hoodwink
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 hoodwink、deceive through appearances
It means to hide the truth with a false appearance, staged behavior, or some other deliberate deception.
hoodwink、deceive through appearances
To deliberately keep someone from seeing the truth by creating a convincing false appearance.
Learning notes
Explanation
ตบตา is formed from ตบ (“to slap”) and ตา (“eye”), but it is normally used as an idiom rather than to mean physically slapping an eye. It emphasizes deception through appearances: putting on an act, arranging a cover-up, using a disguise, or making something look legitimate so that the truth goes unnoticed. The person or group being deceived can follow the verb directly, as in ตบตาเจ้าหน้าที่ (“deceive the authorities”). The noun form การตบตา refers to this kind of deception or cover-up.
Usage
It is commonly used when someone uses a disguise, staged behavior, false evidence, or a respectable-looking front to evade inspection or deceive the public or authorities. It appears in everyday speech as well as news reports about crime, fraud, and cover-ups.
Caution
This is not the most general verb for every kind of deception. When no misleading appearance or staged behavior is involved, หลอก may be more natural. ตบตา also carries a negative sense of deliberate dishonesty, so it can sound too strong for a harmless joke.
Differences from similar words
1 hoodwink synonyms
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หลอก is a broad, everyday verb for fooling or deceiving someone by various means. ตบตา more specifically suggests using appearances, disguises, or staged behavior to keep someone from seeing the truth.