bad egg
/ˈbæd ɛɡ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.42 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.
British usage; American usage
noun
An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg.
Example Sentences
- ""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!""
- "I've been a fairly bad egg, Byrne, for a great many years; but, by George! I'm not entirely rotten yet."
- "My son had a drug problem and hired a bad egg as a chief accountant […]"
- ""And the fifth immortal we know tried to kill you." "He is a bad''' egg. We stick to good eggs.""
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbæd ɛɡ/
- British English: /ˈbæd ɛɡ/