まみれcaked in; covered all over in
Coated all over in something that sticks: mud, sweat, blood, oil, dust. It goes on anything messy that clings, and on a few set words such as 借金まみれ, deep in debt.
The children came home covered in mud.
a set word
By the time he closed the shop, he was buried in debt.
How to form it
Noun + まみれ
The result works like a noun: 泥まみれだ, 泥まみれの靴, 泥まみれになる.
- Before it
- Dirt, a powder or a messy liquid. People make their own: ペンキまみれ (paint), チョコまみれ (chocolate).
- Tone
- A strong picture, mostly an unpleasant one. Sweat and mud can also be the mark of hard work.
- Where you'll meet it
- Novels, news reports, sports writing, and everyday talk.
The words you will meet
泥まみれcaked in mud
I washed the mud-caked shoes on the balcony.
汗まみれdrenched in sweat
Drenched in sweat, the players were still smiling after the match.
血まみれcovered in blood
A man covered in blood was carried away from the scene of the accident.
ほこりまみれcovered in dust
The top of the old shelf was covered in dust.
Others: 油まみれ (covered in oil), 砂まみれ (covered in sand), 粉まみれ (covered in flour). The few that aren't literal are for something dirty you are sunk in: debt, and in the news 汚職まみれ (mired in corruption).
泥まみれ or 泥だらけ?
After the match, his uniform was filthy with mud.
A lot of mud on it. It need not cover it.
After the match, his uniform was caked in mud.
Coated: mud over the whole thing.
With mud, blood, sweat or dust both are said, and まみれ is the stronger picture. Scratches, holes and mistakes can't coat anything, so they take only だらけ.
Close neighbours
だらけN3
After a noun: covered in or full of something unwelcome that you can see or count. 泥だらけ, 傷だらけ, 間違いだらけ.
The shirt is covered in mud.
ずくめN1
The whole of something is one kind, good or bad: 黒ずくめ (all in black), いいことずくめ (nothing but good things). A short list of words.
He was dressed all in black, from his hat to his shoes.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
この
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one fits?
夏の
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
It comes from the verb まみれる, which takes に.
He works covered in sweat every day.
More sentences
By the time the repair was finished, both my hands were covered in oil.
I cleaned the chimney, and my face ended up black with soot.
The failure of his business left him buried in debt.