38 châu châu đá xe 39 chạy đằng trời 40 chạy ma đuổi 41 chạy ma đuổi 42 chạy vịt 43 Chết bỏ bu! 44 Chết cha rồi! 45 chết điếng 46 Chết rồi! 47 mành treo chng 48 chim sợ cong (cung, nỏ) 49 chó khơng chê chủ nghèo 50 chó nhẩy bàn độc 51 chó treo mèo đậy 52 chúa 53 chuyện động trời 54 chuyện tày trời 55 có ăn nhạt thương đến mèo 56 có đến hàng tá ashes as blind as a bat 22 as bold / brave as a lion 23 as cheap as dirt 24 as clear as crystal 25 as cold as ice 26 as common as dirt / muck 27 as cross as a bear with a sore head 28 as dead as a doornail as dead as mutton 29 as dead as the dodo as deaf as a post 30 as different as chalk and/from cheese as dry as a bone 31 as dry as dust 32 as dry as paper 33 as easy / simple as ABC as flat as a board 34 as flat as a fluke / flounder as flat as a pancake 35 as gentle as a lamb 36 as hard as (a) stone as hard as flint 37 as hard as iron / rock as hard as nails 38 as hard as steel 39 as heavy as lead 40 as helpless as a (newborn) babe 41 as innocent as a (new-born) babe 42 as light as a feather 43 as light as air 44 as light as thistledown 45 as like as two peas (in a pod) 46 as obstinate / stubborn as a mule as old as Methuselah 47 as old as the hills 48 as old as time 49 as pale as death 50 as patient as Job 41 51 as plain as the nose on your face 52 as proud as Lucifer 53 as pure as the driven snow 54 as quick as a flash / lightning 55 as quiet / silent as the grave / tomb as quiet as a mouse 56 as rich as Croesus 57 as smooth as a baby’s bottom 58 as steady as a rock 59 as still as a statue 60 as still as death 61 as still as the grave 62 as strong as a horse / an ox 63 as sure as death 64 as sure as eggs is eggs 65 as sure as fate / death 66 as sure as God made little apples 67 as sure as hell / death 68 as thick as two short planks 69 as thin as a rake / lath 70 as timid as a mouse 71 as white as chalk / a sheet 72 as white as snow 73 as wise as an owl 74 as wise as Solomon 75 at a snail’s pace 76 at all hours (of the day / night) 77 at the last minute 78 avoid sth like the plague 79 be / take a matter of seconds 80 be a (dead / real) ringer for sb / sth 81 be all Greek to sb 82 be an angel (and sth) 83 be dead against sth 84 be dying for sth / to sth 85 be etc dead right / wrong 86 be off like the wind / go like the wind before you can say Jack Robinson / knife break one’s neck (doing sth / to sth) break the sound barrier 87 come hell or high water 88 cross my heart and hope to die 89 darkest Africa 90 dead drunk 91 dead easy / simple 92 dead from the neck up 42 57 cơm no bị cưỡi 58 cong tơm 59 công ơn trời biển 60 cọp chết để da 61 cú nhòm nhà bệnh 62 cực điểm 63 64 da ngựa bọc thây 65 dai đỉa đói 66 đàn ơng năm bảy gan 67 đất dậy sóng 68 đất có Thổ thần, sơng có Hà Bá 69 đất khơng tha 70 đầu gà đít vịt 71 đầu trâu mặt ngựa 72 đầu voi đuôi chuột 73 đẻ gà 74 đếm lọ dưa hành 75 đen cột nhà cháy 76 đen mõm chó 77 đến thánh chịu bó tay 78 đeo sam 79 đẹp mê hồn 80 đẹp tiên 81 với ma mặc áo giấy 82 với phật mặc áo cà sa 83 dìm xuống đất đen 84 đỉnh cao 85 đo chai nước mắm 86 đỏ cua luộc 87 đoán thần 88 dời non lấp biển 89 địn trời giáng 90 đơng kiến 91 dùng dao mổ trâu giết gà 92 chim bẻ ná 93 chuột ngốy lọ mỡ 94 ếch ngồi đáy giêng 95 gà què ăn quẩn cối xay 96 gấp trăm nghìn lần 97 ghét chó vói mèo 98 giết người ngoé 99 giọng khàn vịt đực 100 hàm chó vó ngựa 101 hết chỗ chê 102 hết cỡ 103 hết sẩy 104 93 dead to the world 94 die like flies 95 / perform wonders / miracles 96 a / one’s disappearing act 97 drink like a fish 98 eat / drink until it comes out of one’s 105 106 107 108 109 110 hiền bụt hôi cú hỗn gấu im thóc kẻ ăn ốc người đổ vỏ khác trời ears 99 every schoolboy knows 100 everything but the kitchen sink vực 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 khỏe voi/trâu không chê vào đâu kiến ăn cá, cá ăn kiến kiến kiện củ khoai kiến tha lâu đầy tổ lạc đường theo chó lạc ngõ theo trâu làm điên làm mèo mửa lẩn chạch/chuột lân chuột/chạch lấy mà buộc chân voi lấy vải thưa che mắt thánh leo khỉ lội rái cá lưới trời lồng lộng bò lo làm chuồng mẹ gà vịt mê hồn mèo khen mèo dài đuôi mèo nhỏ bắt chuột nhỏ   miệng hùm nọc rắn mỡ để miệng mèo môi đỉa mồm năm miệng mười everything etc under the sun 101 far and near 102 far/miles away 103 feel / look like a million dollars 104 fight like a tiger 105 fit sb like a glove 106 for ages (and ages) 107 for all time 108 from / since time immemorial 109 from here to eternity 110 give sb / get hell 111 give sb / get the fright of one’s life 112 go etc blue (in the face) 113 go like a bomb 114 God’s gift to sb / sth 115 hate sb / sth like poison 116 have (got) / with a memory like a sieve have / need the patience of Job / a saint have a hide / skin like a rhinoceros 117 have a will of iron 118 have all the money etc in the (nói nhiều) 136 làm chẳng nên world 119 have enough luggage etc to sink a non 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 battleship 120 have etc nothing between one’s ears 121 have etc eyes in / at the back of one’s head / neck 122 have etc more goodness etc in one’s little finger than sb 123 have got / with the Midas touch 124 heaven on earth năm cha ba mẹ (lộn xộn) nặng cùm nặng chì ném chuột e bể lọ quý ngàn cân treo sợi tóc ngang cua ngất ngây ngất ngư ngáy kéo gỗ (kéo gỗ rừng phải hò to lên) 146 ngây phỗng đá 43 125 hell has / knows no fury like a 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 woman scorned 126 hell on earth 127 here, there and everywhere 128 I’ll see you in hell first 129 in a flash 130 in a minute 131 (in) half a sec 132 in ten etc seconds flat 133 in the twinkling of an eye 134 know sth like the back/palm of one’s hand 135 larger than life 136 leave no / not any stone unturned 137 life is hell 138 like a (hot) knife through butter/ margarine 139 like a bat out of hell 140 like a cat with nine lives 141 like a ton of bricks 142 like greased lightning 143 (look for) a needle in a haystack 144 lose one’s tongue 145 make one’s hair stand on end 146 meet one’s Waterloo 147 move heaven and earth 148 never in all one’s born days 149 not / never bat an eyelid 150 not / never for a / one (single) ngáy sấm ngáy sấm ngồi bụt mọc ngon tuyệt trần ngu bị/chó ngủ cá lóc chết ngủ chết ngựa non háu đá ngựa quen đường cũ nhăn khỉ nhanh cắt nhanh chớp nhanh gió nhanh máy nhập thần quỷ nhì ma nhẹ bấc nhốn nháo rắn mồng năm 165 cá gặp nước 166 nổ sấm 167 nói ba điều bốn chuyện (nói chuyện chơi, xã giao) 168 nói vẹt 169 ni chó liêm mặt 170 ni khỉ dịm nhà 171 ni ong tay áo 172 đời muôn chung; 173 Ơi trời đất ơi! 174 Ông trời xuống mà minute / moment 151 not / never in a million / xem 175 Ông trời ơi! 176 phượng lạc đàn gà 177 cỡ 178 quan tham sợ cọp 179 quỷ khóc thần sầu 180 quỷ tha ma bắt 181 rán sành mỡ 182 rống lên bò 183 run cầy sấy 184 run cầy sấy 185 rừng cọp 186 rừng thiêng nước độc 187 ruột để da 188 sâu bọ lên làm người 189 số 190 sợi tóc chẻ làm tư hundred / thousand years 152 not a hand’s turn 153 not for all the tea in China 154 not for worlds / the world 155 not harm / hurt a fly 156 not harm etc a hair of sb’s head 157 not have / without a care in the world not have / without one penny to rub against another 158 not have / stand a ghost of a chance 159 not know one is born 160 not lift / raise a finger 44 161 162 163 164 165 166 not stand a cat in hell’s chance not stand a chance in hell not trust sb an inch oceans / poles apart of all time old soldiers never die (they only 191 192 193 194 195 tài thánh tai to tai voi tận thả hổ rừng làm đít trâu cịn làm đầu gà 196 thân lươn bao quản lấm fade away) 167 on a shoestring 168 one’s feet are killing one 169 over my dead body 170 pigs may / might fly 171 promise sb the earth / the moon 172 quiver / shake like a jelly / leaf 173 rain / pour cats and dogs 174 raise Cain / hell 175 sb / one never said / spoke a truer đầu 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 word sb’s word is law 176 second to none 177 seventh heaven 178 sick to death of sb / sth 179 skin and bone 180 sleep like a log 181 smoke like a chimney 182 sound the death knell of sb / sth 183 split hairs 184 spread like wildfire 185 stink to high heaven 186 strike sb dumb / speechless 187 swallow the dictionary 188 swear black is white 189 take sth as / for gospel 190 talk etc till/until one is black/blue thẳng ruột ngựa thánh Thánh thần thiên địa ơi! thấp vịt thấu trời theo voi hít bả mía thở bị thóc đâu bồ câu thượng đẳng thượng hảo hạng tiên có đồng cá có (tính tốn phân minh) 208 tin sét đánh ngang tai 209 tối đa 210 211 trăm cơng nghìn việc 212 trăm hay không tay quen 213 trăm người bán vạn người mua 214 trăm sông lội vạn đèo qua 215 trăm voi không bát in the face 191 ten feet tall 192 the apple of sb’s eye 193 the distant / four corners of the nước xáo 216 Trời cao đất dày ơi! 217 trời có mắt 218 trời đánh không chết 219 trời đánh thánh vật 220 trời không dung 221 Trời ơi! 222 tuyệt vời 223 uốn ba tấc lưỡi 224 ướt chuột 225 vắt cổ chày nước 226 vô 227 vô hạn 228 vô tận earth / world 194 the dust of ages 195 the end of the world 196 the sixty-four thousand dollar question the sky’s the limit 197 the war to end wars 198 there are fairies at the bottom of the / one’s garden 199 there is etc the devil (and all 45 (hell)) to pay 200 time flies 201 wave a magic wand (and sth) 202 weigh a ton 203 wild horses couldn’t / wouldn’t drag him there 204 with one hand / both hands tied behind one’s back 205 work a miracle / wonders 206 worlds / poles apart 207 worship the ground sb walks / treads on would (a)waken the dead 208 wouldn’t be seen dead with sb / sth 209 you name it (they have it etc.) 210 dumber than a box of hair 211 dumber than a box of rocks 212 dumber than a sack of mice 213 dumber than a sack of wet oatmeal 214 dumber than a three bean salad 46 229 230 231 232 voi chết ngà vua xấu ma yêu tam tứ núi trèo 233 yếu sên