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

See Examples For:

rotten to the core

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

Baroness Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence, says the Met Police force is still "rotten to the core", 30 years after her son was murdered.

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2023

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

From Reuters ● Feb. 25, 2022

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

Rotten, rotten to the core, this state for which he would have given his heart's blood, and not only rotten, but not caring a whit for her rottenness—glorying rather, in her own degradation.

From The Lieutenant-Governor A Novel by Carryl, Guy Wetmore