What is "tacky"

Tacky \Tack"y\, a. [Cf. Techy, Tack a spot.] Sticky; adhesive; raw; -- said of paint, varnish, etc., when not well dried. [U. S.]

Tacky \Tack"y\, a. [Etymol. uncert.]

1. Dowdy, shabby, or neglected in appearance; unkempt.

2. In poor taste; appearing cheap; gaudy; unstylish. Broadly used to describe objects whose style is disapproved of by the speaker.

3. Tactless; in poor taste; -- used to describe behavior.

Tacky \Tack"y\, n. [Written also tackey.] An ill-conditioned, ill-fed, or neglected horse; also, a person in a like condition. [Southern U. S.]

"sticky," 1788, from tack (n.1) in the sense of "an act of attaching temporarily" + -y (2). Related: Tackiness "stickiness."

"in poor taste," 1888, from earlier sense of "shabby, seedy" (1862), adjectival use of tackey (n.) "ill-fed or neglected horse" (1800), later extended to persons in like condition, "hillbilly, cracker" (1888), of uncertain origin. Related: Tackiness.\n\nThe word "tacky" is a Southern colloquialism. It was coined by a wealthier or more refined and educated class for general application to those who were not sheltered by the branches of a family tree, who were "tainted." Those who were wealthy and yet had no great-grandfathers were "tackies." The word was used both in contempt and in derision. It is now nearly obsolete in both senses. There are no aristocrats in the South now, and therefore no "tackies." No man who has the instincts of a gentleman is spoken of as a "tacky," whether he can remember the name of his grandfather's uncle or not. But it has its uses. It is employed in describing persons of low ideas and vulgar manners, whether rich or poor. It may mean an absence of style. In dress, anything that is tawdry is "tacky." A ribbon on the shopkeeper's counter, a curtain in the bolt, a shawl or bonnet, a bolt of cloth fresh from the loom may be "tacky," because it is cheap and yet pretentious. In Louisiana the inferior grade of Creole ponies are known as "tackies." [Horace Ingraham, Charleston, S.C., in "American Notes and Queries," Feb. 15, 1890] \n

a. 1 Of a substance, slightly sticky. 2 (context colloquial English) Of low quality. 3 (context colloquial English) In poor taste. 4 gaudy, flashy, showy, garish 5 dowdy, shabbily dressed 6 shabby, dowdy (in one's appearance) n. (alt form tackey English)

1. adj. (of a glutinous liquid such as paint) not completely dried and slightly sticky to the touch; "tacky varnish"

2. tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments" [syn: brassy, cheap, flash, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tatty, tawdry, trashy]

3. [also: tackiest, tackier]

"Tacky" is a song by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic from his fourteenth studio album, Mandatory Fun (2014). The song is a parody of the 2013 single " Happy" by Pharrell Williams. The song mocks questionable taste in fashion as well as activities considered gauche. Yankovic recorded the song as one of the last on Mandatory Fun, and received Williams' approval directly, through email. He remarked he was "honored" to have his work spoofed by Yankovic.

The song's one-shot music video parodies "Happy", and was the first in a series of eight videos released over eight days in promotion of Mandatory Fun. It features cameo appearances by Aisha Tyler, Margaret Cho, Eric Stonestreet, Kristen Schaal, and Jack Black, and was produced by Nerdist Industries.