Definition

(Adjective) Trivial, worthless; showy but unsubstantial; trumpery.

In Context

“Even though this policy was never entirely implemented – there were transfers from the metropoles to build colonial infrastructure, pay down debts, and even to pay routine administrative expenses – it meant that the colonial enterprise was run as cheaply as possible: ‘a gimcrack effort run by two men and a dog.'”

M. A. Thomas, Govern Like Us: U.S. Expectations of Poor Countries, 2015.