(noun) A person who has been spat out of a city, a career, an endeavor, (or anything of the like, usually of a
status that is generally perceived as "higher") and is back down to the level of normal people. Originates from the concept of an
ocean's waves "washing up" the junk (i.e., seaweed, starfish,
beachwood, plastic, debris, dead fish, etc.) onto the shore after having been spat out of the ocean.
After pursuing acting in Los Angeles with mediocre success, he came back home to Kansas, where
the folks thought of him as somewhat of a celebrity, but deep down, he knew he was just an LA wash-up.
She lost
the congressional race, was booted from her
incumbent seat, and had to pack her bags and go back to being a regular old civilian. She tried her best to not make a big presence or be seen much in her hometown, lest her community members recognize her as the political wash-up that she now is.
