ambulance chaser
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.08 in modern English
26
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An unethical attorney who solicits business at the scenes of accidents or in hospitals, in exchange for a percentage of the damages that will be recovered in the case.
Derogatory
noun
An attorney who engages in unethical behavior.
noun
An unethical funeral director or person who engages in the unlicensed sale of services to those who do not yet require them in an attempt to increase business.
Derogatory
Example Sentences
- "You know nothing about the law. You're a used-car salesman, Daniel. You're an ambulance chaser with a rank. You're nothing. Live with that."
- "Republicans have tried to cast him as a millionaire ambulance chaser, the kind of man who forces doctors and businesses to pay ever higher liability-insurance costs."
Etymology
The origins of this phrase date from 1897, from newspaper articles about attorneys seeking clients through targeted mail solicitation. “Ambulance chasing” was one of the descriptive phrases employed by the media for this activity. It later became a derogatory term for direct advertising.
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.