rotten apple
1
5.3
- noun
- Offensive
:
mala manzana
- Why should the well-behaved ones pay for the rotten apples?
- a few rotten apples
So yes, one rotten apple can spoil a barrel and one narcissistic person can spoil a group, a family gathering, an event.
- So yes, one rotten apple can spoil a barrel and one narcissistic person can spoil a group, a family gathering, an event.
Examples
-
You can always tell the rotten apples from the peaches.
Fiction book (1993) -
I'm thinking there are a rotten apple or two in the defense that have been here too long; it's time for them to move on.
Blog text (30) -
You can always tell the rotten apples from the peaches.
Fiction book (1993) -
Well, there's always one rotten apple in every barrel.
Fiction book (1998) -
- I'm sorry, Duke, but Miranda was a rotten apple.
-
So yes, one rotten apple can spoil a barrel and one narcissistic person can spoil a group, a family gathering, an event.
-
In any team, there's often at least one rotten apple whose negativity affects everyone else.
-
If we don't address the issues caused by that rotten apple, the group's morale will suffer.
-
The manager warned us that a single rotten apple could ruin the positive atmosphere in the office.
Synonyms
16
4.4
A person in a group who causes trouble for others
4
8.1
Completely dishonest and morally bad in every part
3
3.7
People who can make you behave badly or get into trouble
2
7.0
Someone who makes other people act dishonestly or immorally
1
7.3
A person or thing that makes people dishonest
A harmful effect that slowly damages people or groups
Antonyms
How Harmful
Surface Forms
Morphology
rotten + apple
The phrase is motivated by the literal image of a spoiled fruit (rotten + apple) and a learner who knows both words will likely infer it refers to a bad or undesirable person. However, the stronger implicature that this person will corrupt or 'spoil' the rest of the group is a metaphorical extension of the literal image and not strictly predictable from the constituents, so partial prior exposure helps.
Etymology
The phrase rotten apple comes from a simple picture: one rotten apple in a basket can touch the others and make them go bad, so the whole bunch is spoiled. That's why people use it to mean 'a person whose bad behaviour can spoil or harm the rest of a group'.