Search the Dictionary

A term applied to a mean, worthless thing or person, as to a scamp, a debauchee, or a prostitute, or a worn-out horse. [Slang.]

A worthless plant occuring among seedlings of some choice variety. Rogues' gallery, a collection of portraits of rogues or criminals, for the use of the police authorities. -- Rogue's march, derisive music performed in driving away a person under popular indignation or official sentence, as when a soldier is drummed o…

Waste or rejected matter; anything worthless; valueless stuff; trash; especially, fragments of building materials or fallen buildings; ruins; débris. What rubbish and what offal! Shak. he saw the town's one half in rubbish lie. Dryden. Rubbish pulley. See Gin block, under Gin.

That which is fallen down and become worthless from injury or decay; as, his mind is a ruin; especially, in the plural, the remains of a destroyed, dilapidated, or desolate house, fortress, city, or the like. The Veian and the Gabian towers shall fall, And one promiscuous ruin cover all; Nor, after length of years, a s…

Fig.: Mean; paltry; vile; worthless. Bacon.

A mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a villain; a man without honor or virtue. Go, if your ancient, but ignoble blood Has crept through soundrels ever since the flood. Pope.

avel, ashes, etc., through a screen in order to separate the coarse from the fine, or the worthless from the valuable; to sift.

To fill or cover with careless or worthless writing.

refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless. The great and innocent are insulted by the scum and refuse of the people. Addison.

Worthless; bad. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

To render worthless by admixture; to adulterate; to damage; to pervert; as, to sophisticate wine. Howell. To sophisticate the understanding. Southey. Yet Butler professes to stick to plain facts, not to sophisticate, not to refine. M. Arnold. They purchase but sophisticated ware. Dryden.

Poor; mean; worthless; as, a sorry excuse. "With sorry grace." Chaucer. Cheeks of sorry grain will serve. Milton. Good fruit will sometimes grow on a sorry tree. Sir W. Scott.

Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing; a mere trifle. I set not a straw by thy dreamings. Chaucer.

Refuse or worthless matter; hence, also, foolish or irrational language; nonsense; trash. Anger would indite Such woeful stuff as I or Shadwell write. Dryden.

A worthless woman; also, a worthless horse. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

That which is worthless or useless; rubbish; refuse. Who steals my purse steals trash. Shak. A haunch of venison would be trash to a Brahmin. Landor.

Like trash; containing much trash; waste; rejected; worthless; useless; as, a trashy novel.

Of the value of three oboli; hence, mean; worthless. [Obs.] It may pass current . . . for a triobolar ballad. Cheyne.

Something serving to deceive by false show or pretense; falsehood; deceit; worthless but showy matter; hence, things worn out and of no value; rubbish. The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither, for state to catch these thieves. Shak. Upon the coming of Christ, very much, though not all, of this idolatrous trumpery…

Not worthy; wanting merit, value, or fitness; undeserving; worthless; unbecoming; -- often with of. -- Un*wor"thi*ly, adv. -- Un*wor"thi*ness, n.