chết chẹt

Vietnamese

Etymology

chết (“to die”) +‎ chẹt (“to squeeze”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕet̚˧˦ t͡ɕɛt̚˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕet̚˦˧˥ t͡ɕɛt̚˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cəːt̚˦˥ cɛk̚˨˩˨]

Verb

chết chẹt

1. (colloquial, rare) to be in a bind; to be in a pickle; to be stuck in the middle (hopelessly)