shoddy

• n. 赝品；冒牌货；假装粗俗
• adj. 假冒的；劣质的；卑劣的

词态变化

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英文词源

shoddy (adj.)

1862, "having a delusive appearance of high quality," a Northern word from the American Civil War in reference to the quality of government supplies for the armies, from earlier noun meaning "rag-wool, wool made of woolen waste and old rags" (1832), perhaps a Yorkshire provincial word, of uncertain origin.

Originally used for padding, English manufacturers began making coarse wearing clothes from it, and when new it looked like broad-cloth but the gloss quickly wore off, giving the stuff a bad reputation as a cheat. The 1860 U.S. census of manufactures notes import of more than 6 million pounds of it, which was "much used in the manufacture of army and navy cloths and blankets in the United States" according to an 1865 government report.

The Days of Shoddy, as the reader will readily anticipate, are the opening months of the present war, at which time the opprobrious name first came into general use as a designation for swindling and humbug of every character; and nothing more need be said to indicate the scope of this novel. [Henry Morford, "The Days of Shoddy: A Novel of the Great Rebellion in 1861," Philadelphia, 1863]

Related: Shoddily; shoddiness.

双语例句

1. We rap the manufacturers on their knuckles if the toy is shoddy.

如果玩具质量低劣，我们会痛斥制造商。

来自柯林斯例句

2. American customers no longer tolerate shoddy goods.

美国的顾客不再容忍劣等货了。

来自柯林斯例句

3. It is a fairly shoddy way to treat an employee.

这样对待雇员真是十分可鄙.

来自《简明英汉词典》

4. He accused the garage of shoddy workmanship on the bodywork.

他指责汽车修理厂车身修理工艺拙劣.

来自《简明英汉词典》

5. This is a shoddy piece of work ; it's hardly presentable.

这 活儿 不像样,拿不出手.

来自《现代汉英综合大词典》