wrong side of the tracks
The part of town that is not inhabited by the wealthy. An area where the working class, poor or extremely poor live.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.”
“Rent is much cheaper on the wrong side of the tracks.”
“Her parents were worried because the boy she liked lived on the wrong side of the tracks.”
“The new housing project aims to improve public services for families living on the wrong side of the tracks.”
“Despite his refined education, he never quite escaped the stigma of having been raised on the wrong side of the tracks.”
The phrase reflects the nineteenth-century urban planning of municipalities in which railway tracks served as the primary instrument of social segregation. The smoke and noise of the engines typically dictated that the affluent resided upwind, while those of lesser means were relegated to the opposite side of the line. The tracks functioned as a literal and economic boundary, ensuring that different classes of residents remained neatly partitioned by the passage of the train.
- 01
bark up the wrong tree
To take the wrong approach to a situation; to follow a false lead; to attempt to solve a problem using mistaken assumptions about its true nature.
- 02
bright side
A consoling aspect of a difficult situation.
- 03
butter one's bread on both sides
To profit from two things at the same time, especially when those things seem contradictory or incompatible.
- 04
do somebody wrong
To treat someone badly or unfairly.
- 05
err on the side of
To behave in a manner which favours or which is biased toward.
- 06
err on the side of caution
To act in the least risky manner in a situation in which one is uncertain about the consequences.
- 07
fall into the wrong hands
To become the possession of, or be discovered by, an unfriendly third party.
- 08
get into the wrong hands
To fall into the wrong hands.
Last updated August 10, 2026