English

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Etymology

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From get +‎ nothing.

Noun

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get-nothing (plural get-nothings)

  1. (obsolete) A lazy person; an idler; a layabout.
    • 1614, Thomas Adams, The Diuells Banket [The Devil's Banquet]‎[1], page 76:
      Euery get-nothing is a theefe, and lazineſſe is a ſtolen water: if the Deuill can winne thee, to plye hard this liquour, hee knowes it will whet thy ſtomach to any vice.

Synonyms

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