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

Example Sentences

With his friends, they say Dick Turpin can be as gentle as a lamb; with his foes, especially with a limb of the law like yourself, he's been found but an ugly customer.

From Rookwood by Ainsworth, William Harrison

Cuhullin was an ugly customer to meet with; and, the idea of the "cake" aforesaid flattened the very heart within him.

From Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales by Various

“She will prove an ugly customer to deal with, depend on it.”

From Fred Markham in Russia The Boy Travellers in the Land of the Czar by Landells, R. T.

Most men are afraid of him, for he can be an ugly customer in a scrap, and under that jolly laugh he has the temper of a devil.

From Canoe Mates in Canada Three Boys Afloat on the Saskatchewan by Rathborne, George, St.

He knew Bad Bill was an ugly customer when he once got started.

From Crooked Trails and Straight by Hutchison, D. C.