hard-luck storynoun [ C ]
uk/ˌhɑːdˈlʌk ˌstɔː.ri/us/ˌhɑːrdˈlʌk ˌstɔːr.i/informal disapprovinga story or piece of information that someone tells you or writes about himself or herself, intended to make you feel sympathy for that person:
She came out with some hard-luck story about never having been loved by her mother.