Poor Quality or Condition: English Vocabulary List

acceptable, but not exceptional

"My health is fair to middling."

"How are you feeling today the doctor asked and the patient replied fair to middling not great but not terrible either."

to fail to fulfill one's expectations

"Your work leaves much to be desired."

"The service at that restaurant leaves a lot to be desired because the staff are rude and slow."

in a very unfavorable or disadvantageous condition

"The old barn is in poor nick."

"The old house is in terrible nick with a leaky roof and broken windows that need urgent repair."

used to say that a person or thing is not as good as other people say they are

"The movie is not what it is cracked up to be."

"The new restaurant is not all it is cracked up to be because the food is expensive and the portions are very small."

a thing that is less desirable or has a lower quality or price than what was mentioned

"He is the poor man's Elvis."

"This local wine is the poor man's champagne because it tastes similar but costs only a fraction of the price."

something that is done vey poorly

"His room was a dog's breakfast."

"The presentation was a complete dog's breakfast with missing slides and incorrect information throughout."

used to suggest someone that a particular course of action or choice is better than what they think, even though it is still bad

"You could do worse than him."

"You could do worse than take this internship; it offers valuable experience and a small stipend."

used to refer to something that cannot be restored to its original or previous condition

"The old traditions are beyond recall."

"The old building has been damaged beyond recall and cannot be saved even with extensive and expensive restoration work."

used to refer to someone who does not have enough money and is considered poor by the society's standards

"His jacket was out at the elbows."

"The old homeless man was out at the elbows wearing a torn and dirty coat."

in a depressed, bad, or weakened state

"His spirits are at a low ebb."

"The team's morale is at a low ebb after losing ten matches in a row this season."

used to refer to machinary that is not functioning properly or at all

"My toaster is on the blink."

"My old television is on the blink again so I think it is finally time to buy a new one."

unable to operate normally for a limited time

"The snowstorm put the trains out of action."

"The star player has been out of action for three weeks with a knee injury and the team is struggling without him."

to put an stop to an activity one knows has very little or no chance of achieving success

"The old engine gave up the ghost."

"After weeks of trying to revive the failing business, the owner finally decided to give up the ghost."

looking cheap, worn, or filthy

"He looked down at heel and tired."

"The once elegant hotel is now looking rather down at heel with torn carpets and peeling paint everywhere."

in a very bad physical condition due to being used for an extended period of time

"The old car looked worse for wear."

"After decades of constant use, the antique furniture was noticeably worse for wear."

something that is done vey poorly

"The report was a dog's breakfast."

"His attempt to organize the event resulted in a complete dog's breakfast."

(of a piece of clothing) looking shabby and worn-out

"His coat was out at the elbows."

"She couldn't afford new clothes, so she had to wear her old suit, which was quite out at the elbows."

(of a machine) to fail to work properly

"The printer gave up the ghost."

"My ancient laptop finally gave up the ghost during an important presentation."