jumble sale
- noun
- /ˈdʒʌm.bəl seɪl/
- UK
:
mercadillo
- We raised a lot of money for charity at the local jumble sale last weekend.
Examples
-
Mrs. Graham is ill this week—she could have chosen a better time; jumble sale next week, and the porch is full of old clothes...
Fiction book (1992) -
A jumble sale, a garden opening, or a school play.
Fiction book (1990) -
It's prior to that they were just a jumble sale, just mismatched videos that made no sense and me looking like a top top mess.
-
" It's odd to think nearly all books become musty, forgotten in some damp basement in a village library, or sold at a jumble sale.
Fiction book (1999) -
"Oh, the usual: jumble sales, church bazaars, Maypole romps, Guy Fawkes' Day—such a lovely Guy the Ladies' Aid committee made, all of wicker—
Fiction book (1994) -
She found a beautiful vase at the community jumble sale for just a few dollars.
-
Many people donated their unused items to the upcoming jumble sale to help the animal shelter.
Synonyms
40
1.2
An event at someone's home to sell used household items
37
2.3
An outdoor market where people sell used things like clothes or furniture
33
1.6
A sale outside a home where people sell used things
14
4.1
An event where people sell goods to raise money for charity
6
2.3
An event where people sell used or donated things to raise money for charity
An outdoor market where people sell things from the back of their cars
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is directly compositional: 'jumble' (a mixed/disordered collection of items) combined with 'sale' (an event where goods are sold) yields a sale of mixed/second‑hand items. A B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer this core meaning (even if they might not infer the typical charity context), and similar compound naming patterns occur cross‑linguistically, so it is transparent.
Etymology
Jumble sale comes from the word jumble, which means a mixed pile of different things, and sale, meaning an event to sell them. People bring used or donated items and sell them to 'raise money' for a group or charity, so the phrase now means a second-hand sale to help a cause.