raw deal

Idioms  

1. An instance of unfair or harsh treatment, as in After 25 years with the bank Bob got a raw deal—no pension, no retirement benefits of any kind, just a gold watch. Raw here means “crude” or “unfair.” [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

But one cabinet minister admits, "it is true young people get a raw deal – and youth unemployment is the number one issue, not just for that generation but for their parents and grandparents".

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Sharks have been getting a raw deal from humans for a long time.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024

Logie, who left Division II Point Loma to become Montana State’s head man last season, inherited a raw deal with the Bobcats.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 25, 2024

For The Times, Charles Arrowsmith wrote that the self-help book “is a raw deal, a hollow PR exercise filled with precepts and quips but devoid of self-awareness or humility.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2023

If I hadn't learned of the raw deal you're giving him.

From His Second Wife by Poole, Ernest