garish

Etymology

Unknown, possibly from obsolete Middle English gawren (“to stare”) which is of uncertain origin, probably from Old Norse gá (“to watch, heed”) or gaurr (“rough fellow”) (Proto-Indo-European *gʰow-rós, from *gʰew- (“to be angry”)). Compare with English gaw.

adj

  1. Overly ostentatious; so colourful as to be in bad taste.
    The dress fits her well, but the pattern is rather garish.
    Leela: He gave me mechanical ears / Effective though just a bit garish. August 10, 2003, Ken Keeler, “The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings”, in Futurama, season 5, episode 16 (television production), Fox Broadcasting Company
    She also said that Thameslink trains were deliberately garish, so as to lure drivers stuck on the M1, which runs alongside the line around Radlett. 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, page 57

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