ambulance chaser
- a lawyer who seeks accident victims as clients and encourages them to sue for damages (sometimes used facetiously).
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Origin of ambulance chaser
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ambulance chaser
Historical Examples
That peculiar condition which excites the lively interest of the ambulance-chaser.
The Roycroft DictionaryElbert Hubbard
ambulance chaser
- US slang a lawyer who seeks to encourage and profit from the lawsuits of accident victims
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with ambulance chaser
ambulance chaser
An attorney who seeks to profit from someone's injury or accident; also, an inferior lawyer. For example, Karen refused to join any law firm that included ambulance chasers. The practice of suing for damages on behalf of the injured person in exchange for a contingency fee—usually a large percentage of the amount so won—may be older, but this derogatory term began to be used for lawyers who actively sought out individuals injured in accidents who required an ambulance. [Slang; late 1800s]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.