Definition

1. Noun:
   • Stiff cardboard made by pasting together layers of paper: A type of material created by gluing sheets of paper together, resulting in a rigid, thick board.
   • (Informal, dated) A playing card, ticket, or visiting card: In older or informal usage, it can refer to items like cards or tickets, often implying they are made of this material or are insubstantial.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The model was constructed from simple pasteboard.
  • He handed me a pasteboard, which was my ticket for the train. (Informal/dated usage)

Advanced Usage

• Used attributively (as an adjective): Describing something as being made of pasteboard or resembling its qualities (e.g., flimsy, insubstantial).
  • The pasteboard scenery looked unconvincing under the bright stage lights.
  • They lived in a pasteboard shack that offered little protection from the storm. (Figurative, implying fragility)

Variants and Related Words

• Paste (verb/noun): The adhesive substance used to create pasteboard; to stick things together.
• Cardboard (noun): A similar, often thicker or more durable, stiff paper-based material.
• Paperboard (noun): A general term for thick paper-based materials, including pasteboard.

Synonyms

• Cardboard: A generic term for stiff, heavy paper-based material.
• Stiff paper: A simpler description of the material.
• Carton (in some contexts): Refers to a box made from such material.

Idioms and Figurative Use

• (As) flimsy as pasteboard: Used to describe something very weak, insubstantial, or easily damaged, either physically or in argument.
  • His excuses were as flimsy as pasteboard.
• Pasteboard front: A false or deceptive appearance, like a theatrical flat.
  • The company's prosperity was just a pasteboard front for its massive debts.

Noun

1. stiff cardboard made by pasting together layers of paper