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

The company said in response to a request from Barron’s that “licensed sales of the H200 to authorized customers in China will have no impact on our ability to supply customers in the United States.”

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

It aimed to reach 1.2 gigawatts of hydrogen production, or 10% of the U.K. government’s 2030 target, and to supply customers already established in the region as well as new businesses, according to its website.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

Paris Baguette is responding to the demand through a halal-certified plant in Malaysia, to supply customers in South East Asia and the Middle East.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2025

That is why the group has chartered two low-water barges that are able to supply customers with hydrochloric acid even when Rhine levels at Cologne fall to 0.40 metres.

From Reuters • Jul. 26, 2023

Unfortunately, newspapers in the South had been utilized extensively just on the eve of the Civil War, and it undoubtedly proved impossible to supply customers in that region during the ensuing conflict.

From History of the Comstock Patent Medicine Business and Dr. Morse's Indian Root Pills by Shaw, Robert B.