weak sauce

or weak·sauce

[ week saws ]

noun

, Slang.

1. something that is weak, inadequate, inferior, etc. (often used attributively): I got a pretty weak sauce response to my complaint.

   His jokes are mostly weak sauce.

   I got a pretty weak sauce response to my complaint.

Word History and Origins

Origin of weak sauce¹

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

He has also written that Klain’s citation of his model to justify Biden’s continued presence in the race is, quote, “weak sauce.”

From Slate

Vance, Republican of Ohio, said it was shortsighted to send a “weak sauce” border security bill to the House, where Speaker Johnson has suggested it would be dead on arrival.

From New York Times

Even by his low standards of chest-thumping, this lie was weak sauce.

From Salon

“Consideration is weak sauce. We need permit denials. We need reductions in pollution. We need mitigation of hazards. We need a holistic view of appropriate sites.”

From Seattle Times

"I still don’t know what the president said," Mehta said at the Aug. 28 hearing, adding that the evidence in support of Navarro's claims was "pretty weak sauce."

From Reuters