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Describing Qualities - Poor Quality or Condition

Explore English idioms regarding poor quality or condition with examples like "worse for wear" and "beyond recall".

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English Idioms used to Describe Qualities
fair to middling

moderately good

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Definition & Meaning of \"fair to middling\"
to leave a lot to be desired

to fail to fulfill one's expectations

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [leave] (a lot|much) to be desired\"
in bad nick

in a very unfavorable or disadvantageous condition

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Definition & Meaning of \"in (bad|poor|terrible) nick\"
cracked up to be

used to say that a person or thing is not as good as other people say they are

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Definition & Meaning of \"cracked up to be\"
the poor man's something

a thing that is less desirable or has a lower quality or price than what was mentioned

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Definition & Meaning of \"the poor man's {sth}\"
worse for wear

in a very bad physical condition due to being used for an extended period of time

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Definition & Meaning of \"worse for wear\"
dog's breakfast

something that is done vey poorly

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Definition & Meaning of \"dog's (breakfast|dinner)\"
somebody could do worse

used to suggest someone that a particular course of action or choice is better than what they think, even though it is still bad

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Definition & Meaning of \"{sb} could do worse\"
beyond recall

used to refer to something that cannot be restored to its original or previous condition

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Definition & Meaning of \"beyond recall\"
out at (the) elbows

(of a piece of clothing) looking shabby and worn-out

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Definition & Meaning of \"out at (the|) elbows\"
at a low ebb

in a depressed, bad, or weakened state

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Definition & Meaning of \"at a low ebb\"
on the blink

used to refer to machinary that is not functioning properly or at all

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Definition & Meaning of \"on the blink\"
out of action

unable to operate normally for a limited time

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Definition & Meaning of \"out of action\"
to give up the ghost

(of a machine) to fail to work properly

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [give] up the ghost\"
down at heel

looking cheap, worn, or filthy

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Definition & Meaning of \"down at heel\"
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