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leave a bad taste in one's mouth

Idioms

Make a lingering bad impression on one, as in The argument left a bad taste in my mouth, so after that I avoided talking politics. This expression transfers the bad taste left by consuming bitter or otherwise unpleasant food to a distasteful experience. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Especially given how sadistic the film becomes, this denouement may leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.

From Salon

Nevertheless, EA’s penchant for shuttering studios it acquires certainly can leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.

From Forbes

An unpleasant play is likely to leave a bad taste in one's mouth, but that bad taste may save her from thinking that evil can be honey-coated and harmless.

From Project Gutenberg

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