flea market
- a market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stalls selling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-rate merchandise, etc.
Origin of flea market
First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for flea market
Contemporary Examples
It's a very cozy place, and the dining area is furnished with flea-market furniture from the '60s and '70s.
Historical Examples
The third was outside of San Francisco, in a gigantic ghost-mall that was already being used as a flea-market.
MakersCory Doctorow
flea market
- an open-air market selling cheap and often second-hand goods
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for flea market
n.
1917, especially in reference to the marché aux puces in Paris, so-called "because there are so many second-hand articles sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas." [E.S. Dougherty, "In Europe," 1922].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with flea market
flea market
A market, usually held outdoors, where used goods and antiques are sold. For example, We picked up half of our furniture at flea markets. The term is a direct translation of the French marché aux puces and presumably implies that some of the used clothes and furniture might be flea-infested. [1920s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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