curate's egg

Related to curate's egg: farrago

curate's egg

Something that is partly good and partly bad. Taken from a British cartoon about a curate, or priest, who was given a bad egg but focused on the egg's good characteristics as he did not want to offend the person who gave it to him. Primarily heard in UK. Our vacation was a bit of a curate's egg; the first few days were sunny, but the rest of the week was ruined by the heavy rain and flooding.
See also: egg
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a curate's egg

BRITISH
If you describe something as a curate's egg, you think that parts of it are good and parts of it are bad. His collection of duets with famous friends is something of a curate's egg. It's a real curate's egg of a production; intermittently brilliant in the first half, but a dreadful disappointment in the second. Note: A curate is a clergyman in the Church of England who helps the vicar or rector of a parish. A well-known Victorian cartoon published in the British magazine `Punch' shows a curate having breakfast with a senior clergyman. The curate has been given a bad egg but he is anxious not to offend anyone, so he says that it is `good in parts'.
See also: egg
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a curate's egg

something that is partly good and partly bad.
This expression stems from a Punch cartoon produced in 1895 , showing a meek curate breakfasting with his bishop. bishop: I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr Jones . curate: Oh no, my Lord, I assure you! Parts of it are excellent!
See also: egg
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

the/a ˌcurate’s ˈegg

(British English) something that has some good things and some bad things about it: ‘Is it an interesting book?’ ‘It’s a bit of a curate’s egg, good in parts. The dialogue’s often quite amusing.’This idiom comes from a story in the magazine Punch. A polite curate (= an assistant to a priest) is given a bad egg while eating in the house of a very senior priest. When asked if he likes the egg, he replies that ‘parts of it are excellent’.
See also: egg
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a curate's egg
  • curate
  • separate the sheep from the goats
  • separate the sheep from the goats, to
  • sort out/separate the sheep from the goats
  • it never rains but it pours
  • term
  • have a bad opinion of (someone or something)
  • have a good, bad, high, low, etc. opinion of somebody/something
  • bad egg
References in periodicals archive
But, a little like Parliament itself, the exhibition is something of a curate's egg.
MPs shake off negative image; Bringing Brass to Birmingham: Some of our best-known MPs and peers have taken part in a photography competition. Paul Groves looks at the results and finds good and bad in equal measure
MIDLAND business leaders have labelled the Tony Blair years a "curate's egg" for commerce - with red tape and the minimum wage causing major headaches.
Blair years a 'curate's egg' ECONOMY: Mixed feelings over policies of last 10 years
Durham's cabinet member for education Neil Foster said: "The strategy is something of a curate's egg. There's 75pc of it that no-one could argue with, but the other 25pc is a problem.
Party faithful voice doubts
It's early days yet but satellite TV appears to me to be a bit of a curate's egg, and a powerful argument in favour of the continuation of the BBC licence fee.
Now we have our satellite dish I wonder what's on the BBC?
Generally, however, our callers are excellent but, like this page, the 'curate's egg' theory applies.
I wasn't being 'rude', just doing my job
A curate's egg which is rather too one-note for these ears.
Music: cd releases: Out this week.
He lists "curate's egg golf" as one of his recreations'
'Magnificent seven' enter Snobs' Bible; HONOUR: Leading Brummies make first appearance in the new edition of Who's Who
So far, he says, it is like a curate's egg - only good in parts.
MP warns on Assembly's poor performance on hospital waiting
The young fly-half, offered a rare start by Greg McDonald's injury, had what John Beale accurately described as a 'curate's egg' of a game.
Rugby union: Heinz 57 variety leaves Moseley hungry for respite; Orrell 57 Moseley 6
Their second, harder-boiled album Travelator had a touch of the curate's egg about it, but 1999 is the year to get serious about transferring the excitement of The Egg live experience to The Egg album experience.
Music: The Egg: Cracking into the mainstream
LIKE the curate's egg, the first night was good in parts.
Reviews: That's the spirit; BLITHE SPIRIT The Nonentities Rose Theatre, Kidderminster
But we are here to discuss the music-making, and a distressingly curate's egg of a performance it was.
Review: Curley the crowd pleaser triumphs
For all that, Christopher's is rather a curate's egg, but if you can cope with the blips then the food is worth it.
RAISING THE STEAKS; CHRISTOPHER'S
That summed up a curate's egg of a Walsall display - good in parts.
Football: Suicidal Saddlers blow it again; HUDDERSFIELD 3 WALSALL 1
The latest analysis of Birmingham City Council's performance in delivering public services has all the ingredients of a particularly bitter curate's egg.
Comment: Why can't we be as good as all the others?