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Kathy456 Posted 20 years ago
Vocabulary

Is "Cheap" necessarily bad?

0Hi,02br
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00In Hong Kong, people very often mix Cantonese with a few English words in everyday conversations. And, when they describe something "cheap", they actually mean that that thing is not only "not expensive" but also "of poor quality".02br
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00e.g. A "cheap" dress is not costly. And, it looks rather ugly & the person wearing it has bad taste in clothes.02br
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00Could someone advise whether "cheap" implies something bad? Is it a derogatory adjective?02br
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00Thanks.02br
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00Kathy0-
  

Top answer

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— Danyoo

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5 Answers
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0I wouldn't go so far as saying that the term is derogatory or bad.02br
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00But I would say, at least here in the U.S., that 'cheap' does have connotations of being of poor quality in addition to meaning inexpensive.0-
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0Hi Danyoo,02br
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00Thanks a lot.02br
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00Cheers,02br
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00Kathy0-
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0I don't know that I agree. Certainly it CAN have that meaning, but not always.02br
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00For example, if you say something "looks cheap," you are saying it looks like it's poor quality.02br
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00But imagine this exchange:02br
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00P1: "I love your new sweater!"02br
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00P2: "Thanks! I love the colors, and it
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0Tone of voice seems to make all the difference. I can imagine saying even "That looks quite cheap!" in an approving tone.02br
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00MrP0-
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0Hi guys,02br
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00Here'ss another meaning of 'cheap'.02br
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00People used to say someone was, or looked like, 'a cheap woman', meaning that she had, or looked like she had, a poor moral character.02br
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00The adjective is still used in this sense. eg this advice from a newpaper:02br
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01font
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