look as if one has been dragged through a hedge backwards
(intransitive, Britain, simile, humorous, informal) To look extremely dishevelled.
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(intransitive, Britain, simile, humorous, informal) To look extremely dishevelled.
Bill is right, for I heard him say myself she [a racehorse] couldn't stay; he'd eat her if she won: drawn too fine; was on the go; done too much work; had a bad night, and looked as if she was dragged through a hedge backwards, and hadn'…
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- look as if one had lost a shilling and found sixpence64%
(idiomatic, UK) To look very disappointed.
- face like a smacked arse63%
(chiefly, Ireland, Northern England, slang, mildly, vulgar, simile) The face of someone who looks depressed.
- like death warmed over60%
If someone looks like death warmed over, they look absolutely terrible — pale, hollow-eyed, barely functional, as if they just crawled out of a sickbed or survived a seriously rough night. The phrase conjures the image of someone who is technically still alive but not looking like they're especially glad about it. It's used both for genuine illness and for the kind of exhausted wreckage you see after an all-nighter or a bad hangover. Common across North America and Canada.
- miserable as a wet hen60%
(US, colloquial, simile) Thoroughly miserable or dejected.
- begrumpled59%
(UK, dialect) Sour, displeased or offended.