Covered in Mud, Dressed in Black 塗れ・ずくめ・めく

These vivid forms describe striking states. まみれ means covered or smeared with something undesirable, while だらけ means full of something, often mistakes or other unwanted things. ずくめ describes a series or situation filled with one quality. めく means “to seem or have the air of,” while adjective stem + げ describes an appearance or impression, as in 不安げな顔, “an anxious-looking face.” んばかりに describes an action so intense it is almost as if something else were happening. ったらない intensifies an evaluation (“incredibly…”), and さぞ expresses the speaker’s inference about how intense someone else’s experience must be.

まみれ follows a noun and usually describes an undesirable substance covering something: 泥まみれ, “covered in mud”; 汗まみれ, “soaked in sweat.”

だらけ follows a noun and means “full of,” commonly with an undesirable thing or flaw. まみれ focuses more on a covering or substance clinging to a surface.

ずくめ describes a whole run or state made up of the same kind of thing, often positive but not always. めく attaches to nouns to describe a quality something seems to have: 謎めいた表情, “a mysterious-looking expression.”

んばかりに makes an action seem just on the verge of happening. ったらない is colloquial emphasis, as in 忙しいったらない, “I’m incredibly busy.” さぞ expresses an inference about another person’s feelings: さぞ疲れたでしょう, “you must have been very tired.”

Vocabulary