a nasty piece of work
Meaning: An unpleasant, cruel or dishonest person.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Be careful with that landlord; he's a nasty piece of work.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Calling a person a badly made object. The British phrase is common from the mid-20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Une peau de vache — literally: A cow's hide
More idioms — Daily Life
- good riddance — Said when one is glad to be rid of someone or something.
- go through the wringer — To go through a very hard experience.
- go off on a tangent — To wander away from the subject being discussed.
- strike out — To fail completely, especially in an attempt to attract someone.
- nothing doing — Refusal; there is no chance of that happening.
- be in the know — To have information that most people do not have.
More English idioms
- holy cow! — An exclamation of surprise.
- clear as day — Completely obvious.
- have had it up to here — To be completely fed up.
- be off one's game — To perform worse than usual.
- be miles away — To be lost in thought and not paying attention.
- sly as a fox — Very cunning.
From our proverbs
- Where it is weakest there the thread breaketh. — Failure occurs at the point of greatest vulnerability, not where strength exists.
- Their folly pleads the privilege of wealth. — Wealth allows the foolish to escape natural consequences that would humble ordinary peopl…
- Everything is the worse for wearing. — Constant use and time erode even the finest things, diminishing their quality and value.