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shoddy - 6 dictionary results

shod⋅dy

  [shod-ee] adjective, -di⋅er, -di⋅est, noun, plural -dies.
Use shoddy in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of poor quality or inferior workmanship: a shoddy bookcase.
2. intentionally rude or inconsiderate; shabby: shoddy behavior.
–noun
3. a fibrous material obtained by shredding unfelted rags or waste. Compare mungo.
4. anything inferior, esp. a handmade item or manufactured product.
Origin:
1825–35; orig. uncert.

Related forms:
shod⋅di⋅ly, adverb
shod⋅di⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shoddy
shod·dy   (shŏd'ē)   
adj.   shod·di·er, shod·di·est
  1. Made of or containing inferior material.
    1. Of poor quality or craft.
    2. Rundown; shabby.
  3. Dishonest or reprehensible: shoddy business practices.
  4. Conspicuously and cheaply imitative.
n.   pl. shod·dies
    1. Woolen yarn made from scraps or used clothing, with some new wool added.
    2. Cloth made from or containing such yarn.
  2. Something of inferior quality; a cheap imitation.

[Origin unknown.]
shod'di·ly adv., shod'di·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Shoddy

Shod"dy\, n. [Perh. akin to Shed, v. t.; as meaning originally, waste stuff shed or thrown off; cf. dial. shod to shed, and E. Shed a parting, separation, Shode a parting.] Fluffy, fibrous waste from wool carding, worsted spinning, or weaving of woolens.

Shoddy

Shod"dy\, n. [Perhaps fr. Shed, v. t.; as meaning originally, waste stuff shedor thrown off.]

1. A fibrous material obtained by "deviling," or tearing into fibers, refuse woolen goods, old stockings, rags, druggets, etc. See Mungo.

2. A fabric of inferior quality made of, or containing a large amount of, shoddy.

Note: The great quantity of shoddy goods furnished as army supplies in the late Civil War in the United States gave wide currency to the word, and it came to be applied to persons who pretend to a higher position in society than that to which their breeding or worth entitles them.

Shoddy

Shod"dy\, a. Made wholly or in part of shoddy; containing shoddy; as, shoddy cloth; shoddy blankets; hence, colloquially, not genuine; sham; pretentious; as, shoddy aristocracy.

Shoddy inventions designed to bolster up a factitious pride. --Compton Reade.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : shoddy
Spanish: de mala calidad,
German: Schund-…,
Japanese: 安っぽい
More Translations »

shoddy 
1862, "having a delusive appearance of high quality," from earlier noun meaning "wool made of woolen waste, old rags, etc." (1832), of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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