IdiomThe Absurd
English
Englishsomething is rotten in the state of Denmark
Meaning: Something is seriously wrong, often something being hidden.
Example: “The accounts don't add up and the manager won't answer calls: something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
Origin: From Shakespeare's Hamlet (around 1600), where the officer Marcellus says it after seeing the ghost of the dead king.
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: há algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca Literally: There is something rotten in the kingdom of Denmark
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