Definition

Noun: - Alley / Lane: A narrow passageway or small street, typically between or behind buildings, often providing access to residences or connecting to larger streets. It emphasizes a small, confined, and sometimes secluded pathway. - Byway / Backstreet: A minor, less-traveled path, often implying it is tucked away from main thoroughfares.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Xe máy có thể đi vào ngõ hẻm này. (Motorbikes can enter this alley.)
  • Nhà cô ấy nằm sâu trong một ngõ hẻm yên tĩnh. (Her house is deep inside a quiet lane.)
  • Ngõ hẻm này quá chật để ô tô chạy qua. (This alley is too narrow for a car to pass through.)

Advanced Usage

• "hang cùng ngõ hẻm": A set phrase meaning "every nook and cranny" or "remote and obscure places," often used to describe searching everywhere or referring to far-flung, hidden areas.
  • Công an lùng sục hang cùng ngõ hẻm để tìm tên tội phạm. (The police searched every nook and cranny to find the criminal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngõ (n): A lane or small street; often used interchangeably but can be slightly broader than .
  • Hãy rẽ vào ngõ tiếp theo. (Turn into the next lane.)
• Hẻm (n): An alley; often used in Southern Vietnamese, similar to .
  • Hẻm này thường bị ngập khi mưa. (This alley often floods when it rains.)

Synonyms

• Alley: A narrow street behind or between buildings.
• Lane: A narrow road, especially in a rural area or between buildings.
• Backstreet: A street away from the main roads, often in a residential area.
• Passageway: A narrow path for passing through.

Related Idioms

• Hang cùng ngõ hẻm: As above, an idiom meaning all the remote and hidden corners.
  • Anh ta biến mất không dấu vết, dù tôi đã tìm khắp hang cùng ngõ hẻm. (He disappeared without a trace, even though I searched every nook and cranny.)

noun

1. alley