down-at-heel
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Related to down-at-heel: dug in their heels, dig in his heels
down-at-heel
(doun′ət-hēl′) or down-at-the-heel (-ət-thə-)adj.
1. Worn out from long use or neglect; dilapidated.
2. Shabbily dressed because of poverty; seedy.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
down-at-heel
adj
shabby and run down
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
down′-at-heel(s)′
or down′-at-the-heel(s)′,
adj.
of a shabby, run-down appearance; seedy.
[1695–1705]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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down-at-heel
adjective poor, impoverished, shabby, badly off, seedy, on the rocks, hard up (informal), penniless, poverty-stricken, in need, in want, impecunious, on the breadline, penurious, on your uppers, without two pennies to rub together (informal), on your beam-ends, out at elbows a down-at-heel waitress in a greasy diner
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
down-at-heel
or down-at-the-heeladjective
Showing signs of wear and tear or neglect:
bedraggled, broken-down, decaying, decrepit, dilapidated, dingy, faded, mangy, rundown, scrubby, scruffy, seedy, shabby, shoddy, sleazy, tattered, tatty, threadbare.
Informal: tacky.
Slang: ratty.
Idioms: all the worse for wear, gone to pot, past cure.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
down-at-heel
[ˈdaʊnətˈhiːl] ADJ [person, appearance] → desastrado; [bar, café] → de mala muerte; [shoes] → gastadoCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
down-at-heel
[ˌdaʊnətˈhiːl] adj → scalcagnato/a; (fig) → trasandato/aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
down1
(daun) adverb1. towards or in a low or lower position, level or state. He climbed down to the bottom of the ladder.
2. on or to the ground. The little boy fell down and cut his knee.
3. from earlier to later times. The recipe has been handed down in our family for years.
4. from a greater to a smaller size, amount etc. Prices have been going down steadily.
5. towards or in a place thought of as being lower, especially southward or away from a centre. We went down from Glasgow to Bristol.
preposition1. in a lower position on. Their house is halfway down the hill.
2. to a lower position on, by, through or along. Water poured down the drain.
3. along. The teacher's gaze travelled slowly down the line of children.
verb to finish (a drink) very quickly, especially in one gulp. He downed a pint of beer.
ˈdownward adjective leading, moving etc down. a downward curve.
ˈdownward(s) adverb towards a lower position or state. The path led downward (s) towards the sea.
down-and-ˈout noun, adjective (a person) having no money and no means of earning a living. a hostel for down-and-outs.
ˌdown-at-ˈheel adjective shabby, untidy and not well looked after or well-dressed.
ˈdowncast adjective (of a person) depressed; in low spirits. a downcast expression.
ˈdownfall noun a disastrous fall, especially a final failure or ruin. the downfall of our hopes.
ˌdownˈgrade verb to reduce to a lower level, especially of importance. His job was downgraded.
ˌdownˈhearted adjective depressed and in low spirits, especially lacking the inclination to carry on with something. Don't be downhearted! – we may yet win.
ˌdownˈhill adverb1. down a slope. The road goes downhill all the way from our house to yours.
2. towards a worse and worse state. We expected him to die, I suppose, because he's been going steadily downhill for months.
downˈhill racing noun racing downhill on skis.
downˈhill skiing nounˌdown-in-the-ˈmouth adjective
miserable; in low spirits.
down payment a payment in cash, especially to begin the purchase of something for which further payments will be made over a period of time.
ˈdownpour noun a very heavy fall of rain.
ˈdownright adverb plainly; there's no other word for it. I think he was downright rude!
adjectiveHe is a downright nuisance!
ˈdownstairs adjective , ˌdownˈstairsadverb on or towards a lower floor. He walked downstairs; I left my book downstairs; a downstairs flat.
ˌdownˈstream adverb further along a river towards the sea. We found/rowed the boat downstream.
ˌdown-to-ˈearth adjective practical and not concerned with theories, ideals etc. She is a sensible, down-to-earth person.
ˈdowntown adjective (American) the part (of a city) containing the main centres for business and shopping. downtown Manhattan.
ˌdownˈtown adverb (also down town) in or towards this area. to go downtown; I was down town yesterday.
ˈdown-trodden adjective badly treated; treated without respect. a down-trodden wife.
be/go down with to be or become ill with. The children all went down with measles.
down on one's luck having bad luck.
down tools to stop working. When the man was sacked his fellow workers downed tools and walked out.
down with get rid of. Down with the dictator!
get down to to begin working seriously at or on. I must get down to some letters!
suit (someone) down to the ground to suit perfectly. That arrangement will suit me down to the ground.
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