"We got James's grades in the mail this afternoon. Lackaday, but that boy is lackadaisical about his studies."
Shortened from "alack the day," where "alack" was used to express alarm or disapproval. "Alack" is a form of "alas," which comes from Middle English by way of Old French a las, helas, "ah (I am) miserable," from Latin lassus, "weary." "Lassus" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "le-," which also gives us lassitude, "a condition of weariness or listlessness." This word fell out of use, but its offshoot, "lackadaisical," is still with us. "Lackadaisical" is an irregular eighteenth-century formation from "lackaday" and means "lacking spirit." "Lackadaisical" doesn't quite mean "lazy," but rather, "disinterested."
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