Bring miserable self downstairs at once

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello everyone,

In the 1948 movie Shanghai Chest there is a scene where Charlie Chan discovers that his son Tommy overheard him talking on the phone and tells him: Bring miserable self downstairs at once.

I suspect it should be “your miserable self”, but what does “miserable” mean in this context?
Unhappy (sad, depressed), unfortunate/unlucky (implying something like loser/failure)? Shameful (implying that Tommy should be ashamed of what he was doing)? Something else?

Thank you.

The scene in question starts at 37.25.

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2

It means something like worthless. Shameful might work also.

Miserable can also mean unhappy, sad or depressed, but that’s not how it’s used in this case.

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3

Thank you, NearlyNapping.

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4

You might also hear the saying “He’s a miserable excuse for a human being.”

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5

Thank you, Arinker.

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