patchwork quilt en · NOUN
Meanings
- (literally) A decorative quilt made of pieces of cloth having diverse sizes, colors, and shapes, sewn together either to form a regular pattern or in a deliberately mismatched fashion without a pattern.
-
(broadly, figuratively) Something having a haphazard or disorganized structure; something composed of seemingly random parts.
Despite a patchwork quilt of aid that includes scholarships, loans and an on-campus job, Kenner's father, a train conductor, must now pay $6,000 out of pocket to send his daughter to school.
1989 September 25, Susan Tifft et al., “Sticker Shock at the Ivory Tower”, in Time:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| patchwork quilts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Synonyms
hodgepodge (Something having a haphazard or disorganized structure or random composition) · jumble (Something having a haphazard or disorganized structure or random composition)
Translations (11)
de Patchworkdecke (decorative quilt) · de Flickenteppich (disorganized structure) · fi tilkkutäkki (decorative quilt) · de Sammelsurium (disorganized structure) · sv lapptäcke (decorative quilt) · la centō (decorative quilt) · fi tilkkutäkki (disorganized structure) · nb lappeteppe (decorative quilt) · sv sammelsurium (disorganized structure) · nn lappeteppe (decorative quilt) · es colcha de parches (decorative quilt)