bargain-basement
1. Sold at a low or reduced price; very inexpensive. The term comes from a section of a department store, usually at the ground or basement level, where inexpensive items or those at reduced prices are sold. George paid nearly $500 for his designer suit, but I think my bargain-basement suit looks just as nice. Sure, I like fancy, expensive clothes, it's my meager bank account that forces me to buy bargain-basement versions! I found these great bargain-basement sneakers on the clearance rack at the shoe store.
2. Of very poor or inferior quality; having very little or no value. You can tell that these are bargain-basement toys: they all broke after an hour of the kids playing with them. Did this stupid bargain-basement lamp already stop working? It's no wonder your bargain-basement phone has stopped working. If you want a phone that lasts, you have to pay the price for it.
basement battler
In sports, a team that is ranked in a lower division (known as the relegation or "drop" zone) of a given league, and that competes against similarly ranked teams to try and advance into a higher division. Primarily heard in UK. They face another fierce basement battler in this week's match, and a lot is at stake for both teams. We're never going to get into a higher division if we keep losing to these basement battlers! A loss today, to a fellow basement battler, will result in the team being relegated
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