bottom of the line

bottom of the line

The cheapest, worst, or lowest quality. Used to describe an item in a range of comparable products. I know we need to save money, but this bottom-of-the-line computer barely even works. Our washing machine broke down after just two months of use, but that's what we get for buying the bottom of the line.
See also: bottom, line, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • bottom of the barrel
  • the bottom of the barrel
  • describe (someone or something) to (someone)
  • describe to
  • as good as
  • as good as (something)
  • blanket term
  • dikey
  • dykey
  • rocket scientist, you don't have to be a
References in periodicals archive
"It's going to affect lots more - my wife, my three kids, even my cats, who seem remarkably aware of my change of mood - but the bottom of the line is that it's me who's got to face this thing," said Mr Humphrys.
Sports presenter Bob Humphrys has cancer; Devastating diagnosis revealed
Subsequently, large volumes of sediments and severe corrosion were found in the bottom of the line. The side-stream monitor was able to measure the corrosion rate under sediment at 8-12 mpy with significant pitting, as shown in Figure 3, which gave excellent correlation with the corrosion found in the pipeline and especially in valves in the line
Internal corrosion measurement enhances pipeline integrity
At the bottom of the line up is the XL which is an unadorned hauler.
Ford F-150: filling all the niches
But that's only part of Fatema's story, She had access to capital only because of the existence of an institution, Grameen Bank, that operates beyond the bottom line to benefit those at the bottom of the line. GrameenPhone "is not a charity," says co-founder Iqbal Quadir, "but a business that's trying to do a good thing."
A Fig Tree Of One's Own
According to the Committee, the principle should not be regarded as a prioritised system for spreading tasks amongst the vertically-organised levels of power (in this case, the local and regional powers are at the bottom of the line of command) but should reflect a relationship based on a horizontal partnership ensuring equality for all sides.
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS: OUTCOME OF DECEMBER PLENARY SESSION
When talking about binoculars of Zeiss quality, one hesitates to use the term "bottom of the line," but technically I suppose that's where the firm's mini-binoculars lie.
Hunting Optics
Connolly added: "My chances up the road are not looking good - I'm bottom of the line of strikers.
Film stars get the flick
Rather, Cray in the super computer business, Digital in the mini-computer and networking arena, and Apple and Compaq at the bottom of the line lead a lengthening parade of newcomers revolutionizing that industry.
Tales of new America
Most successful anglers use two flies: a black woolly worm at the bottom of the line with a white one tied as a dropper about 3 1/2 feet up.
Cool-weather angling for cutthroat trout at Pyramid Lake, Northeast of Reno
The bottom of the line specifications includes an Intel Celeron Dual-Core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 320 GB HDD.
Lenovo announces "world's smallest desktop", starting from Rs. 23,500