Tawdry means “cheap and gaudy in appearance.” Its story begins with a 7th-c
Tawdry means “cheap and gaudy in appearance.” Its story begins with a 7th-century queen Æthelthryth who renounced her royal life and became a saintly abbess.Suffering from a fatal condition that included a swelling in her throat, the dying abbess attributed that symptom to God’s punishment for her onetime fondness for necklaces.After her death, the abbess became Saint Audrey, and her shrine became a popular site for English pilgrims. At an annual fair in her honor, all sorts of cheap knickknacks and jewelry were sold, including a type of necklace called Saint Audrey’s lace.By the 17th century, St. Audrey’s lace had become tawdry lace. Tawdry came to be applied to other cheap goods sold at these fairs – and from there to other tastelessly showy things.image: Saint Etheldreda’s statue in Ely Cathedral -- source link
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