ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rotten egg

idiom
Meaning

A person who is the latest, the last, or the slowest in a group to arrive somewhere or to perform a certain task.


Examples
SIMPLE

Hurry up or you will be the rotten egg.

CONTEXTUAL

We all finished our race before him, so he was the rotten egg of the group.

COMPLEX

The last student to arrive at the lecture hall was teased by his classmates for being the rotten egg.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a wild goose never laid a tame egg

    Most things are inherited and predetermined.

  2. 02

    bad egg

    Someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.

  3. 03

    borrow and beg

    [Cockney slang]egg

  4. 04

    curate's egg

    A thing which has good and bad parts, but is overall spoiled by the bad.

  5. 05

    egg on

    To encourage or coax (a person) to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.

  6. 06

    good egg

    A good person, someone to be trusted; a friend.

  7. 07

    lay an egg

    To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.

  8. 08

    rotten apple

    A bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

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