Lackadaisical

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Grammarist

Lackadaisical is an adjective which means listless, dull, without enthusiasm, lazily careless. The adverb form is lackadaisically. Lackadaisical comes from an old expression of regret, lack-a-day! Lack-a-day! is a short form of alack-the-day! The medieval alack means failure, fault, reproach or shame, alack-the-day meant shame-to-the-day! This woeful cry lost its strength over the years until it was merely a mild oath concerning minor things. In the eighteenth century the word lackadaisy popped up to refer to someone who cried lack-a-day! too frequently. At first, when the adjective lackadaisical appeared it meant a person who was weak with sentimentality. Eventually, lackadaisical came to mean an affected demonstration of being slain with emotion, and eventually, simply to mean laziness.

Examples

The government’s “lackadaisical approach” in filling up sanctioned manpower at SFIO is becoming a major obstacle for the probe agency in unravelling corporate frauds, a Parliamentary panel said today. (The Economic Times)

Due to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities concerned and lack of coordination between officials of the district administration and the rural police, there has been no breakthrough in the mystery surrounding the deaths of 14 minor inmates lodged at Guru Nanak Anaath Ashram in Budhiana village in the past one year. (The Tribune)

Hull City, FA Cup finalists last year, were forced to come from behind on penalties to oust lowly Accrington Stanley from the Capital One Cup after a performance the visiting manager Steve Bruce branded lackadaisical. (The Guardian)

It is lackadaisical attitude of state government which is turning deaf ears to our demands. (The Times of India)

“We got a little lackadaisical at the end of the half and they took advantage of it,” said Travis Gabbidon, who had 21 points for Team 23. (The Hartford Courant)

The lackadaisical attitude of KDMC in vacating residents of dilapidated structures is evident. (The Daily News & Analysis)

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