| 释义 |
tawdry, n. and a.|ˈtɔːdrɪ|
Also 6 tauthrie, tawdrie (see next); 7 taudrey, tawdery, 7–8 taudry.
[As n. short for tawdry lace, q.v.; hence referring to the showy but cheap quality of these in the 17th century.]
A. n.
†1. Short for tawdry lace. Obs.
1612Drayton Poly-olb. ii. 46 Of which the Naides, and the blew Nereïdes make Them Taudries for their necks. Ibid. iv. 50 Not the smallest Beck But with white Pebles makes her Taudries for her neck.
2. Cheap and pretentious finery.
a1680Butler Rem. (1759) I. 223 Applaud th' outsides of Words, but never mind, With what fantastic tawdery th'are lin'd. 1747Richardson Clarissa (1811) II. xx. 139 Only for the sake of having a little more tawdry upon his housings. 1831Examiner 390/1 A dress circle!..look at the tawdry and the ennui! 1867Smiles Huguenots Eng. (1880) 349 A poor bedizened creature, clad in tawdry.
B. adj.
1. Of the nature of cheap finery; showy or gaudy without real value.
1676G. Etherege Man of Mode ii. ii, A Woman that Can doat on a senseless Caper, a Tawdry French Riband, and a Formal Cravat. 1686Burnet Lett. (1708) 288 A Tawdry Imbroidery of Gold and Silver. 1711Steele Spect. No. 80 ⁋3 A gay West Indian, who appeared in all the Colours which can affect an Eye that could not distinguish between being fine and taudry. 1805H. Repton Landscape Gard. 160 The lavish profusion of tawdry embellishment. 1859Jephson Brittany ii. 14 The high altar is wretchedly tawdry.
†b. Untidy; slovenly; ungraceful. Obs. rare.
1671Grew Anat. Plants v. §3 A Flower without its Empalement, would hang as uncouth and taudry, as a Lady without her Bodies. c1820J. Baillie Summer's Day 83 His awkward..lad, Who trails his tawdry armful [of hay] o'er the field.
2. transf. Of persons or their condition: Tawdrily dressed or decked out; cheaply adorned.
1676Wycherley Pl. Dealer v. i, Taudry affected Rogues, well drest. 1706Phillips (ed. 6), Taudry or Tawdry,..tricked up with such tinsel Stuff, or Lace as is usually sold at Audery-Fair in Cambridge-shire. 1851Helps Comp. Solit. vii. (1874) 133 Like one of those tawdry girls who pass by me. 1862M. E. Braddon Lady Audley xxvii, An aspect of genteel desolation and tawdry misery not easily to be parallelled in wretchedness.
3. fig. esp. of style, diction, etc.; hence of a speaker or writer: Trumpery.
1696R. L'Estrange Seneca's Mor. (ed. 6) Afterth. 12 With⁓out forcing the Design of the Author, or intermixing any Tawdry Flowrishes by the By. a1718Penn Maxims §126. Wks. 1726 I. 850 'Tis but Taudry Talk, and next to very Trash. 1764Goldsm. Trav. Ded., Him they dignify with the name of poet: his tawdry lampoons are called satires. 1808Scott Let. to Lady L. Stuart 19 Jan. in Lockhart, His language is too flowery and even tawdry. |