tin-pot
See also: tinpot
English
WOTD – 13 March 2008
Etymology
From tin + pot,[1][2] referring to the cheapness and poor quality of pots made from tin or tin plate.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈtɪnpɒt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈtɪnˌpɑt/
Audio (GA) (file) Audio (AU) (file)
Adjective
tin-pot (not comparable) (figurative, informal)
- Of inferior quality; shoddy.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:low-quality
- 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I:
- It was a great comfort to turn from that chap to my influential friend, the battered, twisted, ruined, tin–pot steamboat.
- Insignificant or minor, especially in an amusing and petty manner.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:insignificant
- 1980 March 3, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “The Official Visit”, in Yes, Minister, season 1, episode 2, spoken by Jim Hacker and Humphrey Appleby (Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne):
- Jim Hacker: Why are we having an official visit from this tin-pot little African country? / Sir Humphrey Appleby: Minister, I beg of you not to refer to it as a tin-pot little African country. It's an LDC.
Alternative forms
- tinpot, tin pot
Derived terms
Translations
of inferior quality; shoddy
References
- “tin-pot, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023. - “tin-pot, adj.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
Further reading
- “tin-pot, adj.”, in Collins English Dictionary; from Michael Agnes, editor, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th edition, Cleveland, Oh.: Wiley, 2010, →ISBN.
- “tin-pot, adj.”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Anagrams
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