cumber-groundn.
A thing or (esp.) person that uselessly cumbers the ground; a useless or unprofitable occupant of a position. (See Luke xiii. 7.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > [noun] > that which is useless > useless person or thing
cumber-worldc1374
cumber-house1541
deaf nut1613
cumber-ground1657
dead duck1844
no good1871
dead wood1877
dead wood1887
blue duck1889
dud1897
cluck1904
non-starter1911
dead loss1927
dreep1927
write-off1935
no-gooder1936
nogoodnik1936
blivet1967
roadkill1990
1657 M. Lawrence Use & Pract. Faith 143 Meer cumber-grounds.
1720 R. Thoresby Diary II. 304 An useless unprofitable cumber-ground.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 82 Where all the cumber-grounds of life resort.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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