Idiom
something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Meaning
Something is not right, seriously amiss, especially when leading to suspicion of motive.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I suspect something is rotten in the state of Denmark with this deal.”
“When the manager suddenly resigned without a clear reason, the staff whispered that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
“As the financial reports revealed hidden debts and missing funds, the auditor concluded that something is rotten in the state of Denmark regarding the company's leadership.”
Examples
simple
“I suspect something is rotten in the state of Denmark with this deal.”
contextual
“When the manager suddenly resigned without a clear reason, the staff whispered that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
complex
“As the financial reports revealed hidden debts and missing funds, the auditor concluded that something is rotten in the state of Denmark regarding the company's leadership.”
Origin
A line spoken by Marcellus in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act I, scene iv.
Key words
Related idioms
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