xà-bông

Mẹ dùng xà-bông để rửa tay cho em bé.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Soap: A substance used for washing and cleaning, typically made from natural oils or fats combined with an alkali, and often perfumed. "Xà-bông" is a common, everyday term for soap in Southern Vietnamese dialects.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ mua một bánh xà-bông thơm. (Mom bought a fragrant bar of soap.)
  • Rửa tay bằng xà-bông để diệt khuẩn. (Wash your hands with soap to kill germs.)
  • Xà-bông này tạo ra nhiều bọt. (This soap produces a lot of lather.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "xà-bông" is a loanword, derived from the French word "savon" (soap). It is widely used in colloquial Southern Vietnamese, whereas "xà phòng" is more common in formal or Northern contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Xà phòng (n): The standard, more formal Vietnamese word for soap.

  • Xà phòng rửa bát (Dish soap)

• Bánh xà-bông (n): A bar of soap.

  • Một bánh xà-bông mới (A new bar of soap)

• Nước xà-bông (n): Soapy water; liquid soap.

  • Ngâm trong nước xà-bông (To soak in soapy water)

Synonyms

• Soap: The direct English equivalent for cleaning substance.
• Lather: The frothy foam produced by soap.
• Cleanser: A general term for a cleaning agent.

Related Idioms

• Trơn như xà-bông: As slippery as soap. Used to describe something or someone very slippery or elusive.
  • Con cá đó trơn như xà-bông, không thể bắt được. (That fish is as slippery as soap, impossible to catch.)