"bad egg" meaning in English

See bad egg in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈbæd ɛɡ/ [General-American, Received-Pronunciation] Audio: en-au-bad egg.ogg Forms: bad eggs [plural]
Etymology: An allusion to an egg that has gone bad or turned rotten. Head templates: {{en-noun}} bad egg (plural bad eggs)
  1. (British, US, idiomatic) Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue. Tags: British, US, idiomatic Translations (rogue): 壞蛋 (Chinese Mandarin), 坏蛋 (huàidàn) (Chinese Mandarin), mätämuna (Finnish), délinquant (French), malfrat [masculine] (French), bandit [masculine] (French), carō pūtida [feminine] (Latin), stricat [masculine] (Romanian), ticălos [masculine] (Romanian), droch-isean [masculine] (Scottish Gaelic)
    Sense id: en-bad_egg-en-noun-we35yW08 Categories (other): American English, British English, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 58 42 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 51 49 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 55 45 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 56 44 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 52 48 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 54 46 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 60 40 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 56 44 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 52 48 Disambiguation of Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations: 54 46 Disambiguation of 'rogue': 84 16
  2. (literal) An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg. Categories (topical): People Categories (lifeform): Eggs Related terms: bad apple, bad seed
    Sense id: en-bad_egg-en-noun-eW0MoKtu Disambiguation of People: 30 70 Disambiguation of Eggs: 29 71 Categories (other): Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 51 49 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 55 45 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 52 48 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 54 46 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 52 48 Disambiguation of Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations: 54 46

Inflected forms

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "good egg"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "An allusion to an egg that has gone bad or turned rotten.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bad eggs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "bad egg (plural bad eggs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "60 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Latin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1906, Horatio Alger, Joe the Hotel Boy:",
          "text": "\"Dat's right!\" piped up the newsboy who had brought the policeman. \"I see him do de trick jest a minit ago!\"\n\"This is a plot against me!\" fumed the swindler.\n\"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!\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914 October – 1916 July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter X, in The Mucker, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published 31 October 1921, →OCLC:",
          "text": "I've been a fairly bad egg, Byrne, for a great many years; but, by George! I'm not entirely rotten yet.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest:",
          "text": "My son had a drug problem and hired a bad egg as a chief accountant […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 May 26, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, May 26, 2017:",
          "text": "\"And the fifth immortal we know tried to kill you.\" \"He is a bad''' egg. We stick to good eggs.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue."
      ],
      "id": "en-bad_egg-en-noun-we35yW08",
      "links": [
        [
          "behaviour",
          "behaviour"
        ],
        [
          "reprehensible",
          "reprehensible"
        ],
        [
          "irresponsible",
          "irresponsible"
        ],
        [
          "rogue",
          "rogue#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, US, idiomatic) Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British",
        "US",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "word": "壞蛋"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "huàidàn",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "word": "坏蛋"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "word": "mätämuna"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "word": "délinquant"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "malfrat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bandit"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "carō pūtida"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "stricat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ticălos"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 16",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "rogue",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "droch-isean"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 71",
          "kind": "lifeform",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Eggs",
          "orig": "en:Eggs",
          "parents": [
            "Birds",
            "Foods",
            "Reproduction",
            "Vertebrates",
            "Eating",
            "Food and drink",
            "Life",
            "Chordates",
            "Human behaviour",
            "All topics",
            "Nature",
            "Animals",
            "Human",
            "Fundamental",
            "Lifeforms"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg."
      ],
      "id": "en-bad_egg-en-noun-eW0MoKtu",
      "links": [
        [
          "egg",
          "egg"
        ],
        [
          "gone bad",
          "go bad"
        ],
        [
          "rotten",
          "rotten"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "literal",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(literal) An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "5 95",
          "word": "bad apple"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "5 95",
          "word": "bad seed"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbæd ɛɡ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-bad egg.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1f/En-au-bad_egg.ogg/En-au-bad_egg.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/En-au-bad_egg.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bad egg"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "good egg"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
    "en:Eggs",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "An allusion to an egg that has gone bad or turned rotten.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "bad eggs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "bad egg (plural bad eggs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "bad apple"
    },
    {
      "word": "bad seed"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "British English",
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1906, Horatio Alger, Joe the Hotel Boy:",
          "text": "\"Dat's right!\" piped up the newsboy who had brought the policeman. \"I see him do de trick jest a minit ago!\"\n\"This is a plot against me!\" fumed the swindler.\n\"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!\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1914 October – 1916 July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter X, in The Mucker, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published 31 October 1921, →OCLC:",
          "text": "I've been a fairly bad egg, Byrne, for a great many years; but, by George! I'm not entirely rotten yet.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest:",
          "text": "My son had a drug problem and hired a bad egg as a chief accountant […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 May 26, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, May 26, 2017:",
          "text": "\"And the fifth immortal we know tried to kill you.\" \"He is a bad''' egg. We stick to good eggs.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "behaviour",
          "behaviour"
        ],
        [
          "reprehensible",
          "reprehensible"
        ],
        [
          "irresponsible",
          "irresponsible"
        ],
        [
          "rogue",
          "rogue#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, US, idiomatic) Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British",
        "US",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "egg",
          "egg"
        ],
        [
          "gone bad",
          "go bad"
        ],
        [
          "rotten",
          "rotten"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "literal",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(literal) An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbæd ɛɡ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-bad egg.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1f/En-au-bad_egg.ogg/En-au-bad_egg.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/En-au-bad_egg.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "word": "壞蛋"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "huàidàn",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "word": "坏蛋"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "word": "mätämuna"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "word": "délinquant"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "malfrat"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bandit"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "carō pūtida"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "stricat"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ticălos"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "rogue",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "droch-isean"
    }
  ],
  "word": "bad egg"
}

Download raw JSONL data for bad egg meaning in English (3.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.