The term tawdry, now synonymous with “gaudy”, originally referred to a style of lace necklace worn by women during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. However, with the rise of Puritan influence in the mid-1600s, this type of lace fell out of favor, leading to the term being associated with flashy and showy things in general. Interestingly, the term “tawdry lace” is actually a shortened form of “St. Audrey’s lace.” St. Audrey, an Anglo-Saxon queen, was known for her love of lace necklaces, which were believed to have contributed to her death from throat cancer, considered by her to be a divine punishment for her excessive adornment in her youth. The name Audrey, or Æðelðryð in its original form, derives from Germanic roots denoting “noble” and “might,” and gained popularity through its association with the saint.
