taw·dry
(tô
dr
)
KEY
ADJECTIVE:
taw·dri·er
,
taw·dri·est
- Gaudy and cheap in nature or appearance. See Synonyms at gaudy
1.
- Shameful or indecent:
tawdry secrets.
NOUN:
- Cheap and gaudy finery.
ETYMOLOGY:
From
tawdry lace,
lace necktie, alteration of
Saint Audrey's lace (
sold at the annual Saint Audrey's fair, Ely, England), after
Saint Audrey (Saint Etheldreda), queen of Northumbria, who died in 679 of a throat tumor, supposedly because she delighted in fancy necklaces as a young woman
OTHER FORMS:
tawdri·ly
(Adverb),
tawdri·ness
(Noun)
