different between hacky vs tacky

English

Etymology

hack +? -y

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æki

Adjective

hacky (comparative hackier, superlative hackiest)

1. Like a hack; amateurish.
2. (Tyneside) Filthy or totally dirty.
3. (computing, informal) Using, or characterised by, hacks: poorly designed workarounds.
4. (colloquial) Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacking.

   A hacky cough. A hacky laugh. A hacky breath. A hacky howl.

Synonyms

• hackish

Derived terms

• hackily

Related terms

• dirty (Standard English)
• dorty (Tyneside)
• hacky dorty (Tyneside)
• unclean (Standard English)

References

• Frank Graham (1987) The New Geordie Dictionary, ?ISBN
• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[1]
• hacky in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “hacky” at Wordnik (Forwards to “hacking”, where “hacky” is listed.)

English

Etymology 1

tack +? -y

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?tæki/

• Rhymes: -æki

Adjective

tacky (comparative tackier, superlative tackiest)

1. Of a substance, slightly sticky.

   Hypernyms: see Thesaurus:adhesive

Translations

Etymology 2

Sense “in poor taste” from 1888, from earlier sense meaning shabby or seedy. Also see tackey (“neglected horse”), Southern US colloquialism from 1800s, later extended to people.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?tæki/

• Rhymes: -æki

Adjective

tacky (comparative tackier, superlative tackiest)

2. (colloquial) Of low quality.

3. (colloquial) In poor taste.

4. Gaudy or flashy.

   Synonyms: flashy, showy, garish

   • 1967, S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders

     Steve Randle was seventeen, tall and lean, with thick greasy hair he kept combed in complicated swirls. He was tacky, smart, and Soda's best buddy since grade school.

5. Shabby, dowdy in one's appearance or dress.

   Synonym: dowdy

Derived terms

• ticky-tacky

Translations

Noun

tacky (plural tackies)

1. Alternative form of tackey

Anagrams

• Tyack