threadbare

Preposition: in

place: The carpet was threadbare in places and the room smelled stale and dirty.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

look: That ostrich may be looking a bit threadbare after all these years, but I laughed so much I nearly soiled myself.

Modifies a noun

• squad: Nigel Worthington's threadbare squad saw today's match become a memorable occasion for three of the 14 players in yellow.
• carpet: Both of our houses were poorly furnished, with very old threadbare carpets.
• plot: Therefore, even with its threadbare plot, well worth seeing.
• luggage: It's equally important tho not to use old threadbare luggage which isn't up to a mild bruising from baggage handlers.
• appearance: Not just holes but they have a flimsy, see-through, threadbare appearance.
• notion: The threadbare popular notion of skills is replaced by a richer one.

Modifying Another Word

• rather: In this case an opinion held by very few, mainly those who want to add emotive language to a rather threadbare cause.
• little: Even the Leopard's ongoing festival of nostalgia is looking a little threadbare.
• so: Why does it have to be so threadbare going on gimcrack, recycling motoring and travel shows against rather desultory newscasts?
• very: From the original ten pairs of socks, I now have twelve very threadbare odd ones.
• increasingly: But to claim that a truly civic culture of engagement and participation can be enabled in any other way looks increasingly threadbare.
• particularly: All of a sudden the schedules on Saturday are looking particularly threadbare.

Used with adjective complement

• look: The merchandise stall, for instance, is looking threadbare.
• become: Helen ( Pauline McLynn ) and Paul ( Paul McGann ) have been married for 25 years, but their relationship has become threadbare.
• go: It will have lost its luster, gone threadbare, But new, it bore the wedding day's bowtie.