From the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language...the definitive record of the English Language.
2. cheap, adj., adv., and n.2 View full entry 1517
...That may be bought at small cost; bearing a relatively low price; inexpensive. Opposed to dear.
The real definition and usage doesn't encompass quality But it has attained that color over time from 1517 and is generally used sloppily in language by Americans, as we do so many words, that it leads to misunderstanding.
Cheap and Nasty was the original phrase that lead to the use of the word Cheap as another term for Shoddy.
