guttersnipe

[ guht-er-snahyp ]

See synonyms for guttersnipe on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person belonging to or characteristic of the lowest social group in a city.
a street urchin.

Origin of guttersnipe

First recorded in 1855–60; gutter + snipe

Other words from guttersnipe

gut·ter·snip·ish, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for guttersnipe

guttersnipe

/ (ˈɡʌtəˌsnaɪp) /

noun

a child who spends most of his time in the streets, esp in a slum area
a person regarded as having the behaviour, morals, etc, of one brought up in squalor

Origin of guttersnipe

C19: originally a name applied to the common snipe (the bird), then to a person who gathered refuse from gutters in city streets

Derived forms of guttersnipe

guttersnipish, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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