the low road

the low road

Any method, practice, or course of action that is unethical, unscrupulous, underhanded, or otherwise base or vile. Most often used in the phrase "take the low road." It's unfair that those who work the hardest will be undermined by those who choose to take the low road to success. I didn't raise my son to be the type of person who would choose the low road in life!
See also: low, road
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • take the low road
  • quick buck
  • fast buck
  • be in (one's) pocket
  • in (one's) hip pocket
  • in (one's) pocket
  • in one's pocket
  • in pocket
  • in somebody's pocket
  • in someone's hip pocket
References in periodicals archive
Though the press previews have largely indicated he will take the high road in terms of unifying themes, he has hinted at the low road of calling for divisive emergency power spending on the wall.
"I will not take the low road by trying to hurt another person in public.
'But then he took the high road to be a newsreader and I took the low road to go and report on politics.' The voyage, with accomplished sailors Mungo and Stella, starts at Lowestoft in Suffolk - but comes to an abrupt halt when there's a problem with the boat and they have to return to dry land.
The low road winners were Fay Henderson, Alex Mackintosh, Nevis Harmjanz and Beth Rowley from Dumfries.
I'll take the Low road He dresses a bit like Joachim Low, rocking the skintight woollen jumper, and we can only hope Gary Caldwell now hasn't copied the German gaffer's disgusting scratch and sniff tactics witnessed at Euro 2016.
The low road will cost jobs, growth, and stability.
He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road.
"Everyone was singing, 'You take the high road and I'll take the low road'.
Jack said: "North Shields was once packed with horse-drawn vehicles carrying goods of every type to and from the Low Road. During herring season it was even worse as most streets were so narrow, pedestrians had to dodge into the alleys and doorways to avoid being run down.
It's easier to take the high road but sometimes through circumstances we might deem uncontrollable we are forced to take the low road. It's inevitable; even if we really ascribe to and pontificate on how we're high road dwellers.
He covers the columnists who tracked their adventures and misadventures--Cholly Knickerbocher and Walter Winchell who took the low road, and the classy Lucius Beebe, who took the high road.
Racing down could guarantee a pile up on that nasty bend at the bottom so as Tom Waits for the Broken Bicycles to be cleared up the rest would have to take the low road to Holmfirth and Barry would miss them.
Glasgow's Fake Major have taken the low road south once before to Teesside for The Kids Are Solid Gold, playing the all-day festival, Sumday, at the Westgarth Social Club at the start of May.
THE LOW ROAD by Chris Womersley (Quercus, PS7.99) LEE is the young ex-con with a bullet in his side, desperate for a fresh start, while Wild is the morphine-addicted doctor who is roped in to save him.