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3. rotten to the core

rotten to the core

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rotten to the core

Fig. really bad; corrupt. That lousy punk is rotten to the core. The entire administration is rotten to the core.

See also: core, rotten

rotten to the core

Thoroughly bad, as in It seems that this police unit is rotten to the core, involved in numerous extortion schemes . The noun core here denotes the central part or heart of anything or anyone. The idiom was first recorded in 1804.

See also: core, rotten

rotten to the core

mod. really bad. (see also rotten apple.) That lousy punk is rotten to the core.

See also: core, rotten