Definition

Adjective: - Mouldy, thickly covered with mould: Describes something that is completely or heavily covered with mould, often implying it is old, damp, and spoiled.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Bánh mì để lâu trong túi đã mốc meo. (The bread left in the bag for a long time is thickly covered with mould.)
  • Căn nhà bỏ hoang, tường bên trong mốc meo vì ẩm ướt. (The abandoned house has walls inside that are mouldy due to dampness.)
  • Đừng ăn trái cây đã mốc meo như vậy. (Don't eat fruit that is so mouldy.)

Advanced Usage

• Used for emphasis: The word "meo" is often added to "mốc" to create a rhyming pair (láy từ) that intensifies the meaning, emphasizing a severe, extensive, or visually obvious state of mouldiness. It often carries a negative, slightly disgusted connotation.
  • Sách cũ trong hầm không chỉ có mốc mà còn mốc meo, không thể đọc được. (The old books in the basement aren't just mouldy, they are completely covered in mould and unreadable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mốc (adj): Mouldy. This is the core, standalone adjective. "Mốc meo" is a more vivid and emphatic form.
  • Phô mai hơi mốc. (The cheese is a bit mouldy.)
• Bị mốc (verb phrase): To become mouldy.
  • Gạo có thể bị mốc nếu để nơi ẩm. (Rice can become mouldy if kept in a damp place.)
• Lên mốc: To develop mould.
  • Bánh ngọt dễ lên mốc trong thời tiết này. (Cakes easily develop mould in this weather.)

Synonyms

• Có mốc: To have mould (a more neutral description).
• Hư hỏng do mốc: Spoiled due to mould (describes the result).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Mốc thếch / Mốc xì: Similar rhyming phrases also meaning very mouldy. "Mốc thếch" might imply an older, drier mould, while "mốc meo" often suggests a more visible, perhaps damp mould.
  • Chiếc bánh chưng cũ mốc thếch cả mặt. (The old sticky rice cake was covered in mould all over its surface.)

1. Mould all over, thickly covered with mould