scum of the earth

English

Noun

scum of the earth (uncountable)

1. (informal, derogatory, idiomatic) An undesirable individual; the worst type of person or people.

   Antonym: salt of the earth

   Child abusers and pedophiles are the scum of the earth.

   • 2018 August 20, “Q&A: John Marsden says he would not have written the Tomorrow series today”, in ABC News‎^[1], archived from the original on 21 July 2019:

     When I see people who arrive here legitimately seeking refuge and shelter, and they are treated as the scum of the Earth and they are sentenced to awful detention and sometimes death by both major political parties […]

Translations

undesirable individual

• French: lie de l'humanité f

References

• “the scum of the earth”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “scum of the earth”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.