di di mau

English

Etymology

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From Vietnamese đi đi mau (“go quickly”). Borrowed into English by American military personnel returning from the Vietnam War, as well as by Vietnamese immigrants; popularized by the movie The Deer Hunter.

Verb

di di mau (defective verb)

  1. To leave quickly, hurry away.
    • 1978, The Deer Hunter:
      [quotation needed]
    • 2000 December 17, “Skinner’s Sense of Snow” (television episode), The Simpsons:
      "What part of "Di di Mau" don't you understand, Skinner?"
    • 2002, Nelson DeMille, Up country: a novel‎, ISBN 0739422987, page 138:
      " […] Di di mau!" which means get moving, and is not very polite. I started to turn away, then I had a good idea that would make everyone happy.

References

  • “di di mau” in Encarta World English Dictionary, North American Edition.
  • Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary Vietnamese/English
  • Dictionary of Marine Corps Terms and Words Used in Vietnam
Last modified on 26 February 2013, at 12:07