street smarts

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plural noun Informal.

shrewd awareness of how to survive or succeed in any situation, especially as a result of living or working in a difficult environment, as a city ghetto neighborhood.

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Origin of street smarts

First recorded in 1970–75

Words nearby street smarts

street piano, street railway, street rod, streetscape, street-smart, street smarts, street theater, street theatre, street value, street virus, streetwalker

How to use street smarts in a sentence

A street sweeper was caught in the crossfire as a gunman fired at the officer, fatally wounding her in the back.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When it became too crowded, they moved her into an open casket on the street.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A Wall Street person should not be allowed to help oversee the Dodd-Frank reforms.
Antonio Weiss Is Not Part of the Problem|Steve Rattner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The gunman then burst from the restaurant and fled down the street with the other man.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Some weeks after, the creditor chanced to be in Boston, and in walking up Tremont street, encountered his enterprising friend.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
"We will go to the Hotel de l'Europe, if you press it;" and away the cabriolet joggled over the roughly paved street.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
While the door was open he caught a glimpse of the street outside—and of Glavis on the sidewalk below.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Then the two bodies of the men were buried, carrying them together from the street to the grave.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The height of the tower from the level of the street is 105 feet, the slated towers over the lateral pediments being smaller.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell