good for nothing

good for nothing

Entirely without value; of no use whatsoever. Hyphenated if used as a modifier before a noun. This junky old computer my dad gave me is good for nothing! That good-for-nothing son of mine has been doing nothing but lying on the couch for the past two months!
See also: good, nothing
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

good-for-nothing

If you describe someone as good-for-nothing, you mean that they are lazy and irresponsible. Ruth's father was a rich, charming, but good-for-nothing man. He lived with his alcoholic mother and her good-for-nothing boyfriend in a trailer park. Note: You can also call a person a good-for-nothing. She called him `a lazy, deceitful good-for-nothing'.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

good-for-nothing

1. mod. worthless. (Usually having to do with a person.) Let’s get rid of this good-for-nothing car right now.
2. n. a worthless person. (Also a rude term of address.) Tell the good-for-nothing to leave.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • good-for-nothing
  • round robin
  • a round robin
  • eleventh hour
  • heads I win, tails you lose
  • black market
  • a light touch
  • rust bucket
  • first hand
  • broth of a boy
References in periodicals archive
The Good For Nothing Chester team brainstorming as part of the hack
Doing 'good for nothing' in Chester is name of the game; Volunteers support community projects with oodles of passion and imagination
The pacing of "Good for Nothing" could have been a bit brisker, but Kiwi star Holloway is a terrific cowboy/homicidal maniac, and the South African-born Rademeyer, malting her screen debut, is intriguingly beautiful, facing the obvious perils of her character's position with a certain starchiness.
Good for Nothing
Anyone with kids knows that if you give in to their whining demands you'll end up with a spoiled brat who is good for nothing. What a shame Man U is finding this out the hard way.
Spare the rod.. and Roo-in the boy
I'm not a lazy good for nothing bum, Despite what people say.
Reader's poem
"Money is good for nothing unless you Know the value of it by experience."
Quotables
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on the "Challenges and Prospects of Iran's Nuclear Program" at the Tehran University on Wednesday that the entire world knows very well that uranium enriched to the purity level of 20% is good for nothing but peaceful purposes."No country is ready to produce extra fuel beyond its needs.
Iran: N. Fuel Production Merely Aimed at Civilian Purposes
The transfer window is good for nothing except panicking managers into buying players as short-term stopgaps and chairmen into rash decisions.
Blame window for exit at Wigan
Jaci Maraschin, a former member of Faith and Order, used to say that worship was an activity that was good for nothing. To praise God had no value.
Singing the Lord's song--evangelism and music (1)
134); Annotating the lives of "Number One," "good for nothing," and "2nd-" or "3rd-rate" businessmen, credit reports made men's lives available for inspection, reporting, and sale.
Born Losers: A History of Failure in America
This year's featured speaker is Michel Noel, winner of the 2005 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People for Good for Nothing (Groundwood Books).
Michel Noel keynote speaker at AGM
As a fellow 'oldie' I take exception to his idea that we're good for nothing after 65!
ViewpointsTories need to grow up fast
Alfred: But good for nothing if she can't give the King a son.
Henry VIII "my world is law": life in the court of king Henry VIII may have been lavish, but it was far from happy. (World History Play)
Immeasurably small on a global basis, and good for nothing but US, German and Danish windpower firms.
Letter: All hot air?
"A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out as good for nothing." Samuel Johnson, author
Quote ... unquote
Good for nothing tramps--temporary pleasure is all they provide.
The Electric East Bay Acid Test