Crossword Dictionary
DUD
dud, duds - n
a bomb that fails to explode
Synonyms
debacle, flop, bomb, bummer, bust, lemon, loser, washout
Examples
Dud weather in the morning, did a patrol in the evening, had a dud weather in the morning, did a patrol in the evening, had a dud plug.
There are some duds, sure, but with each dud Nintendo has (can we say Ninjabread Man?), there are ten other games that you will become addicted to.
Sure, you may run across a dud or two in your search for "the perfect black bag", but chances are you'll have your pick of the litter.
Etymology
1825, "person in ragged clothing," from duds (q.v.). Sense extended by 1897 to "counterfeit thing," and 1908 to "useless, inefficient person or thing." This led naturally in World War I to "shell which fails to explode," and thence to "expensive failure."