guttersnipe
Ragged street child
A guttersnipe is a ragged, dirty child who lives on the streets—the sort found playing in gutters.
The term extends to anyone of low breeding or vulgar manners: He called her a guttersnipe for spitting on the sidewalk.
The word is old-fashioned and somewhat literary, carrying a Victorian flavor of class contempt.
Abandoned, neglected child
- ragamuffinShabby, unkempt child
- orphanChild whose parents died
- foundlingAbandoned child discovered
- strayWander from course
vagrant · beggar · castaway · dispossessed · neglected · abandoned · destitute · waifish
Ripped and worn out
- shabbyWorn and neglected
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- wornDamaged by use
- frayedUnraveled at edges
disheveled · scruffy · unkempt · dirty · grimy · sooty · filthy · bedraggled
Lovable troublemaker
- scoundrelDishonest, unscrupulous person
- riffraffDisreputable or undesirable people
- hooliganViolent young troublemaker
- roughneckOil platform laborer
knave · rapscallion · ne'er-do-well · delinquent · miscreant · troublemaker · scamp · imp
Narrow urban passage
- cobblestoneRiver-smoothed paving stone
- tenementMulti-unit urban dwelling
- slumImpoverished urban district
- pavementHard road covering
backstreet · workhouse · lamplighter · chimney · sewer · dock · wharf · marketplace
Insulting group label
- tauntInsulting provocation
- scornHostile dismissive feeling
- contemptDisdainful disregard
- disdainScornful disregard
mockery · belittle · disparage · denigrate · pejorative · derogatory · epithet · sneer
Practical shrewdness
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
- scrappyAggressively spirited despite odds
wily · quick-witted · street-smart · survivor · adaptable · opportunistic · hustler · dodger
waif
Abandoned, neglected child
- ragamuffinShabby, unkempt child
- orphanChild whose parents died
- foundlingAbandoned child discovered
stray · vagrant · beggar · castaway · dispossessed · neglected · abandoned · destitute · waifish · forlorn
tattered
Ripped and worn out
- shabbyWorn and neglected
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- wornDamaged by use
frayed · disheveled · scruffy · unkempt · dirty · grimy · sooty · filthy · bedraggled · squalid
rascal
Lovable troublemaker
- scoundrelDishonest, unscrupulous person
- riffraffDisreputable or undesirable people
- hooliganViolent young troublemaker
roughneck · knave · rapscallion · ne'er-do-well · delinquent · miscreant · troublemaker · scamp · imp · hellion
alleyway
Narrow urban passage
- cobblestoneRiver-smoothed paving stone
- tenementMulti-unit urban dwelling
- slumImpoverished urban district
pavement · backstreet · workhouse · lamplighter · chimney · sewer · dock · wharf · marketplace · lane
slur
Insulting group label
disdain · mockery · belittle · disparage · denigrate · pejorative · derogatory · epithet · sneer · jeer
savvy
Practical shrewdness
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
scrappy · wily · quick-witted · street-smart · survivor · adaptable · opportunistic · hustler · dodger · artful
- old insultsknave, varlet, scoundrel, rogue, blackguard
- street childrenurchin, waif, gamin, ragamuffin, stray
- outcastsoutcast, pariah, pariahs, outcasts, outlaws
- troublemakerstroublemaker, rascals, delinquents, imps, brats
- class labelsaristocrat, beggar, bourgeois, commoner, elite
- boorsboor, lout, oaf, churl, vulgarian
guttersnipearistocrat
Person of noble birth
blue blood · socialite · patrician · highborn · nobleman
guttersnipesophisticate
Worldly, cultured person
gentleman · lady · well-bred · cosmopolitan · polished