wrong side of the tracks

the wrong side of the tracks

A part of a town or city that is particularly impoverished (and usually dangerous or undesirable as a result). "Tracks" refers to railroad tracks, which are sometimes thought of as demarcating different economic areas of a town. I was always looked down on as a kid because I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. His mother didn't want him dating anyone from the wrong side of the tracks.
See also: of, side, track, wrong
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

wrong side of the tracks

see under right side of the tracks.
See also: of, side, track, wrong
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

wrong side of the tracks

n. the poor side of town. I’m glad I’m from the wrong side of the tracks. I know what life is really like.
See also: of, side, track, wrong
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

wrong side of the tracks, the

The undesirable side of town. This term came into being after the building of railroads, which often sharply divided a town into two districts, one prosperous and one not. (Of course, the same phenomenon had existed prior to railroad tracks.) Thus Miss Cholmondeley wrote, in Diana Tempest (1893), “The poor meagre home in a dingy street; the wrong side of Oxford Street.”
See also: of, side, wrong
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

wrong side of the tracks

The less desirable part of town. In many 19th- and early-20th-century America, railroad tracks divided a city or town. On one side was the middle- and upper-class residential and commercial area. On the other were factories and residential shacks and tenements. Since residents of the former made class distinctions and applied appropriate language, anyone from the other part of town came from the wrong side of the tracks.
See also: of, side, track, wrong
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • other side of the tracks
  • side of the tracks
  • the other side of the tracks
  • the wrong side of the tracks
  • wrong side of the tracks, the
  • the right side of the tracks
  • right side of the tracks
  • from the wrong side of the tracks
  • from/on the wrong side of the tracks
  • on the wrong side of the tracks
References in periodicals archive
With parents safely out of the room, barely 15 minutes of programming goes by without an ad-break in which they are tempted by assorted Dancing Barbie Princesses (of which there are 12 to collect), monstrosities called Diamond Bratz, which would look like Barbie if she grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and robotic puppies, of which the only good thing that can be said is that unlike a real puppy they will not be for life and probably will just be for Christmas before they are hurled in the bin.
The cynical marketing of plastic tat to children via Channel 5 in particular is breathtaking
I have worked on the west side of Saskatoon, the wrong side of the tracks, for 50 years.
The church need not look far to see its neighbours
Reflections from the wrong side of the tracks; class, identity, and the working class experience in academe.
Reflections from the wrong side of the tracks; class, identity, and the working class experience in academe
It feels as if I've been bowled middle stump on 99, playing at Lord's against the Australians David James on his resignation as chairman of Racecourse Holdings Trust, laying the blame on a perceived class divide that placed him on the wrong side of the tracks
The Things They Said
Little did Louis realize that the building he purchased at 153 East 54th Street was, at the time, literally on the 'wrong side of the tracks': Mr.
Rudin family celebrates 100 years in real estate
When kids do have the rare opportunity to mingle with those on the wrong side of the tracks, though, the experience can have revelatory effects.
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Jazz was born on the wrong side of the tracks in the demimonde, red-light districts of American cities during the naughty nineties.
Jazz at New York City Ballet
The point is how Harding has been used as a warning to other women and girls, especially those from "the wrong side of the tracks." It is a warning about knowing your caste and staying in it.
The media on thin ice
Jersey Boys tells the true story of four boys, from the wrong side of the tracks, who wrote their own songs, invented their own unique sound, and sold 100m records worldwide.
YOUR NEXT 48 hours MUSIC, THEATRE, COMEDY AND MORE ... FOUR PAGES OF LISTINGS START HERE
The chancellor is destroying the hopes and dreams of clever kids born on the wrong side of the tracks, unless he reverses cuts to universal credit to support working families.
Policies a cruel con; Letters
By robbing poor Peters to pay for tax cuts of wealthy Pauls the Chancellor is destroying the hopes and dreams of clever kids born on the wrong side of the tracks.
One cruel Con; VOICE OF THE
JASON DAY has revealed being turned on to golf by his coach and surrogate father saved him from a life on the wrong side of the tracks.
Caddie is my daddy; USPGA GOLF TEARS OF A CROWN Jason: I was boozing at 12 but Colin saved my life and turned me into a champ
For anyone who doesn't know the tale, Jersey Boys is based on the true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks.
The boys are back in town; JERSEY BOYS, SUNDERLAND EMPIRE
For the uninitiated, Jersey Boys tells the remarkable true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks.
Jersey Boys head North with smash hit show
"In my own small way I have been something of a role model for kids from the wrong side of the tracks."
'Role model' Sol inspired by Mandela