rotten apple

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australian):

  (file)

Noun

rotten apple (plural rotten apples)

1. (idiomatic) A bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

   Synonyms: bad apple, bad seed

   Near-synonym: bad egg

Derived terms

• every barrel has a rotten apple
• there's a rotten apple in every barrel

Related terms

• rotten to the core

Translations

bad person with a corrupting influence

• Bulgarian: гнила ябълка (bg) f (gnila jabălka)

See also

• a few bad apples spoil the bunch
• the apple doesn't fall far from the tree