clay eater
nounUsually Disparaging.
(in the South Atlantic States) a term used to refer to a poor, uneducated person from a rural area.
Origin of clay eater
1An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
usage note For clay eater
This term refers to the eating of clay-rich dirt, a persistent custom among poor white and Black people in some rural areas of the South.
Words Nearby clay eater
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use clay eater in a sentence
The term "sand-hiller," or "clay-eater," is a terrible one of reproach, and is applied unsparingly by the aristocrats.
Daring and Suffering: | William Pittenger
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