khét lèn lẹt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely burnt or scorched: Describes food, especially meat or other items cooked over direct heat, that has been burned to a point where it emits a strong, unpleasant smell and is charred black.
- Intensely and unpleasantly smoky: Refers to a powerful, acrid smell of smoke resulting from something being severely burned.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Thịt nướng bị cháy khét lèn lẹt rồi. (The grilled meat is completely burnt to a crisp.)
- Mùi khét lèn lẹt từ nhà bếp lan ra khắp phòng. (The intensely acrid burnt smell from the kitchen spread throughout the room.)
Advanced Usage
- This phrase is an emphatic, colloquial reduplication of "khét" (burnt). The added syllables "lèn lẹt" function as an intensifier, emphasizing a very high degree of burning, often implying negligence or a cooking failure. It is typically used in informal, descriptive contexts.
Variants and Related Words
- Khét (adj): burnt, scorched. A simpler, more common form.
- Bánh mì hơi khét một chút. (The bread is a little burnt.)
- Khét lẹt (adj): very burnt. Another emphatic variant similar in meaning to "khét lèn lẹt."
Synonyms
- Charred: burned and blackened on the surface.
- Scorched: burned superficially, discolored by heat.
- Acrid: having an unpleasantly strong, bitter smell (often of smoke or burning).
Related Idioms
- While not a standalone idiom, the phrase itself is idiomatic in construction. It vividly conveys a state of being utterly and unpleasantly burnt, often used for dramatic or humorous effect when describing a cooking mishap.