hackneyed
１０年ほど昔、大学に通っていた頃は、ハンバーガー１個￥59という時代でした。そういう時代を経験してしまったので、最近ではマクドナルドに足を運ぶことが少なくなりました。
hackneyedには「使い古された、陳腐な」という意味があります。（ジーニアス英和大辞典）
hackneyは「馬車用の馬」という意味で、そこからこの語が生じたのではないかと思いました。(Sy)
Free gifts, cheap coffee no help as McDonald’s Japan troubles continue
TOKYO —
The collapse of McDonald’s Japan continues as the company recorded declining year-over-year sales for the 12th consecutive month at the end of March. The situation is dismal, as whatever the company does seems to end in failure.
Its 100-yen menu and free giveaways no longer impress customers who have grown accustomed to deflationary pricing. Its “Food in 60 seconds or next burger free” campaign, which the company initiated in January as a measure to help revive fortunes, also failed to deliver. And there doesn’t appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. Its most recent venture, free gum and other “unique” gifts to purchasers of breakfast sets, has been roundly criticized on the Internet as being a “hackneyed idea.”
