in the gutter

Idioms and Phrases

Appropriate to or from a squalid, degraded condition. For example, The language in that book belongs in the gutter . An antonym, out of the gutter , means “away from vulgarity or sordidness,” as in That joke was quite innocent; get your mind out of the gutter . This idiom uses gutter in the sense of “a conduit for filthy waste.” [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

"He used to hide them in the gutter above his bedroom window and in the toilet cistern - I'd cut open his old teddy bears and he'd stashed them in there - my husband and I didn't know what to do."

From BBC

We're going to play in the gutter.

From Salon

There, the Wildean axiom “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” is viscerally felt — and it’s a sentiment that pulses through the cultural blood of the city.

From New York Times

The whole thing is a harsh reminder, to his face, that Trump is more suited to wallowing in the gutter than sitting on a throne.

From Salon

The whole thing is a harsh reminder, to his face, that Trump is more suited to wallowing in the gutter than sitting on a throne.

From Salon