ENGLISH
REFERENCE

lame

adj. · v. · n.
US //ˈɫeɪm// lame
  1. 1 uncool or boring (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    boring, uncool, or not very good. You use this when you think something is disappointing or socially awkward.

    socially inadequate, uninteresting, or pathetic. This sense is highly informal and often used to dismiss something as being of poor quality or lacking style.

    Example

    That movie was so lame that we left before it even finished.

    Example

    He tried to make a joke to impress the group, but it was so lame that everyone just looked at him in silence.

    Teacher's tip

    While very common in casual speech, some people find this usage insensitive because it stems from a physical disability.
  2. 2 unconvincing (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    weak or difficult to believe, especially when used to describe an excuse.

    weak and unconvincing; lacking the necessary force or evidence to be effective.

    Example

    He gave a lame excuse about his alarm clock not going off.

    Example

    The company issued a rather lame apology that failed to address the actual concerns of the customers.
Show 4 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 physically impaired (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    unable to walk properly because of an injury or problem with the leg or foot.

    having a physical disability that prevents normal walking or movement of the limbs.

    Example

    The horse went lame after stepping on a sharp stone during the race.

    Example

    The vet examined the dog to determine why it had suddenly gone lame in its front left paw.

    Teacher's tip

    In modern English, using this to describe a person is often considered offensive or dated; it is more commonly applied to animals like horses today.
    • able bodied
  2. 4 to injure (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary

    to cause a person or animal to become unable to walk properly.

    to render a person or animal lame through injury or physical trauma.

    Example

    The accident threatened to lame him for the rest of his life.

    Example

    A poorly fitted shoe can easily lame a horse if the rider is not attentive to the animal's gait.
  3. 5 bread scoring tool (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Cooking

    a special tool with a sharp blade used to cut the top of bread dough before it is baked.

    a thin, sharp blade used by bakers to score the surface of bread dough to control its expansion during baking.

    Example

    She used a sharp lame to create a beautiful leaf pattern on the sourdough loaf.

    Example

    Professional bakers prefer using a curved lame for baguettes to achieve the perfect 'ear' as the crust expands in the oven.

    Usage

    Pronounced like 'lahm' to distinguish it from the adjective sense.
  4. 6 armor plate (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Technical

    a thin plate of metal used in a suit of armor.

    a thin plate or scale of metal, particularly one of several used in a suit of flexible plate armor.

    Example

    The knight's armor was made of several overlapping lames to allow for movement.

    Example

    The museum conservator carefully cleaned each individual lame of the sixteenth-century pauldrons to prevent further corrosion.
Etymology 1

From Middle English lame, from Old English lama (“lame”), from Proto-West Germanic lam, from Proto-Germanic lamaz (“lame”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃lemH- (“to tire; to break”).

Etymology 2

From Middle French lame, from Latin lāmina. Doublet of lamina.

Idioms1 entry

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