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Glite Dictionary
shaky performance

shaky performance

5.6
A nervous, unsteady display of skill that lacks confidence
  • noun
  • /ˈʃeɪki pərˈfɔːrməns/
translation icon : actuación inestable
  • All these price breakdowns among blue chips before the QE3-driven, low-volume rally signaled a shaky performance by the stock market this summer.

Examples

  • The athlete's shaky performance in the final race caused concern among his fans.

  • The president made a veiled reference to his shaky performance at the recent debate in Denver.

    Blog text (19)

  • After some shaky performance in the past, yard trimmings compost is a product SunUp is using more frequently.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The singer's shaky performance left the audience wondering if he was feeling unwell.

  • Despite her shaky performance during the exam, she managed to pass with a decent score.

How Confident

showmanship
17 6.2
shaky performance
5.6

Surface Forms

shaky performance singular
shaky performances plural

Morphology

shaky + performance

The meaning 'an uncertain or unreliable display of skill' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'shaky' (not firm or secure; liable to fail) with 'performance' (the quality of task execution). This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition following common descriptive patterns (cross-linguistically frequent), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Shaky performance comes from the image of a person on stage: shaky shows shaking hands or voice and performance is the show, so the act looks unstable. That's why it now means 'uncertain' or 'unreliable' display of skill.