bad egg en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈbæd ɛɡ/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
An allusion to an egg that has gone bad or turned rotten.
Meanings
-
(UK, US, idiomatic) Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.
"Dat's right!" piped up the newsboy who had brought the policeman. "I see him do de trick jest a minit ago!" "This is a plot against me!" fumed the swindler. "Dat feller is a bad egg!" went on the newsboy. "His name is Bill Butts. He's a slick one, he is. Hits de country jays strong, he does!"
1906, Horatio Alger, Joe the Hotel Boy:My son had a drug problem and hired a bad egg as a chief accountant […]
1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest:"And the fifth immortal we know tried to kill you." "He is a bad''' egg. We stick to good eggs."
2017 May 26, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, May 26, 2017:I've been a fairly bad egg, Byrne, for a great many years; but, by George! I'm not entirely rotten yet.
1914 October – 1916 July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter X, in The Mucker, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published 31 October 1921, →OCLC:
- (qualifier:literal) An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bad eggs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Relateds
Translations (9)
cmn 壞蛋 /坏蛋 (rogue) · ro stricat (rogue) · fi mätämuna (rogue) · gd droch isean (rogue) · fr malfrat (rogue) · la carō pūtida (rogue) · fr bandit (rogue) · fr délinquant (rogue) · ro ticălos (rogue)