amateurish attempt
1
5.2
- noun
- /ˈæmətərɪʃ əˈtɛmpt/
:
intento amateur
- His amateurish attempt at painting was evident in the uneven brush strokes.
Examples
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Despite his passion, the project was clearly an amateurish attempt lacking the necessary skills.
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The only reason there are not more comments to that effect is that no one else bothered to waste their time reading this amateurish attempt at journalism.
Blog text (19) -
The film received poor reviews due to its amateurish attempt at mixing genres.
Synonyms
A clumsy try by someone with little skill, often in games like chess
How Professional
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5.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'amateurish' (not professional/inexpert) modifies 'attempt' (an act of trying), so a learner who knows both words can infer an effort showing lack of skill. This adjective+noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows straightforward English semantics, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase amateurish attempt comes from amateur, a word that used to mean someone who does something for love, not as a job, and attempt, which means a try, so imagine someone trying a task for fun without training. That's why amateurish attempt describes a try that shows 'lack of skill' or 'not professional'.