- a rotten (or bad) apple
- a rotten (or bad) appleinformala corrupt person in a group, likely to have a detrimental influence on the others.→ apple
English new terms dictionary. 2014.
a rotten (or bad) apple
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bad apple — bad one, rotten one He s the bad apple in that group. He s always in trouble … English idioms
a bad apple — ► a rotten (or bad) apple informal a corrupt person in a group, likely to have a detrimental influence on the others. Main Entry: ↑apple … English terms dictionary
apple — ► NOUN ▪ the rounded fruit of a tree of the rose family, with green or red skin and crisp flesh. ● the apple never falls far from the tree Cf. ↑the apple never falls far from the tree ● the apple of one s eye Cf. ↑the apple of one s eye ● … English terms dictionary
apple — noun 1》 the rounded fruit of a tree of the rose family, with green or red skin and crisp flesh. 2》 the tree which bears apples. [Genus Malus: numerous cultivated forms.] 3》 used in names of similar unrelated fruits, e.g. custard apple. Phrases… … English new terms dictionary
bad — bad1 [bad] adj. worse, worst [ME bad, badde < ? OE bæddel, hermaphrodite] 1. a) not good; not as it should be [a bad attitude, a bad deal] b) defective in quality; below standard; inadequate [bad plumbing] 2 … English World dictionary
(a) bad apple — one bad person in a group of people who are good. You ll find the occasional rotten apple in every organization … New idioms dictionary
rotten apple — noun A corrupt person • • • Main Entry: ↑rotten * * * rotten apple UK US noun [countable] [singular rotten apple plural rotten apples … Useful english dictionary
a rotten apple — a rotten (or bad) apple informal a bad or corrupt person in a group, typically one whose behavior is likely to have a detrimental influence on his or her associates Origin: with reference to the effect that a rotten apple has on fruit with which… … Useful english dictionary
rotten — early 13c., from O.N. rotinn decayed, pp. of verb related to rotna to decay, from P.Gmc. stem *rut (see ROT (Cf. rot)). Sense of corrupt is from late 14c.; weakened sense of bad first recorded 1881. Rotten apple is from a saying traced back to at … Etymology dictionary
rotten apple — noun count INFORMAL someone who does bad things and influences other people so that they do bad things too … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
