View synonyms for bad egg

bad egg

noun

a person who is bad, dishonest, or unreliable; a good-for-nothing:
a bad egg who had served several years in prison.

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of bad egg¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

An individual who turns out to be rotten, as in You can't trust him—he's simply a bad egg . Although egg had been used for various kinds of person (young, good, bad) since Shakespeare's day, this transfer of a seemingly wholesome food that, when opened, turns out to be rotten took place only in the mid-1800s. An early definition appeared in The Atheneum of 1864: “A bad egg ... a fellow who had not proved to be as good as his promise.” In contrast, the schoolyard saying Last one in is a rotten egg does not have any special significance other than as a way of urging others to join an activity, jump in the water, or the like. Also see good egg .

Discover More

Example Sentences

Chloride of Lime … bad smell … bad egg … white of egg … fowl … grain … flour … flour and water … milk fluid … milk.

From Project Gutenberg

A single bad egg will make the whole mixture heavy, spungy, and of an unpleasant taste.

From Project Gutenberg

What made it particularly difficult was that the other man had been a very bad egg, indeed.

From Project Gutenberg

I suppose, he half laughed, as he walked slowly past the building, the old relic thinks Im a bad egg.

From Project Gutenberg

"A bad egg," he said, and began to talk about bygone days on the Ridge.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse