rubbish, noun

Plurals:
unchanged.
Origin:
British English, South African EnglishShow more Special use of British English rubbish (used only as a noncount noun). In South African English, the word is used as though both singular and plural.
colloquial
An unsavoury character. Also attributive.
1941 ‘R. Roamer’ in Bantu World 15 Feb. 5If this Jeremiah rubbish left me thinking I would starve, he was mistaken.
1961 M.A. Wall Dominee & Dom-Pas 20The Chief Commissioner of Police will be here — I hope he will give us orders to shoot dead all these rubbish!
1971 J. McClure Steam Pig (1973) 32Truly artistic people — as opposed to the rubbish at the university — were so often the retiring sort.
1984 Drum July 22I dug my fingernail into his arm and whispered, ‘You are a rubbish. Keep your eyes on her face — not on her exposed thighs’.
1989 E. Bregin Kayaboeties 35She turned to Peter. ‘And next time, you bladdy rubbish, ask before you swipe my new mattresses!’ she bellowed, making us all jump.
1990 G. Evans in Weekly Mail 27 Apr. (Suppl.) 6As an only child living with his mother there was always the risk of me turning into either a ‘nancy’ or the biggest rubbish on two legs.
An unsavoury character. Also attributive.
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19411990
rubber duck, noun phrasen. phr.Rubicon, nounn.
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