rickety
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++rick·et·y /ˈrɪkəti/ adjective CONDITION/STATE OF somethinga rickety structure or piece of furniture is in very bad condition, and likely to break easily 〔结构或家具〕快要散架的，摇摇晃晃的 a rickety old wooden chair 一把摇摇晃晃的旧木椅 a rickety bridge 一座摇摇欲坠的桥► see thesaurus at weak
Examples from the Corpus
rickety• The staircase was old and rickety.• It was a rather rickety affair that creaked embarrassingly when I sat down in it and ever after when I moved.• a rickety bamboo fence• In the early 1970s, Ford introduced a rickety compact called the Maverick.• On icy winter mornings, they bathe in foot tubs before the open flame of a rickety gas heater.• And despite the rickety infrastructure, computer networks are growing fast.• They sat around the card table on rickety old chairs.• A blur of rickety shops does heavy business seven days a week.• It evokes a precarious world which is so rickety that it may, at any time, collapse.• They rode in the rickety wagon across the prairie until they reached a railroad track.• Suddenly, borne across the bridge on the muddy tide, came a rickety wooden construction like a toolshed.• We climbed up two flights of rickety wooden stairs.Origin rickety (1600-1700) ricketsrick·et·y adjectiveChineseSyllable
structure furniture piece of rickety a or Corpus
rickety
rick‧et‧y /ˈrɪkəti, ˈrɪkɪti/
adjective
a rickety old wooden chair
a rickety bridge
■ likely to break
▪weak unable to support much weight, and likely to break: The foundations of the building are rather weak. | an old chair with weak legs
▪fragile made of a thin material that is easy to break or damage – used when something needs to be handled carefully: a fragile china vase | Be careful of those glasses – they’re very fragile.
▪delicate easy to break or damage – used especially about soft materials, skin etc: Wash delicate fabrics separately. | This soap is good for delicate skin.
▪flimsy not well-made from strong materials and so easily damaged – used about furniture, houses etc: a flimsy plastic table | This keyboard’s very cheap but it’s a bit flimsy.
▪rickety /ˈrɪkəti, ˈrɪkɪti/ in very bad condition and likely to break – used about a building, piece of furniture, vehicle etc: a rickety old bicycle | He lived in a rickety hut on the beach for several years.
rick‧et‧y /ˈrɪkəti, ˈrɪkɪti/
adjective Date: 1600-1700
Origin: rickets
a rickety structure or piece of furniture is in very bad condition, and likely to break easily:Origin: rickets
| THESAURUS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪