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ugly customer

noun

  1. a hostile or dangerous person.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of ugly customer1

First recorded in 1805–15
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Idioms and Phrases

An ill-natured or vicious individual, as in Watch out for Charlie when he's drinking; he can be an ugly customer . This phrase uses ugly in the sense of “mean” or “dangerous.” [c. 1800]
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Example Sentences

With an oath the Count sprang towards me, and as our swords touched I knew I had to deal with an ugly customer.

He must have been a hard hitter if he boxed as he preachedwhat The Fancy would call an ugly customer.

He must have been a hard hitter if he boxed as he preached—what "the fancy" would call "an ugly customer."

In Parliament and out, he was a hornet—a good thing to let alone, and an ugly customer to stir up.

But if the fact brings any consolation, I may tell you that a sea-lion when irritated can be a very ugly customer.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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