Ticky tacky

Ticky tacky

Ticky tacky or ticky-tacky is a colloquial term for " [poor quality] material, as for the construction of standardized housing". [ [http://www.bartleby.com/61/57/T0205700.html Bartleby] ] [ [http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/ticky%20tacky Merriam-Webster] ]

It is famously used in this context by Malvina Reynolds in the song "Little Boxes" - which is used as the opening song to the Showtime series "Weeds" [ [http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.do Showtime website] ] and was also notably covered by Pete Seeger.

The term is American in origin, but has crossed the Atlantic to the UK. Unusually, the Oxford English Dictionary attributes the term's origin to Reynolds' song.

Ticky tacky may also refer to tar paper.

References


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  • ticky tacky — ☆ ticky tacky [tik′ē tak′ē ] n. 〚redupl. of TACKY2〛 dull, unimaginative, often shoddy uniformity, like that of houses in some less expensive real estate developments ticky tacky adj. * * * …   Universalium

  • ticky tacky — ☆ ticky tacky [tik′ē tak′ē ] n. [redupl. of TACKY2] dull, unimaginative, often shoddy uniformity, like that of houses in some less expensive real estate developments ticky tacky adj …   English World dictionary

  • ticky tacky — inferior, cheap material, 1962 (in song Little Boxes ), reduplication of TACKY (Cf. tacky) …   Etymology dictionary

  • ticky-tacky — I. noun also ticky tack (plural ticky tackies; also ticky tacks) Etymology: reduplication of tacky Date: 1962 sleazy or shoddy material used especially in the construction of look alike tract houses; also something built of ticky tacky II.… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ticky-tacky — tic•ky tack•y [[t]ˈtɪk iˌtæk i[/t]] Informal. 1) cvb inf shoddy and unimaginatively designed: ticky tacky bungalows[/ex] 2) cvb inf tacky II 3) ticky tacky material or something made of it • Etymology: 1960–65; redupl. of tacky II …   From formal English to slang

  • ticky-tacky — /tik ee tak ee/, Informal. adj. 1. shoddy and unimaginatively designed; flimsy and dull: a row of new, ticky tacky bungalows. 2. tacky2. n. 3. ticky tacky material or something made of it, esp. housing. Also, ticky tack. [1960 65; gradational… …   Universalium

  • ticky-tacky — tick|y tack|y [ˈtıki ˌtæki] adj also ticky tack [ ˌtæk] AmE informal [Date: 1900 2000; Origin: TACKY2] ticky tacky houses, buildings etc are made of material that is cheap and of low quality >ticky tacky n [U] …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • ticky-tacky — [“tikitaeki] n. cheap and shabby material. □ Those houses are just made of ticky tacky, and they won’t even be here in twenty years. □ That stuff is just ticky tacky. No one will buy it …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • ticky-tacky — also ticky tack noun (U) AmE informal a material, especially for building, that is cheap and of low quality ticky tacky adjective …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • ticky-tacky — 1. noun Cheap, low quality building material, especially as that used to make conventional suburban housing of a uniform design 1964 Malvina Reynolds, Little Boxes And theyre all made out of ticky tacky, And they all look just the same. 2.… …   Wiktionary

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