The story
Contraction of St. Audrey's lace, with reference to Saint Audrey or Æthelthryth/Æðelþryð (died 679), an Anglo-Saxon saint in whose honour a fair was held.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
tawdry lace
Today it means: A silk ribbon or string worn as a necklace in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Full definition →