In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
GEWGAW
bangle, bauble, gaud, gewgaw, novelty, fallal, trinket
(noun) cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
gewgaw (plural gewgaws)
A showy trifle, a toy; a showy trinket, ornament or decoration. [from 15th c.]
Adjective
gewgaw (not comparable)
Showy; unreal; pretentious.
Synonyms
• gewgawish
Source: Wiktionary
Gew"gaw, n. Etym: [OE. gigawe, gugawe, gewgaude, prob. the same word as OE. givegove gewgaw, apparently a reduplicated form fr. AS. gifan to give; cf. also F. joujou plaything, and E. gaud, n. See Give, and cf. Giffgaff.]
Definition: A showy trifle; a toy; a splendid plaything; a pretty but worthless bauble. A heavy gewgaw called a crown. Dryden.
Gew"gaw, a.
Definition: Showy; unreal; pretentious. Seeing his gewgaw castle shine. Tennyson.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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