Lamely

adv. [f. LAME a. + -LY².] In a lame manner; with halting steps or limbs; haltingly; imperfectly, defectively, inefficiently.

1591.  Shaks., Two Gent., II. i. 97. Val. She enjoin’d me, To write some lines to one she loves…. Speed. Are they not lamely writt? Ibid. (1594), Rich. III., I. i. 22. Deform’d, vnfinish’d … scarse halfe made vp, And that so lamely and vnfashionable, That dogges barke at me, as I halt by them.

1599.  Life More, in Wordsw., Ecl. Biog. (1853), II. 94. This booke … is translated … into English absurdly and lamely.

1614.  T. Adams, in Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., lxxi. 18. A comedy that … goes lamely off in the last act, finds no applause.

1679.  Dryden, Troylus & Cr., Pref. So lamely is it left to us, that it is not divided into Acts.

1709.  Steele & Swift, Tatler, No. 66, ¶ 1. They who speak gracefully, are very lamely represented in having their Speeches read or repeated by unskilful People.

1739.  Hume, Hum. Nature (1874), I. Introd. 305. Principles taken upon trust, consequences lamely deduced from them.

1837.  Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. IV. iv. Halting lamely along, thou noticest next Bishop Talleyrand-Perigord.

1885.  R. W. Dixon, Hist. Ch. Eng., III. 201. Cardwell lamely tries to screen Ridley.