In slang, lame means boring, weak or pathetic. People say it about a dull party, a weak joke or a bad film: That party was so lame. About a person, you're lame is friendly teasing meaning you're no fun, but with strangers it sounds dismissive. In a letter, in IELTS Speaking and in essays, say boring, disappointing or poor instead.
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so/kinda + lame; that's lame; a lame + excuse/joke/party
- the party was kinda lame, so we left early and got pizza
- he cancelled again with some lame excuse about his cat
- sorry, I know that joke was lame, it sounded funnier in my head
What changed
First versionDear Ms Clarke, the hotel breakfast was quite lame, so I would like a partial refund.
RevisionDear Ms Clarke, the hotel breakfast was quite disappointing, so I would like a partial refund.
This is a complaint to a hotel, a formal letter, and the slang lame makes it look like a message to a friend. In a text like this, disappointing or poor says it was bad. Only the evaluative word was changed.
The original meaning of lame is unable to walk properly because of an injured leg. People still say it about animals: a lame horse. About a person with a bad leg, the word sounds old-fashioned and can offend; the neutral way is he walks with a limp. And the set phrase a lame excuse, an unconvincing excuse, is used outside slang too: The minister's explanation sounded like a lame excuse.
Your turn
We waited two hours and the band played only three songs, it was so ___.
Show the answer
lame — Waiting two hours for three songs is a letdown, so it's lame. Lit means amazing, really exciting, and expresses delight, which there's none of here.
Tell a friend about an event that disappointed you: say what it was and explain why it was lame.
the food festival was so lame, there were only five stalls and half of them ran out of food by noon.
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