Definition

1. Noun:

   • Lake: A large inland body of water, typically fresh.
   • Paste / Glue: A sticky substance used for adhering things together.
   • Mortar: A mixture used in masonry to bind bricks or stones.

2. Verb:

   • To starch: To treat fabric with a starch solution to make it stiff.
   • To glue: To join or attach items using an adhesive.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Lake):
  • Hồ Tây rất đẹp. (West Lake is very beautiful.)
• Noun (Paste):
  • Tôi cần một lọ hồ để dán ảnh. (I need a bottle of paste to glue the photo.)
• Noun (Mortar):
  • Người thợ xây trộn hồ. (The mason mixes mortar.)
• Verb (To starch):
  • Mẹ tôi hồ quần áo để chúng phẳng. (My mother starches clothes to make them crisp.)
• Verb (To glue):
  • Em bé hồ hai mảnh giấy lại. (The child glues the two pieces of paper together.)

Advanced Usage

• "chứa thổ đổ hồ": An idiom referring to running a disreputable business, such as a gambling den or brothel. It implies engaging in a shameful profession.
  • Khu đó nổi tiếng với bọn chứa thổ đổ hồ. (That area is notorious for people running disreputable dens.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hồ bơi (n): Swimming pool.
  • Bọn trẻ thích hồ bơi. (The children like the swimming pool.)
• Hồ sơ (n): Dossier, file, records. (Note: This is a compound word where "hồ" does not carry its core meanings.)
  • Hồ sơ của anh ấy rất dày. (His file is very thick.)
• Hồ ly (n): Fox (archaic/literary term).
  • Truyện cổ tích có con hồ ly. (The fairy tale has a fox.)

Synonyms

• Lake: body of water, pond (larger).
• Paste / Glue: adhesive, mucilage.
• Mortar: cement, binding agent.
• To starch: to stiffen.
• To glue: to adhere, to paste, to stick.

Related Idioms

• Có bột mới gột nên hồ: Literally "You must have flour to make paste." This proverb means you need the necessary resources or foundation to accomplish something.
  • Muốn may áo thì phải có vải, có bột mới gột nên hồ mà. (To sew a shirt you need fabric; you must have the basics to get started.)
• Của thì như nước hồ vơi lại đầy: Literally "Possessions are like lake water, it empties and then fills again." This conveys the idea that wealth is cyclical and impermanent.
  • Đừng lo lắng quá, của thì như nước hồ vơi lại đầy. (Don't worry too much; money comes and goes.)

noun

1. lake paste
   • lọ hồ
     a bottle of paste

verb

1. to glue; to starch
   • hồ quần áo
     to glue linen

noun

1. mortar
   • thợ hồ
     mason