bad egg

noun

1. a person who is bad, dishonest, or unreliable; a good-for-nothing.

   a bad egg who had served several years in prison.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bad egg¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

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.

Example Sentences

There are no bad eggs in that changing room.

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"I don't really want to lock it down like Fort Knox - why are we doing that? This is for our community... just because we've got one bad egg."

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Yeah, there are a lot of bad eggs, but there are also a lot of really good people.

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"It's like they're trying to not have us around here no more, like they're trying to wash out the bad eggs and make it all posh," she said.

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"He's done a good job but he's not the only bad egg in that parliament," he says.

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