curate's egg


nounBritish.
  1. something discreetly declared to be partly good but in fact thoroughly bad.

Origin of curate's egg

1
After a cartoon by G. du Maurier in the English humor weekly Punch (Nov. 9, 1895): a meek curate, when served a bad egg at the bishop's table, replies that “parts of it are excellent”

Words Nearby curate's egg

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British Dictionary definitions for curate's egg

curate's egg

noun
  1. something that has both good and bad parts

Origin of curate's egg

1
C20: derived from a cartoon in Punch (November, 1895) in which a timid curate, who has been served a bad egg while breakfasting with his bishop, says that parts of the egg are excellent

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