Bad apple
a discontented, troublemaking, or dishonest person:
In any group of average citizens there are bound to be a few bad apples.
Contemporary Examples
The Republican Party will blame the culture of corruption on one bad apple named Jim Greer and move on.
Sleaze and Scandal in the Sunshine State GOP John Avlon February 11, 2013
This is the old trick of finding one bad apple and extrapolating away to beat the band.
What’s Really Obstructing Obamacare? GOP Resisters Michael Tomasky November 1, 2013
Historical Examples
“And you are selling inferior silk by your pretty face, just as a fine rind may cover a bad apple,” he retorted.
The Great Mogul Louis Tracy
Can one speckled and bad apple in a barrel of diseased apples turn the other apples good?
New Tabernacle Sermons Thomas De Witt Talmage
Read Also:
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disintegration or dissolution of bacteria. Historical Examples This is the mode of action of the anti-substances in the case of a haemolytic or bacteriolytic serum. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 Various Of these the most important are (a) bacteriolytic or lysogenic action, (b) agglutinative action, and (c) opsonic action. Encyclopaedia […]
- Badass
(of a person) difficult to deal with; mean-tempered; touchy. distinctively tough or powerful; so exceptional as to be intimidating. a mean-tempered troublemaker. Contemporary Examples Oh, and a badass clip of how terrifying the dragons have become. Watch HBO’s Epic ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4 Trailer (VIDEO) Kevin Fallon February 9, 2014 “Courtney Ames tries to […]
- Bad bank
noun a financial institution set up to hold and manage underperforming assets owned by other banks Contemporary Examples He was talking about the “bad bank” concept being bandied about in Washington at the time. Top Seven Attention-Hungry Doomsayers Duff McDonald February 10, 2009 Until the extent of “bad bank” assets are counted and valued, taxpayers […]
- Bad blood
unfriendly or hostile relations; enmity; hostility; animosity: When the territory was being settled there was bad blood between the farmers and the ranchers. Contemporary Examples It will be two independent nations fighting, armed with conventional weapons and no shortage of bad blood between them. Birth of a Nation John Avlon July 8, 2011 They were […]
- Bad books
bad books Related Terms in someone’s bad books Contemporary Examples There are good books and bad books of every kind, regardless of which label is slapped on them. A Romance Writer’s Dark Turn David J. Montgomery June 10, 2009 Historical Examples It is far better to be silent, than merely to increase the quantity of […]