gimcrack

gimcrack
/jim"krak'/, n.
1. a showy, useless trifle; gewgaw.
adj.
2. showy but useless.
[1325-75 for earlier sense; ME gib(e)crake; cf. ME gibben to waver ( < OF giber to shake)]
Syn. 1. bauble, knickknack, trinket, ornament.

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  • Gimcrack — (1760 ?) was is an English thoroughbred racehorse sired by Cripple, a son of the Godolphin Arabian.Gimcrack is best known from the paintings by George Stubbs. A small horse at 14.2 hands, Gimcrack was nonetheless widely successful, winning 27 of… …   Wikipedia

  • gimcrack — gim crack , n. [OE., a spruce and pert pretender, also, a spruce girl, prob. fr. gim + crack lad, boaster.] A trivial mechanism; a device. Arbuthnot. [1913 Webster] 2. A toy; a pretty thing; an ornamental object of no great value. Syn: trinket,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gimcrack — index poor (inferior in quality) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • gimcrack — 1610s, showy person; sense of trifle first recorded 1839; of uncertain origin, perhaps alteration of gibecrake, a kind of ornament on wooden furniture (mid 14c.), perhaps from O.Fr. giber to rattle, shake + M.E. crak sharp noise, crack. In 18c.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • gimcrack — [n] gewgaw bagatelle, bauble, curio, doodad*, knickknack, novelty, souvenir, trinket; concept 446 …   New thesaurus

  • gimcrack — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ showy but flimsy or poorly made. ► NOUN ▪ a cheap and showy ornament. DERIVATIVES gimcrackery noun. ORIGIN of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

  • gimcrack — [jim′krak΄] adj. [altered < ME gibbecrak, an ornament, prob. < gibben, to be erratic (< OFr giber) + crak, a bursting sound] showy but cheap and useless n. a cheap, showy, useless thing …   English World dictionary

  • gimcrack — gim|crack [ dʒım,kræk ] adjective MAINLY BRITISH gimcrack objects appear attractive and expensive, but are in fact badly made and of little value …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • gimcrack — adjective they lived in gimcrack villas you d be afraid to sneeze in Syn: shoddy, jerry built, flimsy, insubstantial, thrown together, makeshift; inferior, poor quality, second rate, cheap, cheapjack; tawdry, kitsch, kitschy, chintzy, trashy,… …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • gimcrack — UK [ˈdʒɪmˌkræk] / US adjective gimcrack objects appear attractive and expensive, but are in fact badly made and of little value …   English dictionary

  • Gimcrack Stakes — The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in the United Kingdom open to two year old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) at York Racecourse, and it takes place annually during the Ebor… …   Wikipedia

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