something is rotten in the state of Denmark

something is rotten in (the state of) Denmark

Something strange or suspicious is going on. The line comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Why is Katherine being so nice to me all of a sudden? I'm telling you, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. "Something's rotten in Denmark," the detective muttered as he looked through the surveillance photos.
See also: Denmark, rotten, something, state
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

something is rotten in the state of Denmark

Something is seriously amiss; there is a smell of corruption. This expression is a direct quotation from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (4.1). Eric Partridge suggested that rotten was originally an analogy to cheese, for which Denmark has long been famous, and that possibly the expression was a catchphrase even when Shakespeare used it.
See also: Denmark, of, rotten, something, state
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • Denmark
  • is rotten in Denmark
  • something is rotten in (the state of) Denmark
  • protest too much
  • shuffle off this mortal coil
  • (something), thy name is (someone or something)
  • the lady doth protest too much, methinks
  • the glass of fashion and the mold of form
  • make (one's) gorge rise
  • make gorge rise
References in periodicals archive
The second is that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Democracy in action in Julau?
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, says a character as Shakespeares play Hamlet begins.
The hell of it all
Marcellus, guarding the castle, remarks that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. He is saying that under King Hamlet's reign, Denmark was a healthy and prosperous kingdom, but the rule of the malicious and ferocious King Claudius, it is now rotten to the core.
Pleasure of reading classics
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" is a line spoken by the character Marcellus in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Top judge slams Catholic Church for being "in denial" over sexual abuse; Father Thomas Wood visited internet chat rooms and watched videos of children being raped
The section is titled "Something is rotten in the world," inspired by the well-known line from "Hamlet" -- "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
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On November 26, a bench of justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra had said," Something is rotten in the State of Denmark, said Shakespeare in Hamlet, and it can similarly be said that something is rotten in the Allahabad High Court."
SC refuses to strike off Allahabad HC "something is rotten" remark
" Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, said Shakespeare in Hamlet , and it can similarly be said that something is rotten in the Allahabad High Court," the bench of Justice Katju and Justice G.
Katju pulls up Allahabad High Court judges
And William Shakespeare got it spot on in Hamlet when he wrote 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark'.
Football: SOMETHING'S ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF DENMARK ..ENGLAND; Denmark 4 England 1 Sven's men take a hammering