schlock

Thân thiện

The store was full of cheap schlock that nobody wanted to buy.

Definition

Noun: * Cheap, inferior, or poorly made goods; junk: "Schlock" refers to merchandise, products, or artistic works that are of very low quality, tacky, or gaudy. It implies something mass-produced without regard for craftsmanship or taste.

Usage

"Schlock" is a colloquial, often derogatory term used to criticize the quality or aesthetic value of an item. It is frequently applied to cheap souvenirs, low-budget movies, tacky decorations, or poorly constructed products. * It functions as a mass noun (e.g., "a lot of schlock," "full of schlock"). * It is commonly modified by adjectives like "cheap," "tacky," or "sentimental."

Examples

• The tourist shop was filled with schlock: plastic keychains and poorly printed t-shirts.
• He has a taste for horror schlock from the 1950s.
• They made a fortune selling sentimental schlock to gullible customers.
• Don't buy that schlock; it will break in a week.

Advanced Usage

• Schlockmeister (n): A person who produces or deals in schlock, especially a filmmaker or writer specializing in low-quality, sensational works.
  • The director was known as a schlockmeister for his series of low-budget monster movies.
• Schlocky (adj): The adjective form meaning of or resembling schlock; cheaply made and tasteless.
  • The film's schlocky special effects were part of its charm.

Variants and Related Words

• Schlocky (adj): Having the characteristics of schlock; shoddy and tasteless.
• Schlockmeister (n): A producer of schlock.

Synonyms

• Junk: Old or discarded articles that are considered useless or of little value.
• Trash: Things of extremely low quality; worthless material.
• Kitsch: Art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic way. (Note: "Kitsch" can have a more specific artistic connotation than "schlock.")
• Dreck: Rubbish; trash. (Similar informal, derogatory term.)
• Shoddy merchandise: Goods made or done cheaply and badly.

Antonyms

• Quality goods
• Fine craftsmanship
• Artistry
• Merit

Notes

The word "schlock" originates from Yiddish shlak, meaning "a blow" or "misfortune," which itself came from German Schlag (a blow). Its use to mean "inferior goods" or "junk" developed in American English.

Học thuật

Noun

1. merchandise that is shoddy or inferior

Từ đồng nghĩa

• shlock
• dreck