something is rotten in the state of Denmark en · X
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
A line spoken by Marcellus in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act I, scene iv.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Something is not right, seriously amiss, especially when leading to suspicion of motive.
If divided roughly, two-thirds of them work in desk jobs while one-third are involved in field work. When one gets that sort of proportion one begins to think, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”.
1992 November 18, Lord Mackie of Benshie, “World Food Situation”, in parliamentary debates (Lords Chamber), volume 540, column 661:Something is rotten in the ſtate of Denmarke.
[c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], signature C3, verso:If the authorities knew about the problems and chose not to prevent them, then clearly something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
My belief that something is rotten in the State of Denmark is bred by recent developments, both political and cultural. I feel that the feminist movement is now more on the defensive than the offensive, […]
2016, Robin Morgan, editor, Sisterhood Is Global […] , Open Road Media, →ISBN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| there is something rotten in the state of Denmark | alternative | lexicographic | |
| something is rotten in Denmark | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (30)
it c'è del marcio nel regno di Danimarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · sh има нешто труло у држави Данској (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · ru нела́дно что́-то в да́тском короле́встве (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · sv i danska staten någonting är ruttet (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · de etwas ist faul im Staate Dänemark (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · sv något är ruttet (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · cs je něco shnilého ve státě dánském (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · it c'è del marcio in Danimarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · tr çürümüş bir şeyler var şu Danimarka krallığında (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · sh ima nešto trulo u državi Danskoj (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · gl algo cheira a podre en Dinamarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · pl źle się dzieje w państwie duńskim (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · es algo huele a podrido en Dinamarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · bg има нещо гнило в Дания (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · eo malbona io estas en Danujo (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · sh nešto je trulo u državi Danskoj (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · he משהו רקוב בממלכת דנמרק (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · pt há algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · sv något är ruttet i konungariket Danmark (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · gl haber gato en fol (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · fr il y a quelque chose de pourri au royaume du Danemark (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · no det er noe råttent i kongeriket Danmark (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · fr il y a quelque chose de pourri au royaume de Danemark (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · ro ceva e putred în Danemarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · fi on jotain mätää Tanskanmaalla (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · el κάτι σάπιο υπάρχει στο βασίλειο της Δανιμαρκίας (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · es algo está podrido en el estado de Dinamarca (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · cs je cosi shnilého ve státě dánském (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · hu valami bűzlik Dániában (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right") · da der er noget råddent i Danmark (Hamlet quotation, used in other contexts to mean "something is not right")