shoddy excuse
- noun
:
excusa pobre
- They could all see through her shoddy excuse for not finishing the report on time.
Examples
-
His shoddy excuse failed to persuade the teacher, resulting in extra homework.
-
He always comes up with a shoddy excuse when he is late.
-
He offered a shoddy excuse for missing the meeting, blaming it on his alarm clock.
-
That was a shoddy excuse for missing the meeting.
-
He offered a shoddy excuse for missing the meeting, blaming it on his alarm clock.
-
His shoddy excuse failed to persuade the teacher, resulting in extra homework.
-
They could all see through her shoddy excuse for not finishing the report on time.
Synonyms
245
5.3
A very poor example that shows something is not good
52
3.7
An excuse a person gives to avoid blame for not doing something
1
9.9
A rude way to say someone's reason is weak and not acceptable
A weak reason used so often people no longer believe it
A weak reason someone gives to avoid blame
A dishonest reason someone gives to avoid blame
A weak excuse that people do not believe
A weak reason someone gives to avoid blame
A false story someone gives to avoid blame
A false or silly story people tell to avoid blame
A silly made-up reason someone gives to avoid blame
Antonyms
How Convincing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an insincere, careless, or unconvincing justification' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'shoddy' (poor quality) with 'excuse' (justification). This adjectival modification pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Shoddy excuse comes from the word shoddy, which once meant cheap cloth made from old rags that would fall apart. That image of something weak and poor helps explain why a shoddy excuse means a 'weak' or 'unconvincing' reason.