giờ dây thun

Vietnamese

Etymology

From giờ (“time”) +‎ dây thun (“rubber band”), literally “rubber band time” (i.e. flexible time). Compare Indonesian jam karet (literally “rubber time”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zəː˨˩ zəj˧˧ tʰun˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jəː˦˩ jəj˧˧ tʰun˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jəː˨˩ jəj˧˧ tʰʊwŋ͡m˧˧]

Noun

giờ dây thun

1. (figurative, slang) being late (for an occasion); arriving late; not being punctual

   xài giờ dây thun ― (Southern dialect) to be late

Synonyms

• giờ cao su