bad fairy
1
7.4
- noun
- Literature
:
hada mala
- The bad fairy laughed as she spread mischief among the townsfolk during the celebration.
Examples
-
He was tall and gaunt, turbaned in black, a prophet as unwelcome as a bad fairy at a baptism.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the story, the bad fairy cast a spell that caused chaos in the village.
-
Children were warned to stay away from the bad fairy who was known for stealing their dreams.
How Harmful
- Literature
1
7.4
- Literature
11
8.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a fairy who intends to cause harm or mischief' is directly built from 'bad' (harmful/evil) modifying 'fairy' (a mythical creature), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the overall sense. This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition with no idiomatic shift and parallels similar constructions in many languages, making it fully transparent.
Etymology
Bad fairy comes from old stories about small magical beings that could be kind or mean, and some would hurt people or cause trouble. So calling someone a bad fairy means a fairy who is bad, a 'fairy' who wants to 'cause harm' or 'mischief'.