bad egg

American  

noun

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

   a bad egg who had served several years in prison.

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bad egg Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of bad egg

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Compare meaning

How does bad-egg compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• good egg vs. bad egg

Example Sentences

My mother had driven to check on Julie, who had moved in with a guy I could only assume was a bad egg.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2022

Julie Dawn Cole knows she was a bad egg — and she’s not shy about telling all.

From Fox News • Jan. 29, 2019

“I’ve been a bad egg lately,” Paul begins.

From The Verge • Dec. 3, 2018

She discovers Mukri is a very bad egg and that the women have their own dicey secrets.

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2018

“Well. The Belgians in general. He’s very mad about all the nice things they said earlier about King Léopold. Who was a bad egg, I’ll admit that.”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver