ProverbWisdom
English origin14th c.
English origin14th c.A bad penny always comes back
Meaning: Undesirable people or problems have a persistent way of reappearing despite your efforts to be rid of them.
Origin: A bad penny was a clipped or counterfeit coin: anyone who received one passed it on, so it kept circulating and turning up again. "Bad penny" appears in Langland's Piers Plowman in the 14th century, and the proverb was in print by the 18th, as in Henry Fielding's work of 1742.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
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