ill repute

• ill-repute

ill repute (uncountable)

1. Bad reputation; notoriety.

   He was held in ill repute, no one would trust him enough to do business with him.

2. (euphemistic) Prostitution and the sex industry.
   • 1997, Aileen Schumacher, Engineering for Murder, page 69:

     His list of sexual contacts was quite long, and included ladies from some of the ritzier establishments of ill repute across the border.

• house of ill repute (“brothel”)
• woman of ill repute