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seamy

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seamy side of life

Kend> Fig. the most unpleasant or roughest aspect of life. (A reference to the inside of a garment where the seams show.) Doctors in that area really see the seamy side of life. Mary saw the seamy side of life when she worked as a volunteer in the homeless shelter.

See also: life, of, seamy, side

seamy side

The sordid or base aspect of something, as in This nightclub certainly shows you the seamy side of the community. This term refers to the wrong side of a garment, revealing the stitched seams. Shakespeare used it figuratively in Othello (4:2): "That turn'd your wit the seamy side without."

See also: seamy, side