duds
- clothes, especially a suit of clothes.
- belongings in general.
Origin of duds
dud
- a device, person, or enterprise that proves to be a failure.
- a shell or missile that fails to explode after being fired.
Origin of dud
Synonyms for dud
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for duds
garb, frock, sportswear, accouterment, frippery, habiliment, covering, finery, outfit, wardrobe, threads, costume, apparel, array, raiment, dress, rags, tatters, civviesExamples from the Web for duds
Contemporary Examples of duds
But the jokes flow at such a torrential pace that duds are soon forgotten; the best are even Spamalot-worthy.
There were a number of high-profile men in her life who turned out to be duds.
Rita Moreno, SAG Life Achievement Award Winner, Talks Brando, Elvis And West Side StorySandra McElwaine
January 15, 2014
Both leads and other Dan Coopers have turned out to be duds.
Duds also pose problems for farmers, who leave their harvest for fear of going into the fields.
Historical Examples of duds
But you ought to get warm and dry right off, I s'pose, and your duds are all up to the depot.
Cy Whittaker's PlaceJoseph C. Lincoln
I built a fire in the rusty cook stove and dried his duds and mine.
The Depot MasterJoseph C. Lincoln
That evenin' I found her on the back steps, all Sunday duds and airs.
The Depot MasterJoseph C. Lincoln
In it the farmers kept, says one church record, "their duds and horses."
Home Life in Colonial DaysAlice Morse Earle
Just go upstairs and put on your duds, like the dear thing you are, and get the next train.
In Apple-Blossom TimeClara Louise Burnham
dud
- a person or thing that proves ineffectual or a failure
- a shell, etc, that fails to explode
- (plural) old-fashioned clothes or other personal belongings
- failing in its purpose or functiona dud cheque
Word Origin for dud
Word Origin and History for duds
c.1300, dudde "cloak, mantle," later in plural, "ragged clothing" (1560s), of uncertain origin.
dud
c.1825, "person in ragged clothing," from duds (q.v.). Sense extended by 1897 to "counterfeit thing," and 1908 to "useless, inefficient person or thing." This led naturally in World War I to "shell which fails to explode," and thence to "expensive failure."