bottom feeder

• bottom-feeder, bottomfeeder

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bottom feeder (plural bottom feeders)

1. A fish or other aquatic creature that feeds off the bottom of its habitat; a flatfish.
   • 2023 May 12, Lauren McCarthy, “‘A Bit Spooky’: The New Shark Species With Bright, White Eyes”, in The New York Times‎:

     The Apristurus genus, the second-most diverse group of sharks that counts about 40 species, is commonly known as the ghost or demon catshark. […] The sharks are bottom feeders and have elongated catlike eyes.

2. (by extension, informal, derogatory) A person who operates amidst or thrives on the unwholesome things in a society; one who takes advantage of the misfortune of others.
   • 2013 November 16, Christian Dem, “Bottom-feeders using social media to intimidate witnesses”, in The Daily Kos, NC:

     “[T]he rise of Facebook, Twitter and other social media has made it harder to control the flow of information, thus making it easier for bottom-feeders to bully witnesses.”

   • 2022 February 2, Elisabeth Vincentelli, “‘Pam & Tommy’: A Story of Sex, Crimes and Videotape”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The real-life cast of characters grew to include bikers, gamblers, a brutal money lender named Butchie (Andrew Dice Clay) and assorted bottom feeders like Gauthier’s accomplice Milton Ingley (Nick Offerman), a pornographer in the San Fernando Valley.

• bottom feeding

• bottom fishing