Visible Means of Support

A term employed in Vagrancy statutes to test whether an individual has any apparent ability to provide for himself or herself financially.

A person who has no visible means of support and loiters in a public place might be arrested and prosecuted for vagrancy.

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References in classic literature ?

Without having been in the school of the Abbe Faria, the worthy master of The Young Amelia (the name of the Genoese tartan) knew a smattering of all the tongues spoken on the shores of that large lake called the Mediterranean, from the Arabic to the Provencal, and this, while it spared him interpreters, persons always troublesome and frequently indiscreet, gave him great facilities of communication, either with the vessels he met at sea, with the small boats sailing along the coast, or with the people without name, country, or occupation, who are always seen on the quays of seaports, and who live by hidden and mysterious means which we must suppose to be a direct gift of providence, as they have no visible means of support.

View in context

The Boswells were shown trying to make their way through life in Thatcher's Britain with no visible means of support, a subject many workingclass watching the show in the late 80s could relate to.

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One bearded Asian man sat for several hours above his colleague with the only visible means of support a wooden pole.

Straight up amazing! Buskers' New Street stunt

An incredible "flying man" who buzzed a holiday jet at " 3500ft without any visible means of support has baffled aviation experts.

Holiday jet pilots report a 'flying man' at 3500ft... so was it a paraglider, balloon, a dwarf shot from a cannon or the Superman of Macclesfield?

A tenant's tendency to pay in cash com-bined with a lack of visible means of support.

How to deter drug activity; matters property with MARTIN ROBERTS

First of all, the visa requirements are fairly lenient and as long as pensioner immigrants can prove that they have an adequate visible means of support and that they will not become a burden to the state, visas are usually fairly easily obtainable," Steffers outlines.

European pensioners fell to South Africa: with many European countries struggling to keep their heads above water, South Africa seems to be the new Promised Land for pensioners and those who have retired. A good exchange rate and relatively low house prices add to the attraction

That is the consequence of letting in people to the country who have no visible means of support.

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Aside from his occasional odd job that no one saw him accomplish, he had no visible means of support.

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EVA LONGORIA The Desperate Housewife looks lovely in this, asymmetrical cut-away bodice with no visible means of support.

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He was again watched by police as he drove around in Audis, BMWs and a Land Rover Sport even though he had no visible means of support.

Jailed for flooding area with 'filthy drug'

This is all the more bizarre when you consider that these five restaurants have no visible means of support.

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They get by on car trunk sales, moving stolen property, selling drugs--all the usual business of those without visible means of support, lie says he will not do that.