Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Smeared, dirtied, or messy: Describes a state where something, typically a surface like skin or fabric, is unclean, stained, or covered with a messy substance, giving an untidy appearance.
   • Grubby or grimy: Refers to being covered with ingrained dirt or soot, often in a way that is noticeable and unpleasant.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Mặt mũi nhôm nham. (To have a smeared/grubby face.)
  • Tay nó nhôm nham vì dầu mỡ. (His hands are greasy and dirty from oil.)
  • Bức tường trông nhôm nham sau trận mưa bùn. (The wall looked smeared after the mud rain.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used to describe a person's face or hands that are visibly dirty from substances like food, grease, dirt, or paint. It emphasizes a state of being soiled rather than just slightly dusty.

Variants and Related Words

• Lem luốc (adj): Also means dirty, grimy, or messy, often used interchangeably with "nhôm nham" to describe an untidy, soiled appearance.
• Bẩn thỉu (adj): Filthy, very dirty. This is a stronger term implying a higher degree of dirtiness or disgust.

Synonyms

• Smeared: Spread (a substance) over a surface in a messy way.
• Grubby: Dirty; grimy.
• Soiled: Made dirty.

Related Idioms

• Mặt mũi nhôm nham: A common idiom literally meaning "a smeared face," used to describe someone whose face is visibly dirty or to figuratively imply someone looks disheveled or untidy.

1. Smeared, dirty
   • Mặt mũi nhôm nham
     To have a smeared face