clay eater
noun Usually Disparaging.
(in the South Atlantic States) a term used to refer to a poor, uneducated person from a rural area.
Origin of clay eater
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
usage note for clay eater
This term refers to the eating of clay-rich dirt, a persistent custom among poor white and black people in some rural areas of the South.
Words nearby clay eater
clawhand,
clawson,
claxon,
clay,
clay court,
clay eater,
clay flour,
clay mineral,
clay pigeon,
clay road,
clay stone
Example sentences from the Web for clay eater
The term "sand-hiller," or "clay-eater," is a terrible one of reproach, and is applied unsparingly by the aristocrats.
Daring and Suffering: |William Pittenger