useless equipment

[ˈjuːsləs ɪˈkwɪpmənt]
noun phrasepl: useless equipment (invariable) or useless equipments
equipamento inútil
1. Tools, machinery, or devices that are no longer functional, serve no practical purpose, or fail to accomplish their intended task
The old factory was filled with useless equipment that hadn't worked in decades.
A fábrica antiga estava cheia de equipamento inútil que não funcionava há décadas.
2. Resources or gear that are ineffective or inappropriate for a given purpose or situation
Bringing a heavy winter coat to the beach is useless equipment.
Levar um casaco pesado de inverno para a praia é equipamento inútil.
In Brazilian business culture, there's often pragmatic discussion about disposing of or repurposing useless equipment rather than storing it. In the US, particularly in industrial contexts, useless equipment may be recycled or sold for scrap value. The phrase reflects practical concerns in both manufacturing and everyday life about efficiency and resource management.
NYC Slang
junk equipment, piece of junk, dead weight, piece of garbage
Synonyms / Sinônimos
dead weightbroken equipmentdefunct machinerynon-functional toolsobsolete gear
Antonyms / Antônimos
essential equipmentuseful toolsfunctional machinerynecessary gearpractical equipment

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
equipamento inútil
Standard term used across most of Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
porcaria de equipamento
More colloquial; porcaria means junk or garbage
São Paulo
equipamento que não presta
Common colloquial expression meaning equipment that's no good
Portugal
equipamento inútil / equipamento sem serventia
Portuguese Portuguese may use 'sem serventia' meaning without usefulness

Related Words

wastejunkscrap metalbrokendefunctobsoleteineffective

Related Idioms & Phrases

not worth its weight in salt
more trouble than it's worth
a waste of space
about as useful as a screen door on a submarine
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