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street urchin

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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A term originating in Victorian England.

Noun

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street urchin (plural street urchins)

  1. (British, dated) A child who lives, or spends most of their time, in the streets; sometimes a petty thief or pickpocket.
    • 1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 84:
      She ran to the door and there beheld the ragged street urchin calmly playing his organ.
    • 2020, Raju Kasambe, Indian Grey Hornbill: Unravelling the Secrets, page 94:
      On many occasions, groups of street urchins were seen climbing up large trees for squabs of Rose-ringed Parakeets[.]

Synonyms

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Translations

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