bad egg — meaning & examples

Language: en

Meanings:

  • 1.

    American EnglishBritish EnglishAustralian EnglishGlobal Englishinformal
    • A person who behaves badly, is morally unreliable, or is considered objectionable; a rogue or scoundrel.

    Examples

    Beta

    • That bad egg in the office keeps spreading rumors and causing tension among colleagues.

      The troublesome person at work spreads gossip and creates conflict among coworkers.

    • Everyone knew he was a bad egg, so no one trusted him with important tasks.

      He was known to be unreliable and untrustworthy, so people avoided giving him responsibility.

    • Did you notice the bad egg who was caught stealing from the company funds?

      Did you see the person who was dishonest and stole money from the company?

  • 2.

    Global Englishinformal
    • A mildly disparaging, often jocular description of someone who is irreverent or roguish but may nonetheless be likable or have redeeming qualities.

    Examples

    Beta

    • He’s a bit of a bad egg, always making jokes but somehow everyone still likes him.

      He’s a roguish but likable person who often jokes around.

    • Don’t be too harsh on her; she’s just a bad egg with a mischievous streak.

      Be gentle because she’s a playful troublemaker but not seriously bad.

    • The actor played the bad egg with charm, making the villain oddly endearing.

      The performer portrayed the rogue character in a way that made him likable.

  • 3.

    Global Englishneutral
    • A literal spoiled or rotten egg.

    Examples

    Beta

    • When I cracked the egg, I realized it was a bad egg that had spoiled inside.

      Upon breaking the egg, I found it was rotten and unusable.

    • The recipe failed because a bad egg was used, giving the cake a terrible taste.

      The cake tasted awful because a spoiled egg was included.

    • Have you ever bought bad eggs that smelled off and made you throw them away?

      Did you purchase rotten eggs that smelled bad and had to discard them?

    • The farmer checked every egg carefully to avoid packing any bad eggs for sale.

      The farmer inspected all eggs to ensure none spoiled before selling them.

Examples:

  • EN: I told you he was a bad egg.
    ES: Te dije que era un sinvergüenza.
  • EN: I'm a pretty bad egg.
    ES: Soy un desastre.
  • EN: I'll tell you why, because he's a bad egg, that's why.
    ES: Te lo diré yo... porque es un maleante, por eso.
  • EN: like a bad egg.
    ES: como un huevo podrido.
  • EN: You almost helped a bad egg to escape.
    ES: ¿Yo?
  • EN: Now, he's produced three straight dramatic smashes in a row... While you've been laying one bad egg after another. Now that's fact.
    ES: Ha producido 3 dramas de éxito seguidos... mientras tú ponías un mal huevo detrás de otro.
  • EN: -He's a bad egg.
    ES: Es mala persona.
  • EN: You know, you're funny, in some ways, you're not such a bad egg.
    ES: Oye, eres muy rara. A veces, no eres tan mala.
  • EN: It's an old saying that you don't have to be a hen to know a bad egg.
    ES: Dice el refrán que al mejor escribano se le va un borrón.
  • EN: - He is what is known as a thoroughly bad egg but a faithful worker, I like him.
    ES: - Es lo que se conoce como un huevo completamente malo pero un trabajador fiel, me gusta.
  • EN: Perhaps locate bad egg in picnic basket.
    ES: Quizá localicemos al huevo podrido en la canasta del almuerzo.
  • EN: This Cisco Kid, he's very bad egg, I guess?
    ES: Este Cisco Kid es una mala persona, supongo.
  • EN: A bad egg. That's me all right.
    ES: Un huevo podrido.
  • EN: He's not such a bad egg when you know him.
    ES: No es tan malo como parece.
  • EN: You know, I ain't such a bad egg as you think.
    ES: Sabes, no eres tan mal tipo como piensas.
  • EN: I told you he was a bad egg.
    ES: Te dije que era un sinvergüenza.
  • EN: I'm a pretty bad egg.
    ES: Soy un desastre.
  • EN: I'll tell you why, because he's a bad egg, that's why.
    ES: Te lo diré yo... porque es un maleante, por eso.
  • EN: like a bad egg.
    ES: como un huevo podrido.
  • EN: You almost helped a bad egg to escape.
    ES: ¿Yo?
  • EN: Now, he's produced three straight dramatic smashes in a row... While you've been laying one bad egg after another. Now that's fact.
    ES: Ha producido 3 dramas de éxito seguidos... mientras tú ponías un mal huevo detrás de otro.
  • EN: -He's a bad egg.
    ES: Es mala persona.
  • EN: You know, you're funny, in some ways, you're not such a bad egg.
    ES: Oye, eres muy rara. A veces, no eres tan mala.
  • EN: It's an old saying that you don't have to be a hen to know a bad egg.
    ES: Dice el refrán que al mejor escribano se le va un borrón.
  • EN: - He is what is known as a thoroughly bad egg but a faithful worker, I like him.
    ES: - Es lo que se conoce como un huevo completamente malo pero un trabajador fiel, me gusta.
  • EN: Perhaps locate bad egg in picnic basket.
    ES: Quizá localicemos al huevo podrido en la canasta del almuerzo.
  • EN: This Cisco Kid, he's very bad egg, I guess?
    ES: Este Cisco Kid es una mala persona, supongo.
  • EN: A bad egg. That's me all right.
    ES: Un huevo podrido.
  • EN: He's not such a bad egg when you know him.
    ES: No es tan malo como parece.
  • EN: You know, I ain't such a bad egg as you think.
    ES: Sabes, no eres tan mal tipo como piensas.

Related Idioms

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