rotten to the core

rotten to the core

Thoroughly and totally bad, evil, or corrupt. The defense attorney refused to take the case when he realized the criminal was rotten to the core, unrepentantly boasting about his heinous crimes. That company is just rotten to the core—I wouldn't be surprised if all the employees were embezzling money!
See also: core, rotten
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

rotten to the core

mod. really bad. (see also rotten apple.) That lousy punk is rotten to the core.
See also: core, rotten
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • be rotten to the core
  • core
  • rotten
  • rotten apple spoils the barrel, a
  • to the core
  • (as) black as ink
  • rotten luck
  • scuzzbag
  • scuzzbucket
  • scuzzo
References in periodicals archive
Gary Neville's emotional response to Jose Mourinho news - branding Manchester United "rotten to the core"
Jose Mourinho still faces sack as Manchester United boss despite club officials saying no 'immediate' threat; Last night the Mirror Football exclusively revealed he will be sacked as Red Devils' boss, whatever the outcome of today's match against Newcastle
The previous Supreme Court saw Marcos as rotten to the core and deserved to be kicked out of the country in 1986 after his family's 20-year regime of plunder and pillage.
SC ruling on Marcos burial
Coates on Friday described Russia's anti-doping and athletics authorities as "rotten to the core" but offered some hope that individual Russian athletes might compete at Rio if they could show sufficient evidence that they were clean.
IOC unlikely to overturn Russia ban, says Coates
"This grand old football club, this institution that we hold so dear, is rotten to the core, we are disaffected and we are angry.
Fans plan walkout protests in bid to save crisis club; Plea to join campaigners and be 'Out the Door on 74' at Villa Park
The garbage crisis is the case in point that best illustrates how the whole system is rotten to the core. Beyond our government's inability to preemptively devise solutions to imminent perils, we watched as priorities were often confused and demands articulated...
The will to prevail
Pretty much everyone on screen is completely rotten to the core, which makes it very entertaining.
Back with a bang; CHELSEA IS GREAT WATCH AGAIN; ON THE BOX
The American dream is ultimately just a load of "loot, with blood on it", rotten to the core. A riveting production and an excellent start to the theatre year in Mold.
A pressure cooker of raw emotions; REVIEW: All My Sons at Theatr Clwyd in Mold
Descendants has also spawned a number one album in the US charts - with tracks including Rotten to the Core, Evil Like Me, and Set it Off.
Top villains spawn big Disney hit
Mr Farron welcomed Lord Sewel's decision to quit but said his downfall had wider implications for an undemocratic system which was "rotten to the core" and allowed peers to feel they were above the law.
Call for Lords shake-up after Sewel resignation
We are a club that is rotten to the core and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.
THE TABLE DOES NOT LIE
In between are the Big Apple cops, rotten to the core. Sharply etched dance of death on the streets of New York.
TUESDAY
But it left former pals of Donnie and Sarah furious, with one branding him "rotten to the core".
His Coke bottle proposal melted hearts around the world but Donnie McGilvray's fridge stunt got a chilly response from friends of his first wife. That's the one he left with their two kids - the youngest just five months old - before he started a new relationship with a teenager, 16 years younger than him; ROMANTIC RUBBISHED AFTER DUMPING FAMILY EXCLUSIVE EXCLU
Briefly, in the order that they unfold for the sake of a cohesive plot, these are: Delhi is unsafe for women, cops are a ruthless and greedy lot, the political system is rotten to the core.
LOSES ITS PLOT
"She is rotten to the core. She's vile, she's manipulative but she plays America's sweetheart, giving people closure.''
Cat Deeley happy to play the bad girl
Unfortunately, the motor's problems are from skin deep - it's rotten to the core. Seized brakes, rusting bolts, nuts and screws drive them round the bend, but the final straw comes when its complicated electrics system goes haywire and locks Mario inside.
THE TREASURE HUNTERS BBC1, 9pm [...]