quarter-ass job
- noun
- /ˈkwɔrtər æs dʒɑb/
- Offensive
:
trabajo de mierda
- I'm disappointed because he gave the report a quarter-ass job and didn't check any of the facts.
Examples
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The repairs were so poorly done, it was clearly a quarter-ass job.
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He did a quarter-ass job on the presentation.
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You can't expect great results from a quarter-ass job like that.
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Don't settle for a quarter-ass job!
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He was frustrated because the contractor left a quarter-ass job on the renovation.
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After seeing the outcome, I realized the artist had done a quarter-ass job on the painting.
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If you put in a quarter-ass job, don't be surprised when your boss isn't happy with the results.
Synonyms
A small unimportant task done badly, like filing papers
Antonyms
How Good
Surface Forms
Morphology
quarter-ass + job
While 'job' is literal, 'quarter-ass' is a slang, derived formation (quarter + ass) that uses 'ass' in the idiomatic sense found in compounds like 'half-assed' to signal poor quality. A B1 learner who knows 'quarter' and the vulgar/informal use of 'ass' might infer a very substandard effort, but the slangy morphology and register make the meaning only partially predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Quarter-ass job comes from the older phrase half-assed and gives a funny picture: someone using only a quarter of their ass to do a job, meaning they put in very little effort. So the phrase means 'careless' or 'not enough effort'.