Waifs and Strays
. “Waifs” are stolen goods, which have been waived or abandoned by the thief. “Strays” are domestic animals which have wandered from their owners and are lost temporarily on permanently.
Waife and strays of London streets. The homeless poor.
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Entry taken from
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,
edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.