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

See Examples For:

seamy side

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 ● May 7, 2022

Such belief in the virtue of the people emerges throughout these reports — an unexpected epilogue to their relentless documenting of the seamy side of American public life.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 22, 2019

As word leaked about Bell’s impending departure, more details about a seamy side to the “economic emancipation” campaign started to emerge.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 5, 2017

The investigation takes the initially skeptical Rebus far from the seamy side of Edinburgh, his usual turf.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2013

I refer to such problems only to remark that Crabbe must be consulted by those who wish to look upon the seamy side of the time which he describes.

From Hours in a Library New Edition, with Additions. Vol. II (of 3) by Sir Leslie Stephen

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