Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Smudged, smeared, or streaked with dirt: Describes a state where a surface, typically the face, hands, or clothes, is visibly and often untidily marked with dirt, mud, soot, or similar substances.
   • Grubby, grimy: Indicates a general state of being dirty or soiled, often from play or work.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sau khi chơi ngoài vườn, mặt đứa bé lấm lem bùn đất. (After playing in the garden, the child's face was smeared with mud.)
  • Tay nó lấm lem dầu mỡ sau khi sửa xe. (His hands were greasy and grimy after fixing the car.)
  • Chiếc áo trắng bị lấm lem vì mực. (The white shirt was stained with ink.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "lấm lem" often carries a connotation of being messily or charmingly dirty, frequently used to describe children's appearance after playful activities. It is less formal than words like "bẩn" (dirty).

Variants and Related Words

• Lấm bẩn (adj): to become dirty, to be soiled.
  • Quần áo lấm bẩn vì ngã. (The clothes got dirty from falling.)
• Lem luốc (adj): a near-synonym emphasizing a state of being very dirty or grimy.
  • Người thợ sửa ống nước về nhà với bộ quần áo lem luốc. (The plumber came home with grimy clothes.)

Synonyms

• Smudged: Marked with a smear or smears.
• Smeared: Coated or spread with a substance in a messy way.
• Grubby: Dirty; grimy.
• Streaked: Marked with lines or long, thin marks.

Related Idioms

• Mặt mũi lấm lem: An idiom describing a face covered in dirt, emphasizing a disheveled appearance.
  • Bọn trẻ chơi đất cả buổi, về nhà mặt mũi lấm lem. (The kids played in the dirt all afternoon and came home with filthy faces.)