sạch bóng
Definition
- Adjective:
- Spotlessly clean; gleaming clean: Describes a surface, object, or space that is extremely clean, shiny, and free of any dirt, marks, or blemishes. It implies a high degree of cleanliness, often achieved through thorough polishing or washing.
- Completely gone; vanished without a trace: Used figuratively to describe something that has been completely removed, eliminated, or has disappeared, leaving no sign behind.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau khi lau, mặt bàn thủy tinh sạch bóng. (After wiping, the glass tabletop was spotlessly clean.)
- Cô ấy dọn dẹp nhà bếp sạch bóng. (She cleaned the kitchen until it was gleaming.)
- Lũ chuột trong nhà đã bị đuổi sạch bóng. (The rats in the house have been chased away completely, without a trace.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used for emphasis to hyperbolically describe an exceptional state of cleanliness or completeness of removal.
- Đội của họ thua sạch bóng 5-0. (Their team lost completely, 5-0. [Implying a thorough defeat])
Variants and Related Words
- Sạch sẽ (adj): Clean, tidy. (A more general term for cleanliness.)
- Bóng loáng (adj): Shiny, glossy, polished. (Emphasizes shine more than cleanliness.)
Synonyms
- Immaculate: Perfectly clean.
- Pristine: In its original clean condition.
- Cleaned out: Emptied completely (for the figurative sense).
Related Idioms
- Sạch bóng quân thù: (The enemy is) completely wiped out. A set phrase describing total eradication.
- Sau trận đánh, căn cứ sạch bóng quân thù. (After the battle, the base was completely cleared of the enemy.)