guttersnipe

[ guht-er-snahyp ]
/ ˈgʌt ərˌsnaɪp /

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

Example sentences from the Web for guttersnipe

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

Derived forms of guttersnipe

guttersnipish, adjective

Word Origin for guttersnipe

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