any large, crowded city or urban area regarded as a dangerous place where people are engaged in a struggle for survival.
Origin: apparently coined by George Ade in a fable published in 1917; popularized by a novel of the same title (1949) by W.R. Burnett (born 1899), U.S. novelist and screenwriter
n. the paved landscape of the city; the city viewed as a savage place. : I don't look forward to spending the rest of my days in an asphalt jungle.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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