Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Gray with mould / mold: Describes an object, typically fabric or organic material, that is heavily covered in a grayish or whitish fungal growth due to prolonged dampness and lack of use.
   • Musty / antiquated: Used figuratively to describe ideas, styles, or things that are extremely old-fashioned, obsolete, and stale, as if covered in mental mould.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Literal):

  • Quần áo mốc thếch. (Clothes gray with mould.)
  • Những cuốn sách cũ trong hầm đã mốc thếch. (The old books in the basement were gray with mould.)

• Adjective (Figurative):

  • Những tư tưởng mốc thếch đó cần được thay đổi. (Those musty/antiquated ideas need to be changed.)
  • Lối kiến trúc mốc thếch. (An antiquated architectural style.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "mốc thếch" is often used for emphasis, with "thếch" intensifying the state of being "mốc" (mouldy). It paints a vivid image of neglect and decay.

Variants and Related Words

• Mốc (adj): Mouldy. A simpler, less intense form.

  • Bánh mì bị mốc. (The bread is mouldy.)

• Mốc meo (adj): Another emphatic colloquial term for being very mouldy.

  • Chiếc áo khoác cũ mốc meo. (The old jacket is all mouldy.)

Synonyms

• Mould-covered: Covered in fungus.
• Mildewed: Affected by mildew, a type of mould.
• Antiquated: Old-fashioned or outdated (figurative sense).
• Stale: No longer fresh; often unoriginal (figurative sense).

Related Idioms

• While "mốc thếch" itself is descriptive, it relates to idioms about neglect and age, such as the concept of something being "bám đầy bụi thời gian" (covered in the dust of time).

1. Gray with mould
   • Quần áo mốc thếch
     Clothes gray with mould