bad egg
Untrustworthy sort, colloquially
A bad egg is a person who turns out to be dishonest, unreliable, or generally disappointing—someone whose character proves rotten beneath the surface.
The metaphor comes from eggs that appear fine until cracked open: He seemed charming at first, but he's a bad egg.
The opposite, good egg, describes someone dependable and decent.
Dishonest, unscrupulous person
- rogueDishonest or uncontrolled agent
- rascalLovable troublemaker
- villainWicked story antagonist
- troublemakerOne who creates discord
ne'er-do-well · black sheep · miscreant · reprobate · wrongdoer · delinquent · good-for-nothing · lowlife
Decomposed or corrupt
- spoiledRuined or overindulged
- stinkyHaving unpleasant odor
- sulfurousContaining yellow element
- foulOffensive or illegal
putrid · rank · off · smelly · fetid · expired · turned · gone off
Inclined to mislead others
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- untrustworthyNot deserving of confidence
- crookedBent or dishonest
- shadyDisreputable or sun-blocked
scheming · manipulative · duplicitous · two-faced · underhanded · sneaky · sly · treacherous
Failure to satisfy expectations
- washoutComplete failure or cancellation
- failureLack of success
- flopComplete commercial failure
- disappointmentSadness from unmet expectations
dud · bust · loser · underachiever · nonstarter · dead loss · write-off · waste of space
scoundrel
Dishonest, unscrupulous person
troublemaker · ne'er-do-well · black sheep · miscreant · reprobate · wrongdoer · delinquent · good-for-nothing · lowlife · cad
rotten
Decomposed or corrupt
foul · putrid · rank · off · smelly · fetid · expired · turned · gone off · rancid
deceitful
Inclined to mislead others
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- untrustworthyNot deserving of confidence
- crookedBent or dishonest
shady · scheming · manipulative · duplicitous · two-faced · underhanded · sneaky · sly · treacherous · slippery
letdown
Failure to satisfy expectations
disappointment · dud · bust · loser · underachiever · nonstarter · dead loss · write-off · waste of space
bad egggood egg
Dependable, kindhearted person
good person · stand-up guy · straight shooter · good sort · pillar of the community
bad, egg, eggs, poached egg, scrambled eggs, good egg, fried egg, rotten egg