The Romance of Words. TAWDRY
When we say that a thing is tawdry we mean that it is showy, worthless, and without taste. The word is a corruption of St. Audry, and was originally applied to a rustic necklace bought at St Andry’s Fair, held in'the Isle of Ely and elsewhere on St. Audry’s Day. October 17. Another account is that St. Audry died of a swelling in the throat, which she considered as a particular judgment for having been in her youth much addicted to wearing this necklace. The word did not at first 'mply mean or shabby splendour, and was used in the sense of being fine or elegant.
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Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 104, 26 January 1935, Page 13
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111The Romance of Words. TAWDRY Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 104, 26 January 1935, Page 13
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