frippery

frippery
a) Ostentation, as in fancy clothing.

1892 Frederick Law Olmsted, "Report by F.L.O.", April 1892. Quoted in 2003, , , Random House, ISBN 0609608444, page 170:

b) Useless things; trifles.

, ["Olmsted reiterated his insistence that in Chicago"] simplicity and reserve will be practiced and petty effects and frippery avoided.


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  • Frippery — Frip per*y, n. [F. friperie, fr. fruper. See {Fripper}.] 1. Coast off clothes. [Obs.] B. Jonson. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: Secondhand finery; cheap and tawdry decoration; affected elegance. [1913 Webster] Fond of gauze and French frippery.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Frippery — Frip per*y, a. Trifling; contemptible. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • frippery — 1560s, old clothes, cast off garments, from M.Fr. friperie old clothes, an old clothes shop, from O.Fr. freperie, feuperie old rags, rubbish (13c.), from frepe, feupe fringe; rags, old clothes, from L.L. faluppa chip, splinter, straw, fiber. The… …   Etymology dictionary

  • frippery — [n] waste, nonsense adornment, bauble, decoration, fanciness, fandangle*, flashiness, frill, fussiness, gaudiness, knickknack, meretriciousness, ornament, ostentation, pretentiousness, showiness, tawdriness, toy, trinket; concepts 655,824 Ant.… …   New thesaurus

  • frippery — ► NOUN (pl. fripperies) 1) showy or unnecessary ornament. 2) a tawdry or frivolous thing. ORIGIN Old French freperie second hand clothes , from frepe rag …   English terms dictionary

  • frippery — [frip′ər ē] n. pl. fripperies [orig., castoff clothes < Fr friperie < OFr freperie < frepe, a rag < ? ML faluppa, a shaving, straw] 1. cheap, gaudy clothes; tawdry finery 2. showy display in dress, manners, speech, etc.; affectation… …   English World dictionary

  • frippery — [[t]frɪ̱pəri[/t]] fripperies N UNCOUNT: also N in pl (disapproval) If you refer to something as frippery, you mean that it is silly or unnecessary, and only done or worn for pleasure [mainly BRIT] ...all the fripperies with which the Edwardian… …   English dictionary

  • frippery — UK [ˈfrɪpərɪ] / US noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms frippery : singular frippery plural fripperies something useless but attractive or enjoyable …   English dictionary

  • frippery — noun (plural peries) Etymology: Middle French friperie, alteration of Old French freperie, from frepe old garment Date: 1568 1. obsolete a. cast off clothes b. archaic a place where old clothes are sold 2 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • frippery — /frip euh ree/, n., pl. fripperies. 1. finery in dress, esp. when showy, gaudy, or the like. 2. empty display; ostentation. 3. gewgaws; trifles. [1560 70; < F friperie, OF freperie, equiv. to frepe rag + erie ERY] * * * …   Universalium

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