curate's egg


noun British.

something discreetly declared to be partly good but in fact thoroughly bad.

Origin of curate's egg

after a cartoon by G. du Maurier in the English humor weekly Punch (Nov. 9, 1895): a meek curate, when served a bad egg at the bishop's table, replies that “parts of it are excellent”

Words nearby curate's egg

British Dictionary definitions for curate's egg

curate's egg

noun

something that has both good and bad parts

Word Origin for curate's egg

C20: derived from a cartoon in Punch (November, 1895) in which a timid curate, who has been served a bad egg while breakfasting with his bishop, says that parts of the egg are excellent