wrong 'un
- noun
- Offensive
:
sinvergüenza
- Everyone knows he is a wrong 'un, so nobody trusts him with their secrets.
Examples
-
I warned you about him; he's a real wrong 'un and can't be relied on.
-
It's a wrong-un, so I want my money back.
-
Despite his charm, many people consider him a wrong 'un because of his shady dealings.
Synonyms
1
8.6
A person who is more at fault than someone else
Antonyms
How Trustworthy
88
2.1
21
4.8
- Offensive
- Offensive
51
6.5
- Offensive
153
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
wrong + 'un
The phrase is a dialectal contraction ('un = one), so in principle 'wrong' + 'one' yields 'wrong one' = a bad/person; however the specific colloquial sense 'a dishonest or untrustworthy person' is an informal, lexicalized extension and the clitic 'un is nonstandard and may not be recognized by learners. Because the meaning is partly derivable from 'wrong' but requires exposure to the contracted form and the colloquial sense, it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Wrong 'un as slang comes from the phrase 'wrong one' used to point to a bad person; the image is simple: someone who is the 'wrong' person in the group. That's why it means a dishonest or untrustworthy person.