lou5 maau1 siu1 sou1老貓燒鬚老猫烧须
Jyutpinglou5 maau1 siu1 sou1
Yalelóuh māau sīu sōu
Definition
To make a careless mistake in a task one is highly experienced in; to slip up or blunder despite expertise.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This idiom is specifically reserved for people who are considered experts or veterans in a particular field. It highlights the irony of a blunder occurring precisely because the person was overconfident or let their guard down. It is often used in a slightly teasing or sympathetic tone rather than to harshly criticize.
Examples
I never expected him to make such a mistake given how experienced he is.
Be careful when you do this, don't mess up something you're usually good at.
Related words
Common phrases
be careful not to make a silly mistake
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a beginner making a mistake, as the core meaning relies on the person being an experienced veteran who should have known better.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
