Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Completely covered, smeared, or soiled (with mud, dirt, etc.): Describes a state of being thoroughly dirty or muddy from head to toe, often in a messy or unpleasant way.
   • All over, from head to toe: Emphasizes the extent of being covered or affected by something, typically something undesirable like mud.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Đứa bé chạy ngoài mưa về, người mê mê bùn đất. (The child ran back from the rain, completely covered in mud.)
  • Sau trận đấu dưới trời mưa, các cầu thủ lên bờ mê mê bùn. (After the match in the rain, the players came ashore smeared all over with mud.)

Advanced Usage

• "mê mê bùn đất": A common collocation meaning "caked/covered in mud and dirt".
  • Chiếc xe bị lật, hàng hóa mê mê bùn đất. (The truck overturned, its cargo caked in mud and dirt.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lem lem (adj): Also means smeared or daubed with something, but can be used for substances other than mud (e.g., paint, grease). It may imply a slightly less total coverage than "mê mê".
  • Tay nó lem lem mực. (His hands are smeared with ink.)

Synonyms

• Lấm lem (adj): Streaked, smudged, or dirtied (often with mud or dirt).
• Nhem nhuốc (adj): Grimy, filthy, soiled.
• Bê bết (adj): Smeared thickly or messily (often with a viscous substance like blood, mud, or paint).

Notes on Usage

• "Mê mê" is a descriptive, often colloquial adjective. It is typically used in informal contexts or vivid descriptions.
• It strongly emphasizes the completeness of the soiling, suggesting the person or object is dirty all over.
• It is frequently paired with words specifying the substance, such as bùn (mud) or bùn đất (mud and dirt).

1. all over