I remember reading a very nice word the small trinkets and other tat you can pick up from small shops (like a dollar store). I just cannot remember the word. Can anyone help! Thank you.
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2Welcome to EL&U. Can you be more specific? What's wrong with trinkets (or tat)? How will the word be used? Have you tried looking up trinket in a thesaurus? – choster Oct 27 '15 at 14:37
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Thank you. I'm just trying to remember the word, it was a nice sounding one. Yes I checked the thesaurus but didn't find it. – user144613 Oct 27 '15 at 14:52
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1Baubel, Knick-Knack, Curio, Gewgaw. – Joe Dark Oct 27 '15 at 14:53
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...bric-a-brac, ornament, dust collector... – cobaltduck Oct 27 '15 at 14:55
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Anything that ashens reviews, aka "Poundland trinkets" – Amelia Oct 27 '15 at 15:04
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@user144613 "bibelot?" http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bibelot – Elian Oct 27 '15 at 15:44
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gadget, gizmo ? – Graffito Oct 27 '15 at 15:51
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@user144613 "breloque?" http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/breloque – Elian Oct 27 '15 at 16:04
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1What is 'tat'? That's a new one to me. – Mitch Oct 27 '15 at 16:31
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I wonder what the etymology of "tat" is - abbreviation of "tacky shit"? – James Oct 27 '15 at 16:32
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@JoeDark, just to mention a typo, it should be 'bauble'. – chasly - supports Monica Oct 27 '15 at 18:39
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Related: “beautiful but worthless” – Mazura Oct 27 '15 at 18:45
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I'm not sure I'd want to get a tat from a Dollar Store (if I ever were to get one at all). – Hot Licks Oct 27 '15 at 21:48
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I think I was thinking of mass produced junk items... I don't need to use the word, I just don't like not remembering it! – user144613 Oct 28 '15 at 10:46
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@Mitch - Yeah. So far as I know, "tat", here in the US, is short for "tattoo". – Hot Licks Oct 28 '15 at 11:25
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@HotLicks that's the only one I know. Presumably some people in the UK it is something like 'stuff'. Can anyone confirm? – Mitch Oct 28 '15 at 13:14
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From personal experience, tat is often used as a derogatory singular or collective term to describe new or, more likely, used items which are for sale. The quality or condition of the items is very low and regret often follows soon after the purchase. I've heard this used mainly around the South East area of England. To accentuate how bad the item is, tat is often preceded by cheap. I have heard, and used the word tut, pronounced toot, interchangeably with tat, although tut is usually worse than cheap tat. – AndrewNimmo Oct 28 '15 at 18:08
5 Answers
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Perhaps tchotchke
Informal; North American: A small object that is decorative rather than strictly functional; a trinket.
Oxford Dictionary Online
Migrated from Yiddish, but fairly understood in urban areas of the US.
bib
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I'm sure that's right in the US. However it wouldn't be understood in most other English-speaking countries. I've never heard it in Britaion and wouldn't know how to say it. – chasly - supports Monica Oct 27 '15 at 18:40
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@chaslyfromUK It's often pronounced chach-kee. Purists would want a t sound before the initial ch. And I'm sure there are some circles in the larger British cities that might recognize the term, although it might not be considered to have migrated to English. – bib Oct 27 '15 at 18:47
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Perhaps mathoms? (I am currently reading Lord of the Rings which is why this popped into my mind).
To quote from the LoTR wiki: http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Mathom
Mathom was the hobbit term for anything which they had no use for but were unwilling to throw away.
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You may be thinking of gewgaws. "A showy thing, especially one that is useless or worthless."
Or bauble might be what you're thinking of.
WhatRoughBeast
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I suddenly remembered the word!! It's schlock. Not exactly trinkets but definitely tat. Thank you for some wonderful answers/comments.
user144613
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