tèm lem
Definition
- Adjective:
- Messily smeared or dirtied: Describes a face or surface that is covered in a messy, streaky, or untidy layer of something, such as dirt, food, ink, or paint.
- Very dirty or grimy: Indicates a state of being heavily soiled or stained, often in a way that is obvious and unsightly.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Sau khi ăn kem, mặt đứa bé tèm lem. (After eating ice cream, the child's face was messily smeared.)
- Tờ giấy tèm lem mực. (The paper was smeared with ink.)
- Nó chơi ngoài vườn về, quần áo tèm lem bùn đất. (He came back from playing in the garden, his clothes were grimy with mud.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often carries a connotation of childish messiness or carelessness. It is frequently used to describe the state of young children after eating or playing.
- It can be used metaphorically in informal contexts to describe something that is conceptually messy or confused, though this is less common.
Variants and Related Words
- Tèm hem (adj): A common variant with identical meaning and usage.
- Mặt nó tèm hem chocolate. (His face was smeared with chocolate.)
Synonyms
- Smeared: Covered with a substance spread in a messy way.
- Streaked: Marked with lines or streaks of dirt or color.
- Grimy: Covered with ingrained dirt.
- Messy: Untidy or dirty.
Related Idioms
- Mặt mũi tèm lem: A common phrase specifically describing a dirty, smeared face.
- Đi mưa về, mặt mũi nó tèm lem. (Coming back from the rain, his face was all smeared.)