seamy side

Cultural  

1. The sordid, unattractive aspect of something: “Lying and stealing are part of the seamy side of life.”

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seamy side Idioms  

1. The sordid or base aspect of something, as in This nightclub certainly shows you the seamy side of the community. This term refers to the wrong side of a garment, revealing the stitched seams. Shakespeare used it figuratively in Othello (4:2): “That turn'd your wit the seamy side without.”

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Example Sentences

An opportunity arises to boost his meager finances when he acts as a guide to a group of English-speaking tourists who are keen to see the “seamy side” of the city.

From The Wall Street Journal

The book offers a powerful glimpse into the seamy side of 1970s rock 'n' roll, a time capsule-like rendering of a bygone age.

From Salon

Soon after Roosevelt assumed office following McKinley’s assassination, Lincoln sent him a letter of condolence, in which he wrote, “I do not congratulate you, for I have seen too much of the seamy side of the Presidential Robe to view it as an enviable garment.”

From Washington Post

Valray’s distinctive style is marked by off-center compositions and elliptical storytelling as well as a near-documentary obsession with the seamy side of Mediterranean ports like his hometown, Toulon.

From New York Times

An even darker glimpse of the city’s seamy side lurks downtown at the Fremont Street Experience, which to me more resembles a zombie apocalypse.

From Washington Post