Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Smeared, dirtied, or soiled (with mud, dirt, or grime): Describes an object, clothing, or person that has become dirty, typically from mud, dust, or similar substances, often in a visible and messy way.
   • Covered in grime: Indicates a state of being covered or stained with dirt.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau trận mưa, đôi giày của tôi trông thật lấm láp. (After the rain, my shoes looked all muddy.)
  • Đứa trẻ chơi ngoài vườn và trở về với bộ quần áo lấm láp. (The child played in the garden and returned with clothes smeared with dirt.)
  • Chiếc xe tải sau chuyến đi đường dài trông lấm láp bụi đường. (The truck looked grimy with road dust after the long trip.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to emphasize a state of disarray or untidiness due to dirt: While primarily about dirt, it can imply a general untidy appearance resulting from being soiled.
  • Gương mặt lấm láp mồ hôi và bụi. (A face smeared with sweat and dust.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lấm (adj): A shorter, more common form meaning dirty or soiled. "Lấm láp" is an intensified or more descriptive variant.
  • Tay nó lấm bùn. (His/her hands are muddy.)
• Lấm lem (adj): Very similar in meaning, often used interchangeably, perhaps with a slight nuance of being smeared or streaked with dirt.
  • Mặt mũi lấm lem. (A face streaked with dirt.)

Synonyms

• Bẩn: Dirty (general term).
• Nhem nhuốc: Grimy, filthy (often stronger, implying a more ingrained dirtiness).
• Vấy bẩn: Stained, soiled (focuses on the act of something dirty contacting a surface).

Idioms and Common Phrases

• (Người/Đồ vật) lấm láp bụi đường: (A person/thing) covered in the dust of the road. Used literally or figuratively to describe someone who has traveled far or been through hardships.
  • Anh ấy trở về từ chuyến công tác dài ngày, người lấm láp bụi đường. (He returned from a long business trip, covered in the dust of the road.)