shabby
(redirected from shabbier)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus.
not bad
Better than average or expected; satisfactory. A: "How's your new schedule this semester?" B: "Not bad. I don't have any classes before 11 AM, so that's a win in my book!" I didn't think I'd like it, but sushi isn't bad!
not too shabby
1. Quite good. A: "Did you see Dan's new car?" B: "Yeah, not too shabby!"
2. Better than expected; not bad. A: "What did you think of the play?" B: "Not too shabby, actually."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Not bad (at all).
1. [Someone or something is] quite satisfactory. Bill: How do you like your new teacher? Jane: Not bad. Bob: Is this pen okay? Bill: I guess. Yeah. Not bad.
2. [Someone or something is] really quite good. (The person or thing can be named, as in the examples.) John: How do you like that new car of yours? Mary: Not bad. Not bad at all. Tom: This one looks great to me. What do you think? Sue: It's not bad.
not too shabby
1. Inf. nice; well done. (With emphasis on shabby.) Is that your car? Not too shabby'.' That play was not too shabby.
2. Inf. very shabby; very poor indeed. (With emphasis on too. Sarcastic.) Did you see that shot she missed? Not too shabby! What a way to treat someone. Not too shabby!
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
not bad
Also, not half bad; not so or too bad ; not too shabby. Fairly good, as in Not bad, said the conductor, but we need to play the scherzo again, or The movie wasn't half bad, but Jerry wanted to go home, or Our garden's not too bad this year, or How are things going?-Not too shabby. All of the terms involving bad, which imply that something is less bad than it might be, date from the mid-1700s. The last variant, using shabby in the sense of "inferior," is slang of the late 1900s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
not (so/too) ˈbad
(spoken) quite good: ‘How are you feeling today?’ ‘Not too bad, thanks.’ ♢ Some of his recent books are really not bad.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
not too shabby
1. mod. [with emphasis on shabby] nice; well done. Is that your car? Not too shabby!
2. mod. [with emphasis on too] very shabby; very poor indeed. (Sarcastic.) What a way to treat someone. Not too shabby!
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.