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shoddy workmanship

shoddy workmanship

1 3.6
A poor quality building or repair that fails soon because people are careless
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɑːdi ˈwɜrkˌmænʃɪp/
translation icon : trabajo de mala calidad
  • Disgruntled employees could institute a work slowdown, perform shoddy workmanship, or even more seriously, commit acts of willful sabotage.
  • inferior workmanship

Examples

  • Due to the shoddy workmanship, the furniture fell apart after just a few weeks of use.

  • Shoddy workmanship and lack of attention to detail.

    Blog text (34)
  • Jonathan, if my children hurt themselves because of your shoddy workmanship, this is this is this is good Irish made swing sat here that oh, it's making me very nervous.

  • The last bond spending has had problems like shoddy workmanship, and some of the new proposed work will require destroying recent work just completed (what a waste and shows poor planning).

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  • Well, that's shoddy workmanship.

  • Since I was a kid, I have looked at things ready-made from retailers (beginning with Barbie clothes!) and found myself abhorred by the shoddy workmanship and high prices.

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  • The contractor was criticized for the shoddy workmanship that led to many buildings collapsing.

  • Many homeowners complained about the shoddy workmanship they encountered during renovations.

Synonyms

low quality
vsshoddy workmanship
13 2.8

Something that is not good or well made

targets specific poorly done work, not just a general low standard
shoddiness
vsshoddy workmanship
1 7.2

Low quality work that looks badly made

is about actual finished work rather than the general quality

Antonyms

30 4.1

Skill and care in making things by hand like furniture or pottery that look and work well

How Well Done

workmanship
18 4.1
shoddy workmanship
1 3.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

shoddy + workmanship

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'shoddy' (poor quality) modifying 'workmanship' (the quality or skill of work), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer 'poorly done work'. This is a straightforward adjective + noun pattern common across languages, making the expression immediately comprehensible despite 'workmanship' being less frequent.

Etymology

Shoddy workmanship comes from an old cloth trade: shoddy was cheap fabric made by shredding old rags, and workmanship means the work done. Because that fabric was weak and fell apart, people started using shoddy workmanship to mean 'work that is badly made' or 'of poor quality'.