nuốt lời

Vietnamese

Etymology

nuốt (“to swallow”) +‎ lời (“word(s)”). Compare English eat one's words.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [nuət̚˧˦ ləːj˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [nuək̚˦˧˥ ləːj˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [nuək̚˦˥ ləːj˨˩]

Verb

nuốt lời

1. to break a promise or an oath; to go back on your word

   Nó hứa hôm trước, giờ nuốt lời.

   He promised some days ago, now he's already walking back on it.