c.1825, "person in ragged clothing," from duds (q.v.). Sense extended by 1897 to "counterfeit thing," and 1908 to "useless, inefficient person or thing." This led naturally in WWI to "shell which fails to explode," and thence to "expensive failure."
n. a failure; something that fails to perform as intended. (See also duds.) : The whole idea turned out to be a dud.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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duds definition
[dədz]
n. clothes. (Always plural.) : Are those new duds?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source