bóc lịch

Vietnamese

Etymology

Compound of bóc +‎ lịch, literally “tear pages off days calendars [as someone counts their days in prison]”.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓawk͡p̚˧˦ lïk̟̚˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓawk͡p̚˦˧˥ lɨt̚˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓawk͡p̚˦˥ lɨt̚˨˩˨]

Verb

bóc lịch

1. (slang) to be in prison; to do time