ugly customer

American  

noun

1. a hostile or dangerous person.

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ugly customer Idioms  

1. An ill-natured or vicious individual, as in Watch out for Charlie when he's drinking; he can be an ugly customer. This phrase uses ugly in the sense of “mean” or “dangerous.” [c. 1800]

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Etymology

Origin of ugly customer

First recorded in 1805–15

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ugly customer

His circle of acquaintances suffered the little ones to come unto him contrary to what you might have thought, he being but an ugly customer to look at.

From When Ghost Meets Ghost by William Frend De Morgan

“That dog would be an ugly customer in a fight,” remarked Graham casually, not averse to teasing a barking dog as well as a screaming girl.

From Peggy Raymond's Vacation or Friendly Terrace Transplanted by Harriet L.

"That 'u'd be a ugly customer to meet on a dark road," he said, holding it up for the others to see.

From Westerfelt by Will N. (William Nathaniel) Harben

But the steward was obliged to attend to the ugly customer opposite him at the table, and he made no reply—a piece of rudeness, however, which he regretted as an absolute necessity.

From Freaks of Fortune or, Half Round the World by Oliver Optic

Mr. Shark, who is an ugly customer, had been cruising in the neighbourhood, and had taken a morsel out of an American swimmer a little time before.

From Romantic Spain A Record of Personal Experiences (Vol. II) by John Augustus O'Shea

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