bad bunch

bad bunch

A group of people typified by immoral, illegal, or illicit behavior, which is often seen as being corruptive or destructive to others. My brother was a straight-A student until he started hanging out with a bad bunch; now he's hooked on drugs and has dropped out of school.
See also: bad, bunch
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • a bad lot
  • bad lot
  • keep (one's) hands clean
  • the weed of crime bears bitter fruit
  • something nasty in the woodshed
  • (one's) hands are clean
  • someone's hands are clean
  • life in the slow lane
  • put past
References in periodicals archive
Coronation Street STV When it comes to fellas, Eileen has never had much luck, and Jan seemed to be the latest in a bad bunch when it was revealed he was part of a peopletrafficking ring.
However Boris, for me, is the best of the bad bunch. I have never trusted any of them since the expenses scandal, when many of the two-faced politicians were claiming many thousands of pounds for all sorts of extravagant things.
Christopher Roberts said: "Rory seems the least bad of a very bad bunch. Jeremy Hunt seems the only other one that seems prime minister material.
As a DISY supporter (the better of a bad bunch in my opinion) I am not convinced the leadership will listen, take stock and win back supporters as the party is fracturing between the moderates and the nationalists.
4 7 STAR MAN NATHANIEL MENDEZ-LAING The best of a bad bunch. His direct running was excellent, but the finish was never quite there, though could have had a goal or two on another day.
HOT FAVOURITE Son Of Rest has "the best of a bad bunch" in stall 17 for tomorrow's Ayr Gold Cup, his trainer Fozzy Stack said yesterday.
He has a long way to go to prove he is the answer up front; he just looks the best of a bad bunch at the moment.
They were bad under centre last year but look weaker by trading away the best of a bad bunch in Tyrod Taylor, now at Cleveland.
Swigging It didn't take long for the bad bunch to go rogue as they tried to smuggle in a bottle of cheap vodka.
Business Secretary Greg Clark - a native of this region, and as far as I can tell the best of a bad bunch in the Cabinet - could do a lot worse than see if he can find some money to pass our way.
However, the significance of this agreement -- as demonstrated by several ministers -- is that it was the best of bad bunch.
However as a non-party observer of politics, I cannot help feel that the best of a very bad bunch as been chosen as Prime Minister.
And yet, out of the 83 songs considered by the IBA, PingPong's entry "Sameach" (Be Happy) was deemed the best of a bad bunch. (Even Arad thought the song was rubbish.)
All of the governing bodies are guilty in some ways of bad decisions, but the WBA really do seem the worst of a bad bunch. It's gotten so bad that I honestly consider just disregarding them completely until they sort their act out.
vvCamelot failed to shake off his reputation for being the best of a bad bunch of 2012 three-yearolds when turned over at odds of 4-11 by Al Kazeem in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.