Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, narrow, dark, or neglected corner: "xó" refers to a small, often dark and overlooked corner of a room, house, or space.
   • An out-of-the-way or obscure place: It can also mean any remote, hidden, or insignificant spot.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Con mèo nấp trong xó nhà. (The cat is hiding in the corner of the house.)
  • Đồ cũ để ở xó bếp. (Old things are stored in the kitchen nook.)
  • Anh ấy sống ở một xó nhà quê hẻo lánh. (He lives in a remote backwater of the countryside.)

Advanced Usage

• "đầu đường xó chợ": A common idiom meaning "street corners and market alleys," referring to public places where people gather or idle gossip spreads.
  • Tin đồn lan truyền nhanh chóng ở đầu đường xó chợ. (The rumor spread quickly on every street corner and market alley.)
• "ngồi xó": To sit idly in a corner, implying inactivity, being left out, or keeping a low profile.
  • Sau thất bại, anh ta chỉ biết ngồi xó một mình. (After the failure, he just sat idly in a corner by himself.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xó xỉnh (noun, colloquial): A more informal and often derogatory term for a dirty, messy, or worthless corner or place.
  • Dọn dẹp mấy thứ xó xỉnh ấy đi. (Clean up that junk / those things from the messy corner.)
• Góc (noun): The general, neutral word for "corner" (e.g., a room corner, a street corner). "Xó" carries a connotation of being more confined, dark, or neglected than "góc."

Synonyms

• Góc (corner, angle).
• Ngóc (nook, cranny) – often used in "ngóc ngách" (every nook and cranny).
• Chỗ hẻo lánh (remote/isolated spot).

Related Idioms

• "Đầu đường xó chợ": As mentioned above, meaning public thoroughfares and gathering spots.
• "Xó bếp": Literally "kitchen corner/nook," often referring to the traditional, sometimes overlooked space where women worked, symbolizing domesticity or a humble place.

noun

1. corner