(尤指衣物、布料)磨破的;破旧褪色的;(引申)陈腐的、老掉牙的(指说法、借口、故事等)
/ˈθredˌber/
The old coat was threadbare at the elbows.
那件旧外套的肘部已经磨得发亮、很破旧了。
His excuse sounded threadbare after so many repeats.
他的借口重复了太多次,听起来已经很陈腐、毫无新意。
来自 thread(线)+ bare(裸露的),字面意思是“线都露出来了”,因此用来形容布料磨损到纤维外露;后来也引申为“陈词滥调、老套”的意思。