— tawdrily , adv. — tawdriness , n.
/taw"dree/ , adj., tawdrier, tawdriest , n.
adj.
1. (of finery, trappings, etc.) gaudy; showy and cheap.
2. low or mean; base: tawdry motives.
n.
3. cheap, gaudy apparel.
[ 1605-15; short for ( Sain ) t Audrey lace, i.e., neck lace bought at St. Audrey's Fair in Ely, England; so called after St. Audrey (OE Aethelthryth, d. 679), Northumbrian queen and patron saint of Ely, who, according to tradition, died of a throat tumor which she considered just punishment of her youthful liking for neck laces ]
Syn. 1. flashy, meretricious.
Ant. 1. elegant.