Does American English have an equivalent word to the British term “tat”?

36 comments

1. Tchotchkes. The influence of Yiddish on American English

2. ‘junk’ maybe

3. Jank/janky serve that purpose

4. normally when something is made poorly/cheaply in the US, people (especially older people) will say “stupid made-in-china piece of shit” or something similar

5. Chintzy, perhaps.

6. Tacky is a word I’d also use for this.

7. This is another time we would use the word shit. “Why did you buy that shit from Temu”

8. Crap

9. I use ‘tat’ but tchotchkes is kinda close, especially for the souvenirs and shelf detritus you see at your grandmother’s house. I can’t think of any other word for the stuff sold by Temu and Shein.

10. In the IT field it would generally be referred to as “chinesium”

11. I’ve heard “Chinesium.”

12. crap

13. I used to say “wook” in high school, but that was kinda a fad word and I haven’t really heard it in a decade, but it means exactly that.

14. Trash/garbage/junk/crap/shit

15. Crap, junk, or cheap shit.

16. Junk, crap, cheap, tacky.

    We definitely know the concept. There is a meme of “[X] is the Wish version of [Y]” and Chinese goods have a reputation for low quality.

17. Crap. Maybe Junk in front of your grandmother.

18. Crap.

19. Trinkets maybe

20. Crap I think

21. Chintzy

22. I’ve heard a lot of people refer to those products as “made in China” as a sort of short hand for “this is shit and will fall apart” even if it was made elsewhere, which is really the closest I can think of

23. Janky

24. Scuffed would work

25. knickknack would be pretty similar, but a knickknack is a cheap item that is typically decorative. For bad quality products we just say cheap, knockoff, or discount.

26. Cheapshit, Crapola, Craptastic, Craptacular

27. Ghetto

28. Where did you buy/get that pile of crap/shit/junk/garbage?

29. I use bunk a lot but maybe that’s an Illinois thing.

30. “Junk,” “dreck,” and “trash,” spring to mind.

    Also, yes, “tat” is slang for tattoo. Odd.

31. I’ve heard tchotchkes, bric-a-brac, or curios used similarly, but living in the UK now I don’t think there’s a good equivalent that implies the low-quality in American.

    ETA: my British wife also pointed out the term “Knick knacks” that I say.

32. “Junk” or more precisely, “schlock” (super cheap, lowest-tier “bought on Wish” stuff.)

    “Tat” just recalls the expression “tit for tat,” which we also have.

33. Crap

34. Junk is the closest thing I can think of

35. Mickey Mouse

    Mass produced, low quality, and usually low taste as well.

    “If you need a nice present for your boss’s retirement, stay away from the mickey mouse stores.”

    It could also describe a poorly organized or mis-managed group or business. Synonyms could be “fly-by-night” or “third rate.”

    “I’ll never ship an important package with that mickey mouse courier again.”

36. Chinesium (low quality, easy to break) vs Skookum (durable, strong)