curate's egg
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of curate's egg
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”
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.
It is much better than that, but remains something of a curate's egg.
From Nature ● Dec. 13, 2016
The third egg is 's curate's egg of a film, good and bad in parts, but mainly a misconceived venture.
From The Guardian ● May 18, 2013
And the other three, like the curate’s egg, were good in parts.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2012
Bendtner, who has had a curate's egg of a season, will cost £15m.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 15, 2011
The fact is that "BERTHA RUCK" can achieve something better than these meandering methods and this spinelessness of characterisation; and it is distinctly disappointing to see her content with the curate's egg standard.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, August 8, 1917 by Various
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.
