What does "bad egg" mean?

A person who behaves badly, is morally unreliable, or is considered objectionable; a rogue or scoundrel.

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.

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Sourced from Wiktionary

bad egg — meaning & examples

Language: en

Meanings:

1.

Examples

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