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camelote

junk, shoddy goods

noun kam-LOT Rare
Home & Lifestyle Household Items

Usage Note

Camelote is an informal, mildly disparaging word for cheap, low-quality merchandise. C'est de la camelote ('it's junk') is a very common everyday expression. It is related to camelot (a street vendor who sold cheap wares). The word carries no strong vulgarity but is distinctly colloquial — in formal writing, pacotille or marchandise de mauvaise qualité would be used instead.

Examples

"Ne l'achète pas, c'est de la camelote."

Natural Translation

Don't buy it, it's junk.

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