bad news

bad news idiom
  1. An unwelcome thing or person, trouble. For example, That fire was bad news; we were underinsured for the damage, or No one wants Mary on the board—she's bad news. This term transfers literal bad news—the report of an unhappy recent event—to an unwanted or undesirable individual or circumstance. [Slang; 1920s]
  2. The amount charged for something, as in Waiter, bring our check—I want to see the bad news. [Slang; 1920s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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