ngấp nghé

From -âp reduplication of nghé (“to glance”).

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋəp̚˧˦ ŋɛ˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋəp̚˦˧˥ ŋɛ˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋəp̚˦˥ ŋɛ˦˥]

ngấp nghé • (岌睨, 𥄫𥊘, 𥈲犠) (reduplication ngấp nga ngấp nghé)

1. (rare) to nearly reach, near

   Synonym: mấp mé

   tuổi ngấp nghé 80 ― to near the age of 80

2. to approach hesitantly; to hover near; to sneak a peek at

   đứng ngấp nghé ngoài cổng ― to stand hesitantly outside the gate

3. to show romantic interest in; to eye flirtatiously; to make a move on shyly

   được nhiều chàng trai ngấp nghé ― to be eyed by many young men

• “ngấp nghé”, in Soha Tra Từ (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Vietnam Communications Corporation. Available under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license.