Tuesday, November 3, 2009

word … 11 … gimcrack

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

gimcrack

PRONUNCIATION:

(JIM-krak)

MEANING:

noun: Something cheap and showy, of little use.
adjective: Showy, but worthless.

ETYMOLOGY:

Of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of Middle English gibecrake (small ornament), possibly from Old French giber (to shake).

USAGE:

"Uncle Rabid Prophet TechEye has worshiped more gimcrack bits of junk and practiced more half-baked religions than all of Hollywood combined."
Bow Down And Open Your Wallet; Warsaw Business Journal (Poland); Aug 21, 2006.
Explore "gimcrack" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument. -William G. McAdoo, lawyer and politician (1863-1941)
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