hoa tay

Vietnamese

Etymology

hoa (“flower”) +‎ tay (“hand”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hwaː˧˧ taj˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [hwaː˧˧ taj˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [waː˧˧ ta(ː)j˧˧]

Noun

dexterity, deftness
Người có hoa tay ― Dextrous / deft person (literally, “person who possesses dexterity / deftness”)
- c. 1990s, Đậu Kinh Luân, “Hoa Tay [Deftness]”‎^[1]performed by the Singers and Dancers of the Children's House of Ho Chi Minh City:
  Mẹ nói, mẹ cuời, mẹ nói rằng: “Ai hay vẽ rồi sẽ vẽ hay.”
  Mẹ nói, mẹ cuời, mẹ nói rằng: “Vẽ hay thì sẽ có hoa tay.”
  Mom laughs and says: “Whoever draws often will draw well.”
  Mom laughs and says: “Whoever draws well will have deftness.”