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bad egg. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bad egg, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bad egg in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
bad egg you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
An allusion to an egg that has gone bad or turned rotten.
Pronunciation
Noun
bad egg (plural bad eggs)
- (British, US, idiomatic) Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.
1906, Horatio Alger, Joe the Hotel Boy:"Dat's right!" piped up the newsboy who had brought the policeman. "I see him do de trick jest a minit ago!"
"This is a plot against me!" fumed the swindler.
"Dat feller is a bad egg!" went on the newsboy. "His name is Bill Butts. He's a slick one, he is. Hits de country jays strong, he does!"
1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter X, in The Mucker, All-Story Cavalier Weekly:I've been a fairly bad egg, Byrne, for a great many years; but, by George! I'm not entirely rotten yet.
2017 May 26, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, May 26, 2017:"And the fifth immortal we know tried to kill you." "He is a bad egg. We stick to good eggs."
- (literal) An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg.
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