tarred with the same brush

Idioms  

1. Having the same faults or bad qualities, as in He may be lazy, but if you ask me his friends are all tarred with the same brush. This term is thought to come from sheep farming, where the animals' sores were treated by brushing tar over them, and all the sheep in a flock were treated in the same way. The term was transferred to likeness in human beings in the early 1800s.

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Example Sentences

At first glance, modern, prosperous South Korea looks like it’s been wrongly tarred with the same brush.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Alonso might reasonably point out that other drivers make critical comments about rivals, do questionable things, and sound off on the radio, and are not tarred with the same brush.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2023

The good ones get tarred with the same brush, even though the last person who wants to get in a squad car with a bad cop is a good cop.

From New York Times • Jan. 29, 2022

Homicide figures support the argument that all of Mexico shouldn’t be tarred with the same brush.

From Time • Feb. 8, 2013

Because Bruno’s ideas made such a splash at the time, and because he was condemned by the Church, all these ideas got tarred with the same brush.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin