early 17th cent.: short for tawdry lace, a fine silk lace or ribbon worn as a necklace in the 16th-17th cents， contraction of St Audrey's lace: Audrey was a later form of Etheldrida (died 679)， patron saint of Ely where tawdry laces， along with cheap imitations and other cheap finery， were traditionally sold at a fair.