gimmick
/ˈɡɪmɪk/ (bre, ipa) · [ɡˈɪmɪk] /ˈɡɪmɪk/ (ame, ipa) · [ɡˈɪmɪk] /ˈgi-mik/ (ame, mw)
gimmick — noun
- gimmicksingular
- gimmicksplural
1. a clever but often shallow feature, trick, or tactic whose main purpose is to ca
a clever but often shallow feature, trick, or tactic whose main purpose is to catch people's attention and make them buy a product or support an idea
The cooking show's golden whisk prize was merely a gimmick to draw viewers.
"merely a gimmick" — dismissive phrase showing lack of substance
Diya suspected the travel agency's free tickets to Bali were just an advertising gimmick.
Haruto called the gym's miracle belt an overpriced gimmick and rolled his eyes.
Critics dismissed the museum's holographic whale exhibit as a flashy gimmick with no educational value.
The company's eco-friendly bottle was a marketing gimmick — the plastic was not recyclable.
用法筆記
Commonly used in dismissive phrases such as "just a gimmick" or "merely a gimmick" to express that something lacks real value or sincerity.
常見錯誤
2. a hidden requirement, cost, or negative aspect of an offer that is deliberately
a hidden requirement, cost, or negative aspect of an offer that is deliberately kept unclear until after someone has agreed to it
James found the gimmick in the rental contract: a mandatory monthly parking fee.
"found the gimmick" — pattern for revealing a hidden drawback
Marco realized the phone plan's gimmick: data speeds dropped sharply after five gigabytes.
collocation: "the gimmick behind [something]" — prepositional structure
The scholarship offer's gimmick was on page twelve: graduates had to work for the donor for three years.
The automatic renewal gimmick caught everyone off guard because nobody read the fine print.
- catch
shorter and more direct; very common in everyday speech ("What's the catch?")
- hidden clause
more formal and specific to contracts and legal documents
- pitfall
suggests an unforeseen danger rather than a deliberately concealed condition
gimmick — verb
- gimmickpresent simple I / you / we / they
- gimmicks3rd person singular
- gimmicking-ing form
- gimmickedpast simple
1. to add showy or superficial features to something — such as a product, presentat
to add showy or superficial features to something — such as a product, presentation, or event — in order to make it seem more appealing, often without improving its real quality or value
The candidate gimmicked the presentation with flashy slides instead of offering real policy ideas.
pattern: "gimmick + [noun] with [showy feature]"
The hotel gimmicked the buffet with fruit carvings, but the basic food was mediocre.
The developer gimmicked the interface with colorful icons instead of fixing the software bugs.
The toy maker gimmicked the card game with a digital scoreboard to attract younger buyers.
Restaurants in Bangkok often gimmick their menus with playful dish names and bright photos.
A local café gimmicked its Halloween drinks with glowing ice cubes to attract social media posts.
文法句型
gimmick + noun phrase
gimmick + noun phrase + with + noun phrase