Sentence:  So they have trooped forth to organize village down-and-outs and <WSD>ne'er-do-wells</WSD> into would-be combat units. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A person without a means of support; an idle, worthless person; a loafer; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; a good-for-nothing.