rotten to the core

Idioms  

1. Thoroughly bad, as in It seems that this police unit is rotten to the core, involved in numerous extortion schemes. The noun core here denotes the central part or heart of anything or anyone. The idiom was first recorded in 1804.

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Example Sentences

That was a recognition of the fact that Mexico’s old-guard, pro-government union system was rotten to the core and had artificially held down wages for decades.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2023

The strategy angered lawyers for cancer plaintiffs, who called it "rotten to the core" in court.

From Reuters • Feb. 25, 2022

If he's rotten to the core, he'll cotton to the roar.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2021

The Bears, on the other hand, are rotten to the core offensively, and now have to deal with a swollen hand to rookie QB Justin Fields.

From Fox News • Sep. 30, 2021

At the beginning of the sixteenth century Italy was rotten to the core.

From Machiavelli, Volume I by Dacres, Edward