seamy

seamy side of life

The more sordid, base, or unpleasant parts or aspects of life. She thought moving to inner-city New York would be a romantic adventure, but she wasn't prepared for the seamy side of life she found there. I certainly saw the seamier sides of life when I worked in the clinic downtown.
See also: life, of, seamy, side

the seamy/seamier side (of something)

The aspects of something that are unpleasant, immoral, corrupt, or degrading. It was in the private donors' club after the fundraising dinner that we saw its seamier side, as the billionaires and corporate tycoons who claim to do so much good for the world engaged in all manner of illicit activity. The film is set in the seamy side of Hollywood in the early 1950s.
See also: seamy, side
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

the ˈseamy side (of life, etc.)

the unpleasant, dishonest or immoral aspects (of life, etc.): It’s well known that the world of entertainment has its seamy side: drug abuse, corruption, alcoholism...
See also: seamy, side
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

seamy side, the

The unsavory or worst aspect. This expression alludes to the wrong side of a garment or other fabric, in which the stitched seams show. It was first transferred by Shakespeare, “He turn’d your wit the seamy side without” (Othello, 4.2), and has been used ever since to describe the unfavorable side of things.
See also: seamy
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • appear to
  • a change of heart
  • a mystery to (one)
  • be (like) a bird in a gilded cage
  • a piece of the action
  • a piece/slice of the action
  • be like a fish out of water
  • a fish out of water
  • bit of the action
  • a bit of the action
References in periodicals archive
To fight and survive in the seamy world of politics, a party needs different kinds of people.
Patel & Gandhi
"It's important to prepare pitches which assure the fast bowlers to begin with -- not extraordinarily too damp, too moist or too seamy -- but you won't really get an ideal wicket so the toss becomes crucial."
Prasad picks India for World Cup
And yet today it could seem seamy; especially if postmarked Mykonos, the renowned 'gay island', which markets itself on casual carnality.
148 Aloni
Bernard Madoff and his former penthouse apartment at 133 East 64th StreetThe couple who bought Bernard Madoff's Upper East Side penthouse duplex loved the rooftop terrace so much that they decided to look past the co-op's seamy history.
Who needs good karma when you have a terrace?
"I could not have told this story without including this sex tape," said Young, who also claims to have phone messages from Edwards to back up his seamy story.
Disgraced US Senator Edwards's ex aide says he was offered big money for sex Tape
Must this publication too make its anthem the determination to harp on the seamy prospects of a continent without any interest in uncovering the historical foundations of that imagery?
New African and all its critics
Illich arrived at CICOP with 3,000 copies of "The Seamy Side of Charity," enough for every participant to read his indictment of the American Catholic missionary initiative in Latin America.
Ivan Illich and the American Catholic missionary initiative in Latin America
King of the Bowery is an unforgettable look at the seamy side of turn of the century New York politics, as well as the roguish life and times of an amazingly charismatic (albeit morally questionable) public figure.
King of the Bowery
The movie is a hard-edged story of love, power, and betrayal set in the seamy underworld of the 1940's.
BRIEFLY SCREEN
Joshkayll Stuart Clark top Australian bowler at 4-1 He's dismissed Strauss, Cook and Colly four times each, knows where to put it and will enjoy the seamy conditions.
What's your best bet for the first Ashes Test? QUESTION OF THE DAY
The seamy side of smuggling human cargo is deftly exposed by the clear and concise writing of the Edgar Award nominated author Levine.
Illegal
He seems to prefer disasters which undermined the Empire to triumphs by which it was extended and is keen to point out the 'seamy side'.
The Decline and Fall of the British Empire 1781-1997
Norman Rockwell's ardently religious mom was so eager to lead that she led him every Sunday morning on a route to church which wound through a seamy part of town.
Moms will be moms: artists seeking cover ideas can always look to their mothers
Rock is among about 100 witnesses, including actors Sylvester Stallone, Farrah Fawcett and Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey, called to testify for the prosecution in a trial that has exposed the seamy side of the movie industry.
Chris Rock testifies in Hollywood wiretap case
It's a story of fame, greed and desire and brings the seamy world of 1950s Hollywood to vivid life.
Out & About: Rock on with world premiere