Definition

Noun: A store that sells inexpensive, ready-made clothing, typically of a basic or utilitarian quality. Historically, such shops sold cheap, ready-made garments, often to sailors or laborers.

Usage

This term specifically refers to a retail establishment. It is a compound noun that functions as a single unit to name a type of store. It is considered somewhat archaic or historical.

Examples

• In the 19th century, a sailor might visit a slopseller's shop to buy a new set of work clothes before a voyage.
• The novel described the poor district as full of pawnbrokers and slopseller's shops.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe a place offering items perceived as cheap, low-quality, or mass-produced.
  • That boutique has become little more than a slopseller's shop, filled with poorly made imitations.

Variants and Related Words

• Slopshop (noun): A shortened, informal variant with the same meaning.
• Slopseller (noun): The person who owns or runs such a shop.
• Slops (noun, historical): Refers to the cheap, ready-made clothing or provisions sold in such shops, especially to sailors.

Synonyms

• Cheap clothing store
• Ready-made clothing store (historical context)
• Outfitter (in a specific historical, maritime context)

Notes on Meaning

The core meaning is a shop selling cheap, ready-made garments. The term carries a historical connotation, often associated with maritime communities and lower economic classes. In modern usage, it is rare and would be considered a very specific or literary term.

Noun

1. a store that sells cheap ready-made clothing