Definition

1. Noun:
   • Alleys and lanes; nooks and crannies: Refers to the small, narrow, and often winding or hidden pathways within a city, neighborhood, or complex structure.
   • (Figurative) Minute details; intricacies; ins and outs: Describes the small, complex, and often hidden aspects or finer points of a subject, problem, or situation.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Literal):
  • Tôi thích khám phá những ngõ ngách của phố cổ. (I like to explore the nooks and crannies of the old quarter.)
  • Kẻ trộm biết rõ mọi ngõ ngách trong khu phố này. (The thief knows every alley and lane in this neighborhood.)
• Noun (Figurative):
  • Luật sư của anh ấy hiểu rõ ngõ ngách của vụ án. (His lawyer understands the intricacies of the case.)
  • Cô ấy biết hết ngõ ngách trong hợp đồng. (She knows all the minute details of the contract.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in the fixed phrase "hết ngõ cùng ngách" (literally: every alley and dead-end), which emphasizes knowing a place or subject completely and thoroughly.
  • Anh ta sống ở đây 20 năm nên biết hết ngõ cùng ngách. (He has lived here for 20 years so he knows every nook and cranny.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngõ (n): A lane or small street, often a dead-end.
  • Nhà tôi nằm trong một ngõ nhỏ. (My house is in a small lane.)
• Ngách (n): A very narrow alley, a cul-de-sac, or an offshoot from a main lane.
  • Cửa hàng nằm ở cuối ngách 15. (The shop is at the end of alley number 15.)
• Chi tiết (n): Detail.
• Phức tạp (adj): Complex, complicated.

Synonyms

• Literal: Alleys, backstreets, lanes, byways, nooks and crannies.
• Figurative: Details, particulars, specifics, intricacies, nuances, ins and outs.

Related Idioms

• Biết ngõ biết ngách: To know the ins and outs; to be thoroughly familiar with something.
  • Muốn thành công trong nghề này, bạn phải biết ngõ biết ngách. (To succeed in this profession, you must know the ins and outs.)

1. Nook and cranny
   • Biết hết ngõ ngách một thành phố
     To know one's ways about in a city.
2. (nghĩa bóng) Minute detail, smallest detail
   • Biết ngõ ngách một vấn đề
     To know a question in great detail