View synonyms for gimcrack

gimcrack

[ jim-krak ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a showy, useless trifle; gewgaw.
Synonyms: ornament, trinket, knickknack, bauble

gimcrack

/ ˈdʒɪmˌkræk /

1325–75 for earlier sense; Middle English gib ( e ) crake; compare Middle English gibben to waver (< Old French giber to shake)

C18: changed from C14 gibecrake little ornament, of unknown origin

About two-thirds of the masters have lost their heads, and are trying to produce a gimcrack copy of Eton.

When gazing at it one gazed at the ruin, not of a cottage or of a gimcrack villa, but at the ruins of a palace.

I was never one to jump to gimcrack conclusions, and I said as much with perhaps more candour than the occasion required.

Dominating the town is the two-or three-story “Queen Hotel,” the last word in flamboyant, gimcrack hideousness.

There were many flowers in the room—some in Cloisonne vases, others in gimcrack vessels such as are bought at country fairs.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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