flea-bag

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Slang for a cheap or run-down lodging: "flea-bag" refers to a very inexpensive, shabby, and often dirty hotel or motel.
    • Slang for a dilapidated or infested bed: "flea-bag" can also mean a bed that is dirty, worn out, or likely to contain fleas or other pests.
    • Slang for a contemptible or untidy person: In informal American usage, "flea-bag" can denote a woman or person considered messy, slovenly, or of low character.
Usage Examples

  • Noun (cheap lodging):

    • After a long journey, they could only afford a flea-bag motel near the highway. (A very cheap, rundown motel.)

  • Noun (dirty bed):

    • The hostel’s mattress was a flea-bag, stained and smelling of mildew. (A dirty, worn-out bed likely infested with fleas.)

  • Noun (contemptible person):

    • She called him a flea-bag after he refused to clean up his mess. (A messy or untidy person, used as an insult.)
Advanced Usage

  • "flea-bag hotel": a common collocation emphasizing the low quality of the accommodation.

    • The film showed characters staying in a flea-bag hotel in the city’s worst district. (A very cheap, dirty hotel.)

  • "run like a flea-bag": used metaphorically to describe something poorly maintained or chaotic.

    • The old theatre ran like a flea-bag, with broken seats and no heating. (Operated in a shabby, disorganized manner.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Flea-bitten (adj): marked with small spots or patches; also, infested with fleas.

    • The flea-bitten blanket had holes and stains. (The blanket was infested with fleas and in poor condition.)

  • Flea market (n): a street market selling second-hand goods.

    • They bought vintage furniture at the flea market. (A market for used or antique items; note: this is a separate compound word, not directly related to "flea-bag.").
Synonyms
  • Dive: a cheap, disreputable bar or nightclub.
  • Hovel: a small, squalid dwelling.
  • Slum: a run-down, overcrowded area of a city.
  • Slattern (for person): a dirty, untidy woman.
Phrasal Verbs
Related Idioms

  • "A flea-bag joint": an informal idiom meaning a very cheap, low-quality establishment (e.g., bar, hotel, or restaurant).

    • They wouldn’t be caught dead in that flea-bag joint on the corner. (A very shabby, disreputable place.)

  • "Like a flea-bag": used to describe something worn out or infested.

    • The old couch felt like a flea-bag, full of springs and dust. (The couch was in extremely poor condition.)