down-at-the-heels
[ doun-uht-thuh-heelz ]
/ ˈdaʊn ət ðəˈhilz /
adjective
having a shabby, run-down appearance; seedy: He is rapidly becoming a down-at-the-heels drifter and a drunk.
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTAlso down-at-the-heel; down-at-heel [doun-uht-heel], /ˈdaʊn ət ˈhil/, down-at-heels .
Origin of down-at-the-heels
First recorded in 1695–1705
Words nearby down-at-the-heels
dowly, Dow metal, down, down-and-dirty, down-and-out, down-at-the-heels, down-ballot, downbeat, down-bow, downburst, down card
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for down-at-the-heels
Mr. Howells has aptly described Hannibal as a "loafing, out-at-elbows, down-at-the-heels, slaveholding Mississippi river town."
Mark Twain|Archibald Henderson"Down-at-the-heels gentility gone into trade," smiled Marcia.
Destiny|Charles Neville Buck