Low-life
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For other uses, see Low Life.
A low-life is an Americanism for a person who is considered sub-standard by their community in general. Examples of people who are often called "lowlifes" are prostitutes, drug addicts, drug dealers, alcoholics, pimps, slumlords, and corrupt officials or authority figures.[1] It may be used in a more general sense to describe anyone not "living the high-life", such as persons with low incomes or who live in poor conditions (or anyone else perceived as "lazy" by the middle and upper class), but such usage is commonly seen as an indicator of classist elitism and unfounded prejudice. This usage of the word dates to 1911 [2]
[edit] References
- ^ Block, Walter (1991). Defending the Undefendable.
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved on 2006-06-10.
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