What does "马马虎虎" mean in Chinese?

Literally, "马马虎虎" (mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ) is a reduplicated word for "horse" and "tiger."

However, Chinese people don't usually use it this way. They often use "马马虎虎" (mǎ mǎ hǔ hǔ) to describe someone who is very careless in doing things.

For example, "他做事情马马虎虎的" (He does things carelessly).

"做事情可不能打马虎眼" (You can't be careless when doing things).

In the Teochew region of China, it's also often used to describe something as barely acceptable, for example:

"他做这个茶壶马马虎虎，还行" (His teapot is okay, though.)